April 2025
Dr. Pavan Vemulakonda, Resident, Internal Medicine & Primary Care - GW Medicine
Pavan is very caring and compassionate with everyone, starting with his patients and including his fellow interns and med students. He’s really selfless, which I noticed specifically when he was working with an intern who seemed to be struggling, he was always present to assist with many questions and did so with enthusiasm. Pavan also was unafraid to take on more patients and demonstrated special attention to detail for each of them, which directly translated to a better patient experience for all of them. From the perspective of educating medical students, Pavan always took time to coach students on their assessment and plan for a patient, and he did so in a way that was super encouraging and really made you want to keep learning! He’s a huge asset to the GW medicine team and deserves the recognition for it!
Dr. Bruce Liberi, Resident, Emergency Medicine - GW Medicine
Dr. Liberi was very welcoming and took time to orient students to a new rotation. He was encouraging and allowed students to have hands-on learning opportunities while creating a safe environment for real-time feedback!
Dr. Mrudula Bandaru, Resident, Internal Medicine and Primary Care - GW Medicine
Mrudula is very patient, helpful, and knowledgeable. Obviously, an incredible asset to any team she is on. She allowed all of us to have appropriate independence, but also ensured we were learning from any mistakes.
Dr. Chase Houghton, Resident, Internal Medicine and Primary Care - GW Medicine
I really appreciated Dr. Houghton's dedication to patient care. He would incorporate teaching throughout, and I thought it was great to learn from him directly by observing how he cares for the patients.
Dr. Jason Robart, Resident, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine - GW Medicine
Resident Jason Robart did a wonderful job answering questions I had throughout the day, finding teaching points for each patient/section of anesthesia care and empowering me to be the best student and doctor I could be.
Dr. Bradford Ralston, Resident, Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine - GW Medicine
I really enjoyed my time working with Dr. Bradford Ralston during my time on OB anesthesia. He was a great educator and spent a lot of time talking to me about topics related to anesthesia to prepare me for the exam. He also spoke to me at length about his own career and training to that point in order for me to grow as a learner. He was extremely friendly and was clearly engaged in the experience that I had working with him.
Previous Accolade Recipients
- March 2025
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Dr. Mei Bou Nasif, Chief Resident, Neurology - GWU Hospital
Mei Bou Nasif was an incredible role model -- she created a welcoming, positive learning environment, provided ongoing teaching and education and provided incredibly compassionate patient care!
Dr. Yamane Makke, Faculty, Neurology - GWU Hospital
Dr. Makke was wonderful to work with. His demeanor with patients and myself as a student was admirable.
Dr. Misky Sharif, Resident, Pediatrics - Children's National Hospital
Misky Sharif was an excellent and kind resident who always made sure we were feeling well, getting good learning and checking in on student's overall well-being.
Dr. Garry Ruben, Faculty, Surgery - Holy Cross Hospital
Dr. Ruben was really invested in education, gave us mini-lectures in the library and clinic, and the opportunity to give student presentations. This was very valuable to our learning.
- February 2025
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Dr. Nicholas Shworak, Faculty, Pharmacology and Physiology - GW SMHS
I want to personally commend Dr. Nick Shworak. For some reason unbeknownst to me, the system stopped recognizing our poll slides. In the middle of the session, there's not much you can do, so my colleague and I kept presenting. About 20 min later, Dr. Shworak gave me a thumb drive with updated and corrected slides. He figured out that there was some type of code wrong that prevented the polls from displaying correctly. He personally fixed 10 poll slides for me and offered to upload them during the presentation. Dr. Shworak also emailed my slides to me so I could have a copy for next year. If that wasn't enough, I saw him coaching the MS1 student techs about how to fix slides. This is the epitome of a collaborative learning environment!
Dr. Victoria Haney, Resident, Surgery - GWU Hospital
Dr. Haney has gone above and beyond to help coach me through my surgery rotation, while boosting my confidence along the way. The amount of care Dr. Haney has for her patients and students is inspiring and someday I hope to be able to have even half as much a positive impact on my students as she does.
Dr. Matthew Taglieri, Faculty, Medicine - GWU Hospital
Dr. Taglieri was the best attending I worked with throughout my 8 weeks of the medicine rotation. He created a positive and welcoming learning environment for everyone on the team and demonstrated exemplary patient care.
Dr. Anne Lesburg, Faculty, Medicine - GW MFA
Dr. Lesberg was simply wonderful. She fostered a team dynamic that was peaceful and personable and allowed for growth of the students. She also modeled compassionate patient care that I wish to take to my future practice.
Dr. Ryan Salemme, Resident, Medicine - GWU Hospital
Ryan Salemme is a star chief resident! He is a great educator and created a supportive learning environment for residents and medical students alike.
Dr. Omar Yaghi, Resident, Internal Medicine - GWU Hospital
Dr. Omar Yaghi was one of the best residents and role models that I have had during my experience at GW. He was extremely kind and always took the time to help the students. It was lovely to see the care he had for his patients and I'm so grateful to have learned from him!
- January 2025
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Dr. Sarah Cigna, Faculty, Obstetrics & Gynecology - GW MFA
Dr. Cigna was an amazing physician and instructor to work with. She made me feel like an important member of her team and pushed me to think of the pathophysiology behind the conditions her patients were facing. She was passionate about her work, which translated into an extremely positive learning environment where I was excited to come back each session.
Drs. Bryttany McClendon-Weary and Matthew Rohn, Residents, Obstetrics and Gynecology - GWU Hospital
Dr. McClendon-Weary made my experience on the OB PM shift the most positive possible. Dr. McClendon is talented, kind and extremely compassionate. She is a model example of a provider and offers a sterling role model that I hope to mirror some day. She and her chief, Dr. Matthew Rohn, are true standouts in my experience and I thank them sincerely for their clinical teaching, care and dedication to their patients and students.
Dr. Jaclyn M. Phillips, Faculty, Obstetrics and Gynecology - GW MFA
Dr. Phillips was exceptional to say the least. Being a med student in Maternal fetal medicine clinic in the first half of the rotation can be challenging given the complexity of cases but she facilitated that transition so well and encouraged me to learn and grow every single session. Any medical student would be lucky to have her as a preceptor.
Dr. Charles Baron, Faculty, Internal Medicine - GW MFA
Dr. Baron constantly made sure he provided me with productive feedback on all aspects of my work- notes, presentations, physical exam. I appreciated this so much.
- December 2024
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Dr. Julia Frank, Faculty, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - The George Washington University
Dr. Frank delivered a lecture to the MS2 students, sharing her family's experiences. As preclinical students, it’s easy to focus solely on symptoms and treatments without considering the humanistic aspects of these conditions. It takes bravery for an instructor to share their own experiences, and we appreciate Dr. Frank's candid approach in presenting the course content. She effectively integrated her personal insights while teaching us the DSM criteria and treatment for patients with eating disorders.
Dr. Silvi Pomeroy, Resident, Emergency Medicine - The George Washington University
Dr. Pomeroy was an enthusiastic teacher that was consistently willing to provide specific detail. While she worked to figure out her own duties and role she actively made sure the medical students had the necessary tools and opportunities to succeed. Additionally, she made it a point to allow me to assist her in procedures like lac repairs that I otherwise did not have the chance to do.
Dr. Amer Al-Damouk, Faculty, Internal Medicine - Anne Arundel Medical Center
Dr. Al-Damouk is a wonderful mentor and the attending who not only taught me the most on my rotation, but also provided the most detailed feedback and enhanced my professional development.
- November 2024
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November 2024
Dr. Gavin Truong, Attending Physician, Internal Medicine - The George Washington University
Dr. Gavin Truong in primary care was extremely encouraging and showed clear passion about both working with patients and student education.
Dr. Danielle Lefebvre, Resident, Internal Medicine & Primary Care - The George Washington University
Dr. Danielle Lefebvre was my senior during my time at GW. She took the time during her already busy day and workload to make sure all team members were doing okay and had solid plans to present to our attending. She also made sure that her juniors/students did not get faulted for plans that she suggested. For example, she recommended I do X but my attending would say Y is better. Danielle would own up and let the attending know that this plan was her idea and that it was not my or the juniors' fault. She definitely is a great role model that I aspire to be when I become a resident and attending!
Dr. Sarah Conway, Attending Physician, Internal Medicine - The George Washington University
Dr. Sarah Conway was an excellent educator and was extremely impactful in helping me to take significant strides in my short amount of time with her. She encourages students to be proactive, and she allows students to execute plans that they formulate while also helping students to see why certain changes may be more beneficial to the patient. She also provides great feedback and is a wonderful educator overall.
Dr. Vinithra Varadarajan, Resident, Internal Medicine - Anne Arundel Medical Center
Vinithra was an incredible senior resident who taught me so much in the week I worked with her and made me feel comfortable starting my first rotation.
Drs. Aisha Barber, Attending Physician and Courtney Horton, Resident Physician - Children's National Hospital
Dr. Aisha Barber and Dr. Courtney Horton were excellent role models. They showed me how to effectively communicate with families and practice shared decision-making with every patient. As a student, I very much enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to work with them on the team. They provided many opportunities for students to take responsibility for patients and to lead the conversation.
- October 2024
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Dr. Alessandro Albano, Resident, Anesthesiology - The George Washington University
Dr. Albano has been an excellent teacher and is extremely kind and considerate. His care in both teaching and being a phenomenal and empathetic anesthesiologist shows on the OB unit and makes him stand out. My hope is he takes a position where he can continue to inspire the next generation of doctors to be kind, patient, and compassionate.
- September 2024
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Dr. Ramsin Yadgar, Resident, Psychiatry - GWU Hospital
Dr. Ramsin Yadgar was the resident I worked with during my psych rotation at children’s. He was such a helpful mentor, always looked out for the medical students, and treated everyone with the upmost respect. My time at Children’s was very positive because of his presence and I am very grateful for his PEARLS about rotations and guidance for study material.
Dr. Fatima Naqvi, Attending, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine - GWU Hospital
Your openness to mentoring also made me feel like it was a safe, nonjudgmental environment to ask questions and learn. I liked how you asked me to write down things that made me uncomfortable about geriatric care to help guide my educational experience from the beginning.
Dr. Farhad Jamali, Attending, Primary Care - Glendale, MD
Dr. Jamali's empathetic approach and his method of practicing medicine have profoundly shaped my medical career. The teaching environment he fosters is one where I feel safe to learn and ask questions without fear of judgment.
- August 2024
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Dr. Shazia Samanani, Assistant Professor of Medicine - GWU Hospital
Dr. Samanani has been an exceptional physician and attending who makes every effort to cultivate a supportive learning environment for trainees. From advocating for learning experiences of medical students, to encouraging interns to take a more active role in leading family discussions - every day working with Dr. Samanani has been such a joy. During one particularly challenging day, we were caring for a patient who had a stressful relationship with each of the care teams that was putting particular stress on the resident team. Dr. Samanani recognized this challenging situation, and went above and beyond to resolve tensions and advocated for the trainees on the team. In our time together, I have found Dr. Samanani to be exceptionally brilliant, thoughtful, engaging, patient-centered, caring, and a relentless advocate for trainees. Dr. Samanani is a treasure among the faculty here at GW.
Laura Abate, M.S., Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine - GWU Hospital
I would like to recognize Laura Abate for her work on the research guides available through the Himmelfarb website. I recently used the Polleverywhere guide when preparing a lecture for first year students. The guide was thoughtfully organized with relevant contacts, useful features within the tool, and setup instructions. It made getting started with Pollev very easy. I imagine it's probably difficult for her to know how much this and other guides are used by members of the SMHS community, which makes the attention to detail all the more remarkable.
Dr. Ramsin Yadgar, Resident, Psychiatry - GWU Hospital
Dr. Ramsin Yadgar was the best 1st year resident I have had the privilege of working with. The empathetic approach he had towards patients experiencing mental health crises and the friendly and easy going demeanor he brought a long made him an astounding clinician to work with.
- May 2024
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Dr. Farhad Jamali, Internal Medicine / Primary Care
Dr. Jamali's exceptional bedside manner is truly remarkable. His patients hold him in high regard, a testament to his ability to establish a strong sense of trust and comfort. Under his guidance, I learned the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for patients, fostering the trust essential in the patient-physician relationship. Dr. Jamali's approach not only ensures patient satisfaction but also facilitates effective and compassionate care, a vital aspect of medical practice that I deeply value and have learned from his exemplary model.
Dr. Martin Clark, Resident, Psychiatry - GWU Hospital
Martin Clark challenges you, provides constructive feedback and at the end of the day builds you up, gives you full support and trusts you before you trust yourself.
Dr. Victor Taylor, Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, GWU - Ross Hall
I just wanted to say that Dr. Taylor has been doing a fantastic job running the GI/Liver course. It is clear he is going above and beyond. He also makes the learning environment fun and light-hearted. He takes it seriously enough to make sure we are learning what we need to but not too serious to make it stressful. I hope he can get some accolades for this!
- April 2024
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Drs. Sumera Nadeem, Vignesh Sadras, and Navid Rashid - Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute
Dr. Sumera Nadeem was an excellent attending to work with and she was a great role model. In addition, the resident I worked with, Dr. Vignesh Sadras, was an excellent role model who frequently provided education throughout the day as well as checking in on my emotional and mental health throughout the rotation. Dr. Rashid is extremely knowledgeable and I found it to be an incredible learning experience to hear him speak with patients and their families.
Drs. Matthew Haney and Jesse Theisen-Toupal, Faculty, Internal Medicine - DC Veteran’s Hospital
The site course directors (Dr. Haney and Dr. Theisen) were extremely invested in my learning and took the time to do separate didactics to ensure I could learn challenging concepts. Them along with the other attendings I worked with on the rotation were excellent teachers and encouraged me to be autonomous and build my skillset of managing my own patients.