Wake Forest Baptist Named PA Employer of Excellence
Wake Forest Baptist Health has once again received been recognized by the American Academy of PAs as an Employer of Excellence for 2020-2021.
Wake Forest Baptist is one of only 16 health care organizations across the country to receive this award and was also recognized as a 2018-2019 Employer of Excellence, which was the inaugural award.
The Employer of Excellence Awards recognize organizations that are top employers of PAs, providing them with opportunities for professional growth and leadership, and reflect the contributions of all of Wake Forest Baptist’s advanced practice providers.
Wake Forest Baptist Researcher Receives Service Award
Michael Gautreaux, Ph.D., professor of pathology and director of Wake Forest Baptist’s HLA/Immunogenetics and Immunodiagnostics Laboratories, has received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI).
ASHI is an international society of professionals dedicated to advancing the science, education and application of immunogenetics and transplant immunology.
This award was established in 1999 to honor an ASHI member who has contributed significant service toward advancing the ASHI mission and vision, based on nominations from three or more ASHI colleagues.
Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center Director Receives National Recognition
James H. Holmes, IV, M.D., professor of surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Health and director of Wake Forest Baptist’s Burn Center, was selected by the recently restructured Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR) as a member of their first board of trustees.
Holmes is also a member of the American Burn Association’s board of directors and will be a representative of that organization which is CNTR’s newest core member.
In addition to treating burn patients, Holmes is an advocate for expanding research funding for burns and trauma to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Oncologist Receives Award
Alexandra Thomas, M.D., professor of hematology and oncology at Wake Forest Baptist Health received the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) award for Advocate of the Year.
Thomas received this recognition for her work with public officials advocating for funding to support improved outcomes for patients with cancer.
Wake Forest Baptist Dermatologist Honored by Two Organizations
William Huang, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Health, recently served as a state leader for the 2020 American Academy of Dermatology Association Legislative Conference.
The annual event, which was held virtually this year, provided more than 200 dermatologists from across the country the opportunity to let members of Congress know how health policy affects dermatology practices and patients.
In addition, Huang has been chosen to participate in the North Carolina Medical Society’s 2021 Leadership College program which helps develop leadership skills to improve health care, both in the workplace and in the community.
Wake Forest Baptist Neurologist Inducted as Fellow of Honorary College
Aarti Sarwal, M.D., section chief of neurocritical care and associate professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Health, was approved by the American College of Critical Care Medicine Board of Regents for a fellowship.
This acceptance into the honorary college was based on her commitment to the ideals and practice of multi-professional critical care. Sarwal was recognized for her achievements in fostering the ideals of critical care through her leadership, program development and participation in local, regional, and national critical care-related organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Consideration was given to her educational background, practice experience and demonstration of outstanding leadership and productivity as judged against her peers in the multi-professional critical care community. This fellowship confers her the honorary title of FCCM.
Wake Forest Baptist Researcher Receives Career Development Award
Jennifer Gabbard, M.D., assistant professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine, recently received the IMPACT Career Development Award Program from the National Institute on Aging’s Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory for her research on the use of a dementia-specific portal-based tool for advance care planning engagement.
The IMPACT Collaboratory, which was established in 2019, funds two to three career development awards annually to support the development of early-stage M.D., Ph.D. or equivalent researchers with a priority for applications that address dementia care for people of all backgrounds and promote health equity.
Wake Forest Baptist Addiction Medicine Fellow Selected for Scholars Program
Stephanie Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., senior addiction medicine research fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health, was recently selected for Boston University’s two-year Research in Addiction Medicine Scholars (RAMS) Program, an initiative funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Weiss will investigate the accuracy of urine drug screen tests pertaining to various substances with her recent American Academy of Clinical Toxicology award as a junior investigator.
RAMS works to foster expansion of addiction research by physicians from accredited addiction medicine fellowship programs with a primary objective of providing evidence-based care for those with and at-risk for substance use disorders.
Wake Forest School of Medicine Ph.D. Student Awarded Prestigious Fellowship
Martin Rodriguez, a Ph.D. candidate in Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Molecular Medicine and Translational Science program, has been awarded a prestigious Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The fellowship provides specialized training and financial support that enables Rodriguez to pursue research among other high performing investigators across the country.
The goal of the Gilliam Fellowships program is to increase diversity among scientists who are prepared to assume leadership roles in science, particularly as college and university faculty.
Wake Forest School of Medicine Graduate Students Selected as Fulbright Scholars
Two Wake Forest School of Medicine students – both from the Biomedical Sciences Master’s Program – have been named as Fulbright Scholarship winners for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Moriah Jackson will work to identify pathogens in filth flies to assess the prevalence of the zoonotic flu-borne diseases in Malaysia and facilitate improved public health interventions.
Danielle Medina-Hernandez will conduct biology research at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark as part of a project to evaluate sub-clinical cardiac tissue and metabolic changes immediately post-myocardial infarction using novel MRI techniques.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the United States and over 160 countries worldwide.
Wake Forest School of Medicine Student Earns Prestigious Scholarship
Lauren West-Livingston, Ph.D., has received the Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
West-Livingston – who is also a third-year M.D. student at Wake Forest School of Medicine – is one of five students across the country to receive this prestigious award.
The award is given to outstanding students entering their third year of medical school who have shown leadership in efforts to address educational, societal and health care needs of racial and ethnic minorities and to eliminate inequities in medical education and health care in the United States.
Media contact: Myra Wright, mgwright@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-8806