May 3, 2024

The Department of Medicine proudly recognizes and celebrates Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, acknowledging the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans.

Congratulations to all Department of Medicine faculty, staff, and trainees who participated in this year's Boston Marathon! 

Pictured Above: Yuki Wagner, NP, of the Diabetes Center of Excellence, fundraised for the Miles for Miracles team, which supports research and service programs for young children with rare diseases.

In this month’s Chair’s Spotlight, we highlight Madona Azar, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. In April, we sat down with Dr. Azar to learn more about her work at UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health.  

"My first love was always diabetes and pregnancy and I'm trying to build upon that,” said Dr. Azar. “We have a diabetes in pregnancy program and we share patients with maternal and fetal medicine. There is a clinical collaboration there, but I am interested in building that out more so that we can offer the best care for patients."

Dr. Azar's main clinical interests are in diabetes and pregnancy, but she is also working in the diabetes center as well as with patients with cardiometabolic diseases as part of the Advanced Therapeutics Program. Additionally, she is interested in increasing awareness and screening for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

In this month’s Fellow Spotlight, we highlight Timothy Cashman, MD, a Cardiovascular Medicine fellow. Here, Dr. Cashman describes his clinical and research interests, why he chose UMass for his fellowship, and why the coast of Maine is his favorite place to travel. 

"I enrolled in the ABIM research pathway in cardiology and joined the fellowship initially as a research fellow and, now, as a clinical fellow. The clinical volume and acuity, combined with the warm and collegial environment [at UMass], drew me to the fellowship."

In this month’s Resident Spotlight, we highlight Andrew Sheridan, MD, a third-year, categorical Internal Medicine Resident. Here, Dr. Sheridan describes his clinical and research interests, what makes UMass Chan a great place for residency, and his work with the Internal Medicine Diversity Action Council and as part of the medical education track. 

"UMass Chan stands out as an exceptional environment for my residency training! I would have not made it throughout residency without the camaraderie and support shared among my co-residents," said Dr. Sheridan. "I am grateful for the mentors who take a genuine interest in both our personal and professional development. Their guidance and mentorship have been instrumental in helping me navigate the complexities of residency and charting a course toward achieving my career goals."

Danielle Leary Seeks to Integrate Veteran-Centered Health Care into Internal Medicine Residency Training and Primary Care Practice 

Military veterans often face unique health care challenges including post-traumatic stress disorder, musculoskeletal injuries, and neurological disorders, but many do not receive care at Veteran’s Affairs clinics. Providing veteran-focused care in the primary care setting would enable physicians to address veterans’ specific health needs to fill this critical gap.  

Danielle Leary, DO, a primary care physician in General Internal Medicine and a veteran of the United States Navy, is currently developing a veterans’ care curriculum for Internal Medicine residents and veteran-centered care initiatives for the Benedict Primary Care Clinic.  

“We have a lot of veterans that receive health care at UMass but don’t go to the VA,” said Dr. Leary. “It is important for us to know about those patients so that we can screen and ensure we’re not missing certain diseases or conditions that they may have, and so that we can plug them into appropriate services.” 

Dr. Leary will be giving a talk on integrating veterans’ health care into primary care on Wednesday, May 8, as part of the Benedict Primary Care CME Conference series. View the flyer below for more information.

Department of Medicine Faculty Shine at this Year's Educational Recognition Awards & Last Lecture

Left to Right: Drs. Pukkila-Worley, Orzalli, Meyer-Epstein, Kodela, and Moormann

On April 25, UMass Chan Medical School held the 2024 Educational Recognition Awards & Last Lecture. Department of Medicine awardees included:  

Read Pukkila-Worley, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and faculty in the Program in Innate Immunity, received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Graduate Education. It was noted that Dr. Pukkila-Worley “significantly influences the academic and professional growth of graduate and medical students,” through his mentorship.

Megan Orzalli, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and faculty in the Program in Innate Immunity, received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Research Mentoring and Commitment to Student Professional Advancement. Dr. Orzalli was described as someone who “is more than a mentor, she’s actually a catalyst for excitement about science and plays a pivotal role in her students’ professional journeys.”

Mara Meyer-Epstein, ScD, ScM, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, received the Educational Achievement Award in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Dr. Meyer-Epstein was praised for her innovation and successful development of an interprofessional epidemiology escape room simulation. “She has been the driving force in interprofessional education through her work over many years in teaching and has thoughtfully and diligently collaborated with colleagues across the institution to coordinate and deliver case-based discussions with our medical and nursing students.”

Jennifer Kodela, DO, a fellow in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, received the Fellow Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education. Dr. Kodela was honored for her work in teaching in the respiratory block of the Vista Curriculum and developing a medical education track for the Pulmonary Medicine Program. “She’s involved in teaching on the topic of COPD and gives regular chalk talk presentations on clinical ward rotations, impacting the education of learners.”

Ann Moormann, PhD, MPH, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and faculty in the Program in Innate Immunity, was honored with the Chancellor’s Award in Excellence in Mentoring. Chancellor Collins noted that Dr. Moormann was unable to be at the awards because she was attending the Multilateral Initiatives on Malaria conference in Rwanda. He noted, “One of her primary reasons for attending this conference is to show support to some of her mentees who would be presenting their research at the conference,” and further commented that this was the “type of commitment to mentoring that we want to celebrate.”

We congratulate this year’s awardees! 

Read the story on our website.

Kate Fitzgerald to receive the Thomas A. Waldmann Award for Excellence in Human Immunology 

Kate Fitzgerald, PhD, the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Chair III, professor of medicine, associate vice provost for basic science research, vice chair of research in the Department of Medicine, chief of the Division of Innate Immunity, and director of the Program in Innate Immunity, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Thomas A. Waldmann Award for Excellence in Human Immunology. As the recipient of this prestigious award, Dr. Fitzgerald will give a lecture on nucleic acid sensing pathways in health and disease at the 19th International Symposium on Inborn Error of Immunity and will be presented with a crystal trophy at their gala event in November 2024. 

The Thomas A. Waldmann Award for Excellence in Human Immunology is awarded to an immunologist/cell biologist who has made major contributions directly or indirectly to the understanding of primary immunodeficiency diseases. Some previous award recipients have included Max Cooper, Rebecca Buckley, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Dan Kastner, Mary Ellen Connally, John O’Shea, Gerard Orth, and Mickael Lenardo.  

Congratulations, Dr. Fitzgerald!   

Read the story on our website.

Jennifer Reidy to Receive Outstanding Mentoring Award at 2024 Women’s Faculty Committee Awards 

Jennifer Reidy, MD, chief and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Palliative Care, will receive the Outstanding Mentoring Award at this year’s Women’s Faculty Committee Awards, hosted by the Office of Faculty Affairs at UMass Chan. 

 

We congratulate Dr. Reidy on this honor and invite members of the department to the WFC awards luncheon on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., in the Albert Sherman Center Cube, AS3-2119.  

Division of Geriatric Medicine Holds Geriatric Interprofessional Immersion Training 

In late April, the Division of Geriatric Medicine held its Geriatric Interprofessional Immersion Training (GIIT) weekend at the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, Massachusetts. This special event, which has taken place annually since 2010, brings together UMass Chan residents with NP students from the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and PharmD students from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. During the training, learners from different disciplines work together to expand their knowledge of geriatric principles and enhance their teaching and leadership skills.

A special congratulations to DoM faculty and staff members who have recently achieved service milestones. Please join us in recognizing the following colleagues below.

The 2024 Employee Service Milestone Celebration will take place on Monday, June 3, from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m., at the commencement tent on campus.

5 Years of Service

Ravi Bharadwaj

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Fiachra Humphries

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Diana Lourenco

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Diogo Magnani

Department of Medicine

Paige Shaffer

Health Systems Science

Leandro de Souza Silva

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Rebecca Sulyma

Department of Medicine

Ziyue Wang

Cardiovascular Medicine

Leah Whiteman

Rheumatology

10 Years of Service

Kimberly Benoit

Department of Medicine

Mara Meyer-Epstein

Health Systems Science

Gail Germain

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Jennifer Harter

Health Systems Science

Mayra Tisminetzky

Health Systems Science

15 Years of Service

Cynthia Callaghan

ASG

Lisa Hubacz

Diabetes Center of Excellence

Shaoguang Li

Hematology/Oncology

David Smelson

Health Systems Science

Bo Zheng

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Join Us for the Department of Medicine Spring Town Hall!

When: Monday, May 13, 2024, Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Where: Zoom

Annual Lupus Symposium: Register

We invite members of the UMass community to join us for the annual Lupus Medical and Educational Symposium, on Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, MA.

View the event flyer and register by clicking the button below.

Internal Medicine Resident and Fellow Poster Day

Members of the UMass community are invited to join us for the Department of Medicine Resident and Fellow Poster Day on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from noon to 2:00 p.m., in the faculty conference room.

View the event flyer by clicking the button below.

GI Research Day



June 7, 2024

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Faculty Conference Room and Medical School Lobby

UMass Chan Medical School

Pictured above: Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha

The Department of Medicine Grand Rounds series continued in April with presentations from Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, titled, "Black women and Maternal Health Disparities: Addressing the Role of Racism," Dr. Carolyn Becker, titled, "Osteoporosis Update for Clinicians, 2024," and from Drs. Christopher Marshall, Neil Marya, Sarah Hyder, and Zachary DeVore, titled, "Weighted Down by Stones."

If you missed any of the presentations or would like to view them again, please click the button below.

Congratulations to the following faculty on their recent appointments and promotions:

Appointments

Lindsey Barker, DO

Geriatric Medicine

Assistant Professor

Allan Walkey, MD

Health Systems Science

Professor, Tenure Track

Promotions

Laura Gibson, MD

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Professor

Please join us in welcoming our newest hires:

Timothy McAlindon, MD, MPH

Rheumatology

Professor

Ujjwal Rastogi, MD

Cardiovascular Medicine

Physician

Learn more about the latest news from the Department of Medicine by visiting our website at the button below!

To submit your ideas for a future DoM CONNECT story, please email us.