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2021 Perelman School of Medicine Awards of Excellence

The following faculty members will receive this year’s Perelman School of Medicine Awards of Excellence. The distinguished awardees exemplify our profession’s highest values of scholarship, teaching, innovation, commitment to service, leadership, inclusion, and dedication to patient care. They epitomize the preeminence and impact we all strive to achieve. The awardees range from those at the beginning of their highly promising careers to those whose distinguished work has spanned decades.

—J. Larry Jameson, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of Perelman School of Medicine

caption: E. John Wherrycaption: Raina Merchantcaption: M. Kit Delgadocaption: Judy Chertokcaption: Jeanmarie Perronecaption: Carmen Guerracaption: Katalin Susztakcaption: Golnaz Vahedicaption: Beverly Colemancaption: Adi Hirshbergcaption: Frances Bargcaption: Kristen Lynchcaption: Angela Ellisoncaption: Jonathan Dunhamcaption: Rebecca Hubbardcaption: Keith Hamiltoncaption: Todd Barton

Research

The Stanley N. Cohen Biomedical Research Award goes to E. John Wherry, Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of systems pharmacology & translational therapeutics. Dr. Wherry is an internationally recognized immunologist, who has done pioneering research on T cell exhaustion and immunity to chronic infections and cancer.

The William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award goes to Katalin Susztak, professor of medicine in the division of renal-electrolyte and hypertension. Dr. Susztak is a physician-scientist who has made discoveries fundamental towards defining critical genes, cell types and mechanisms of chronic kidney disease, with great translational relevance and therapeutic potential. 

The Samuel Martin Health Evaluation Sciences Research Award goes to Raina M. Merchant, professor in the department of emergency medicine. A pioneer in the field of digital media and health services research, Dr. Merchant is the director of the Penn Medicine Center for Digital Health and Associate Vice President of Digital Health at Penn Medicine.

The Michael S. Brown New Investigator Research Award goes to Golnaz Vahedi, associate professor in the department of genetics. Dr. Vahedi is a rising star in the field of immunology, with a focus on T cell biology, epigenetics, and autoimmunity.

The Marjorie A. Bowman New Investigator Research Award goes to Mucio Kit Delgado, assistant professor in the departments of emergency medicine and epidemiology. Dr. Delgado has led pioneering studies to combat opioid overprescribing, reduce distracted and drunk driving, curb firearm injuries, and optimize emergency care systems for acutely ill and injured persons.

Clinical

The Louis Duhring Outstanding Clinical Specialist Award goes to Beverly G. Coleman, emeritus professor in the department of radiology and director of fetal imaging at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP. Dr. Coleman is widely recognized as a preeminent radiologist who has played a pioneering role in fetal therapy and has blazed a trail for Black clinicians in the field of radiology over the course of her long and distinguished career.

The Sylvan Eisman Outstanding Primary Care Physician Award goes to Judy S. Chertok, assistant professor of family medicine and community health and the associate program director of the residency program. Dr. Chertok is a highly regarded clinician who has developed deep relationships with her patients. She has actively engaged in quality improvement and service excellence work within her department and has been a leader in the care of patients with opiate use disorder and initiatives to increase equity and access for them. 

The Luigi Mastroianni, Jr. Clinical Innovator Award goes to Adi Hirshberg, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Hirshberg and her team developed and implemented the Heart Safe Motherhood program, an innovative remote monitoring tool that is transforming the care of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy across Penn Medicine and the city of Philadelphia.

The Alfred Stengel Health System Champion Award goes to Jeanmarie Perrone, professor of emergency medicine. Dr. Perrone’s leadership as the director of the Penn Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy has helped thousands of patients gain access to medications for opioid addiction, transforming the management of pain and the treatment of opioid use disorder at Penn Medicine.

Mentoring

The Arthur K. Asbury Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award goes to Frances K. Barg, emeritus professor of family medicine and community health. Dr. Barg is a pioneer in the field of qualitative health research and is a role model for medical faculty who wish to pursue research that incorporates patient and community perspectives.  

The Duncan Van Dusen Professionalism Award for Faculty goes to Carmen E. Guerra, the Ruth C. and Raymond G. Perelman Professor of Medicine in the division of general internal medicine and associate director of diversity and outreach at the Abramson Cancer Center. Dr. Guerra’s multifaceted leadership in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion has had far-reaching impact across Penn Medicine.

The Michael P. Nusbaum Graduate Student Mentoring Award goes to Kristen Lynch, Benjamin Rush Endowed Professor and chair of the department of biochemistry and biophysics. Dr. Lynch is recognized as an outstanding mentor to graduate students inside and outside her laboratory and has used her leadership to support women and underrepresented students.

Teaching

The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching goes to Angela M. Ellison, associate professor and vice chair of the department of pediatrics. Dr. Ellison is an exceptional educator who teaches in a variety of settings at CHOP and PSOM and has served as an outstanding voice and leading role model over the past year as the department and hospital have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and wide-ranging effects of systemic racism.

The Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching goes to Keith William Hamilton, associate professor of clinical medicine. Dr. Hamilton is a star educator in the department of medicine and is widely respected as medical education leader at Penn in his roles as the internal medicine clerkship director and director of undergraduate medical education in the department of medicine. 

The Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award goes to Jonathan Dunham, associate professor of clinical medicine in the department of medicine. Dr. Dunham is an outstanding rheumatologist and educator who has dedicated his teaching career to fusing basic science and clinical medicine and is widely admired for his skill at teaching how immune mechanisms play a role in clinical medicine.

The Robert Dunning Dripps Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education goes to Todd Barton, professor of clinical medicine and director of the residency program in the department of medicine. Dr. Barton has worked with learners at all levels in Penn Medicine for over two decades and strives to teach a multitude of skills from collaborative teamwork to individual clinical problem-solving to bedside humanism. 

The Jane M. Glick Graduate Student Teaching Award goes to Rebecca A. Hubbard, professor of biostatistics in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology & informatics. Dr. Hubbard is an enthusiastic, highly effective, and truly committed teacher and mentor who has had a remarkable impact on the graduate group in epidemiology and biostatistics (GGEB), promoting a productive and caring environment for BGS students through her teaching and mentoring.

Each of these recipients was chosen by a committee of distinguished faculty from the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. The contributions of these clinicians and scientists exemplify the outstanding quality of patient care, mentoring, research, and teaching.

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