Residents/Fellows Awards, Honors & Publications
Dr. Elina Serrano Selected to the Health Affairs Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees Program
Dr. Elina Serrano
(February 2023) Dr. Elina Serrano, Research Resident, was selected to the Health Affairs Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees (HEFT) program. Dr. Serrano’s research arc focuses on improving clinical and patient reported outcomes for Black & Latino patients with kidney failure and patients with limited English proficiency.
(January 2022) Dr. Serrano graduated from the UT Southwestern’s Office of Faculty Diversity & Development Housestaff Emerging Academy of Leaders (HEAL) U.S.A. Program. The program's mission is to decrease health care disparities by increasing the number of underrepresented physicians in academic practice.
“This was a very valuable opportunity to acquire new professional development skills and learn about different career paths in academic medicine," reflects Dr. Serrano. "I would strongly recommend this program to other URM surgery residents considering a career in academic surgery. I’m happy to chat with anyone who might be interested in learning more about HEAL-USA.”
HEAL is a networking and professional development program designed for residents, fellows, and supporting faculty that have been historically underrepresented in medicine, such as Black/African Americans, Latin/Hispanics, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders. HEAL's goal is to prepare interested underrepresented minority housestaff in a future career in academic medicine and enhance their knowledge and leadership abilities.
Dr. Nina Clark Nominated for the 2021 Emergency Medicine Consultant of the Year Award
Dr. Nina Clark
(January 2022) Dr. Nina Clark, R3 General Surgery, was nominated for the 2021 Emergency Medicine Consultant of the Year Award. This award recognizes the exceptional work of those who assist in the care of patients within the Emergency Departments at the UWMC-ML and Harborview Medical Center. The Department of Emergency Medicine recognizes those consultants who demonstrate exceptional professionalism, communication skills, and holistic patient care to our shared patients. Nominations are received from Emergency Medicine residents and/or Emergency Medicine faculty. “While I must question the judgement of our emergency medicine colleagues, I am extremely flattered,” said Dr. Clark. “UW Surgery has provided me with so many people to look up to who are both kind and educational consultants, and these mentors have been instrumental as I've developed my own style in working with other teams. I'm quite thankful for the award and hope to continue to grow and have fun working with the EM residents.”
Drs. Christopher Marfo and Daniella Rebollo-Salazar Nominated and Voted By Current Members of UW’s Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Chapter to be Members of the AΩA Honor Medical Society
Dr. Chris Marfo
Dr. Daniella Rebollo Salazar
(June 2022) Drs. Christopher Marfo, General Surgery R4, and Daniella Rebollo-Salazar, General Surgery R2, were nominated and voted by current members of University of Washington’s Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Chapter to be members of the AΩA Honor Medical Society for demonstrating their commitment to and excellence in outstanding leadership, professionalism, service, and professional achievement. AΩA’s purpose is to perpetuate excellence in the medical profession, and election to AΩA is one of the highest honors that physicians can receive. It recognizes excellence in scholarly activities, humanistic qualities, leadership capacity, and exceptional patient care skills.
“It is an honor to be nominated for the AΩA Honor Society. It has been gratifying to teach and learn from our medical students while providing the best possible care to our patients. I hope my career and future interactions with colleagues and students make me deserving of this honor,“ said Dr. Marfo.
Dr. Rebollo-Salazar stated, “it’s an honor to have been nominated and voted to join UW’s AOA chapter. Thank you!”
Dr. Blake Murphy Selected by Society of Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) as Inaugural Recipient of the Jack Cronenwett MD Fellowship in Training (SVS FIT) Program
Dr. Blake Murphy
(June 2022) Dr. Blake Murphy, Vascular Surgery R1, was selected by the Society of Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) as the inaugural recipient of the Jack Cronenwett MD Fellowship in Training (SVS FIT) Program. This 18-month research fellowship is designed to introduce trainees to quality improvement and outcome analysis in vascular surgery by working closely with mentors of center level reporting, regional study group meetings and pursuing research opportunities using regional and national VQI registry data. The VQI works closely in collaboration with the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS), American College of Cardiology, and Society for Vascular Medicine. The SVS FIT Program also selected Dr. Sara Zettervall, VQI Associate Medical Director for the Pacific Northwest Regional Group, as faculty leader for this project; she will be mentoring Dr. Murphy during the entirety of the fellowship.
“I sincerely look forward to the mentorship, resources, and learning offered by the SVS/PSO Quality Fellowship in Training (FIT) program over the next 12-18 months,” said Dr. Murphy. “Having a dedicated space to explore the Vascular Quality Initiative regional and national registry data, while developing the necessary analytical skillset to do so, is a unique opportunity in surgical training. I am lucky to have the incredible support and mentorship of Dr. Sara Zettervall who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this type of learning environment.”
Dr. Lindsay Dickerson Awarded Postdoctoral Training Fellowship from the Cancer Research Institute
Dr. Lindsay Dickerson
(January 2022) Dr. Lindsay Dickerson, R3 General Surgery, was awarded a postdoctoral training fellowship from the Cancer Research Institute. This is a prestigious research fellowship that “furthers career development and supports laboratory research for promising young scientists working under the mentorship of leading immunologists.” Dr. Dickerson said, “It’s an honor to join the Cancer Research Institute and Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation communities. With the mentorship of Dr. Pillarisetty and others in the Tumor Immune Microenvironment Lab, I’m looking forward to continuing with the foundational work done by UW residents Kevin Sullivan, Dave Seo and Sara Daniel in pursuit of novel immunotherapeutic treatments for fibrolamellar carcinoma.”
Dr. Denzel Woode Awarded Second Prize for His Presentation at the 2021 WA/OR ACS Annual Meeting
Dr. Denzel Woode
(January 2022) Dr. Denzel Woode, R3 General Surgery, was awarded second prize for his presentation, "DEI in the Department of Surgery: Exploring Our Present and Building Our Future," at the 2021 WA/OR ACS Annual Meeting. Congratulations to him and his co-authors, which include Drs. Beth Ann Reimel, Clincal Assistant Professor, Division of Trauma, Burn & Critical Care Surgery, Jorge Reyes, Professor & Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery, Douglas Wood, The Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair, Elina Quiroga, Division of Vascular Surgery, Tam Pham, Professor, Division of Trauma, Burn & Critical Care Surgery and Estell Williams, Assistant Professor, Division of General Surgery, and Jaqueline Valdez Gonzalez, Research Coordinator.
Dr. John Monu Published "Psychological Traits and the Persuasiveness of Lung Cancer Screening Health Messages" in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery
Dr. John Monu
(May 2021) Dr. John Monu, Chief Resident, General Surgery, published "Psychological Traits and the Persuasiveness of Lung Cancer Screening Health Messages" in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
"Lung cancer screening has been proven to save lives, yet it remains underutilized," said Dr. Monu. "In a prior study, we learned that individuals eligible for lung cancer screening are primarily interested in learning more about screening before deciding to be screened. By combining knowledge from the field of psychology that examines personality and its effects on decision-making, we assessed screen-eligible individuals' preferences related to lung cancer screening image advertisements. We found that advertisements that focus on the "big picture" and the benefits of lung cancer screening were most persuasive. This knowledge can be used to guide the design of more effective communications that inform our eligible patients about lung cancer screening.
I am fortunate to have world-class researchers and experts in various fields here at UW. Our study relied on a strong collaboration with Professor of Marketing at the UW Foster School of Business, Dr. Nidhi Agrawal. Being able to draw on her expertise allowed us to explore a unique approach to studying ways in which we can improve our communication as health care providers."