Excellence in Education Awards
Faculty Teaching Awards
In recognition of excellence in medical student and resident education, awards are given to College of Medicine Department of Surgery faculty based on student and resident evaluations during the academic year.
The Dr. Ben Eiseman Surgery Teaching Award for Excellence in Resident Education and the Dr. Ward O. Griffen Surgery Teaching Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education were established in 1999 to honor faculty members who have demonstrated excellent educational skills and contributed significantly to medical student and resident education over the past academic year.
The Dr. Richard W. Schwartz Leadership in Education Award is considered a lifetime achievement award conferred upon a faculty member in the department. It is in recognition of their tireless dedication and pursuit of excellence in surgical education.
Resident & Fellow Teaching Awards
Resident and fellow teaching awards are presented to those who exhibit excellence in teaching and mentorship. These awards are based on medical student evaluations of residents.
Student Awards
The Dr. Andrew R. Pulito Award is given in honor of Dr. Andrew Pulito, pediatric surgeon, and former clerkship director. This award is given to a student who exemplifies excellence in academics, clinical care, leadership, and teaching in the field of surgery.
The Dr. Francis S. Massie Award is in honor of Dr. Francis Massie, who served as president of the Fayette County Medical Society. Dr. Massie was one of the founding members of the Southern Society of Clinical Surgeons. He was the first secretary and later president of the Kentucky Surgical Association. Dr. Massie was also a leader in the Kentucky Medical Education Foundation, an organization whose research was a catalyst to the establishment of the University of Kentucky Medical School by Governor Albert Chandler. This award is given annually to one senior medical student who demonstrates outstanding potential as a physician within the UK College of Medicine Department of Surgery.
Every Spring, these two student awards are presented to recipients during the College of Medicine's awards reception.
Past Award Recipients
2022
Dr. Ben Eiseman Award
Michael Cavnar, MD
Dr. Ward O. Griffen Award
Joseph Kim, MD
Faculty Teaching Awards: Drs. Oliver Fackelmayer, Prakash Pandalai, Erin Burke, Meera Gupta, Cortney Lee, Joshua Steiner, Emily Marcinkowski, Bill Cavatassi, Greg Charak, David Worhunsky, Avinash Bhakta, Meir Meerkov
Resident & Fellow Teaching Awards: Drs. Lauren Grimsley, Rebecca Phillip, Jingkun Wang, Travis Hughes, Kara McAbee, Erika Almodovar, Satya Dalavayi, Wesley Wilt, Evan Lynch, Andrew Gorton, Marina Robson Chase
Student Awards: Jon Davies (Pulito Award) & Jacob Hubbuch (Massie Award)
2021
Dr. Ben Eiseman Award
Erin Burke, MD
Dr. Ward O. Griffen Award
Prakash Pandalai, MD, FACS
Faculty Teaching Awards: Drs. Zachary Warriner, Mansi Shah, Avinash Bhakta, Melissa Newcomb, Emily Marcinkowski, Alex Ancheta, Andrea Doud, Lesley Wong, Cortney Lee, Henrik Berdel
Resident & Fellow Teaching Awards: Drs. Liz Bittner, Brittany Levy, Wesley Wilt, Satya Dalavayi, Erin McAtee, Alex Cocca, Erika Almodovar, Sam Walling, Heather Sinner, Nick Jackson, Rebecca Phillip, Asif Talukder
Student Awards: Walker Ueland (Pulito Award) & E. Abigaile Recktenwald (Massie Award)
2020
Dr. Ben Eiseman Award
Prakash Pandalai, MD, FACS
Dr. Ward O. Griffen Award
Emily Marcinkowski, MD, FACS
Faculty Teaching Awards: Drs. Meera Gupta, Daniel Stewart, Zachary Warriner, Erin Burke, Cortney Lee, Greg Charak, Joseph Bobadilla, Melissa Newcomb, Jessica Reynolds, Sam Tyagi
Resident & Fellow Teaching Awards: Drs. John Hahn, Wesley Wilt, Heath Brashear, Erika Almodovar, Brittany Levy, Callie Dowdy, Sam Walling, Christopher Howell, Heather Sinner, Satya Dalavayi, Travis Hughes, Mansi Shah
Student Awards: Olivia Grothaus (Pulito Award) & Evan Lynch (Massie Award)
2019
Dr. Richard Schwartz Award
Joseph Zwischenberger, MD, FACS
Dr. Ben Eiseman Award
Avinash Bhakta, MD
Dr. Ward O. Griffen Award
Reese Randle, MD
Faculty Teaching Awards: Drs. Bill Cavatassi, Jitesh Patel, Cortney Lee, Melissa Newcomb, Erik Ballert, J. Scott Roth, Michael Cavnar, Henrik Berdel, John Roger Bell, G. Derek Weiss
Resident & Fellow Teaching Awards: Drs. Timothy Horrell, J. Chase Burns, Michael Totten, Anh-Thu Le, Benjamin Motley, Callie Dowdy, Jahan Miremami, Kyle Bess, Heather Sinner, Travis Hughes, Tori Wagner, Matthew Newsome, Dan Badia
Student Awards: Teddy Huerta (Pulito Award) & David Keeven (Massie Award)