Voluntary Faculty Awards Honor Outstanding Educators

The Yale Department of Internal Medicine recently presented its second Voluntary Faculty Awards, which honored voluntary faculty who are involved in teaching medical students, physician associate students, residents, and fellows across Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) affiliated hospitals.

“We created these awards to show appreciation to a generally unsung group of faculty, some of whom have taught here for more than 50 years,” said Adam Mayerson, MD, FACE, associate chief, community and voluntary faculty in the Yale Department of Internal Medicine. “This group is instrumental to the excellent medical education our YSM and YNHHS trainees receive.”

The following five awards were presented at the ceremony:

Distinction in Leadership Award: William Cushing, PA-C, MMsc, MHA, SFHM, executive director of the Hospitalist Service at YNHH , was given the Distinction in Leadership Award, which honors a voluntary faculty member who has demonstrated a capacity for team building and inspiring passion in their leadership roles throughout their career. Cushing has worked on the Hospitalist Service since 2002 and has risen to become its executive director, with oversight of 140 physicians and 80 APPs who often cover more than 600 patients a day.

“His approach to leadership is one of inclusivity, kindness, and empathy,” said Thomas Donahue, MD, his sponsor and a staff affiliate at YSM. “The insight to see others as partners to work with rather than obstacles to overcome is a feature of his leadership that we all should emulate.”

General Medicine Award: Eric Fan, MD, associate clinical professor of medicine (general medicine), was honored with the General Medicine Award, given to a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the medical education of trainees at all levels across Yale-affiliated hospitals. Fan graduated from YSM in 1997 and has been a community primary care physician since 2001. Daniel Federman, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine), noted, that Fan has been revered by residents as one of the best general medicine attendings encountered during their training. He is well known as a consummate and caring physician as well as a beloved teacher and mentor.

Specialist Award: Julia Shi, MD, associate clinical professor of medicine (general medicine), was given the Specialist Award, which honors a medical specialist in addiction medicine who has excelled in the education of trainees across Yale-affiliated hospitals. Shi forged a post-doctoral fellowship in substance abuse in the Yale Department of Psychiatry during a time before substance abuse fellowships in medicine were offered. She has been a fantastic teacher to countless Yale medical students, residents, and fellows over the years.

“There is no one more masterful at navigating chaos with poise and grace,” said one of her trainees. “I have learned more from her than possibly any other preceptor I have had in my many years of training.”

Distinction in Research Award: Paul Feuerstadt, MD, FACG, AGAF, associate clinical professor of medicine (digestive diseases), was given the Distinction in Research Award, which honors a voluntary faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the promotion of basic, clinical, or translational research for trainees.

Feuerstadt became a member of the Yale faculty in 2013, after completing his gastrointestinal training at Montefiore Medical Center, where he researched ischemic bowel disorders and the microbiome. He has continued his research despite his busy clinical practice. He leads a multi-institutional colonic ischemia database and acts as a mentor to Yale trainees on clinical research projects.

Inpatient Medicine Award: Anisha Advani, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine, was awarded the Inpatient Medicine Award, which honors a faculty member who primarily provides inpatient care and who has made an outstanding contribution to the education of the medical students, physician associate students, residents, or fellows. Advani is associate director of the Hospitalist Service and co-firm chief of the Hospital Medicine Firm, which she helped co-create in 2022. This rotation for medicine residents has won both local and regional awards for its innovative and effective structure.

“She helped create a team environment without any feeling of hierarchy,” said one of her trainees. “There was no task too big or too small for her to complete to help me move patient care forward.”

The winners were nominated by their sponsors and reviewed by the voluntary faculty committee, consisting of Mayerson; Barry Wu, MD, MACP; Joni Hansson, MD; Robert McLean, MD; Sandip Mukherjee, MD, FACC; Nancy Angoff, MD, MPH, MEd; Peter Ellis, MD, MPH; Steven Saunders, MD; and administrator Lisa Labaire.

The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.