Faculty Awards (continued)
Cincinnati Children's celebrated outstanding faculty members on February 19. Congratulations to our honorees and to all who were nominated by their peers.
Educational Achievement Award
Matthew Zackoff, MD, MEd
Division of Critical Care Medicine
Matthew Zackoff, MD, MEd, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Critical Care and co-director of the Fellowship program, has a strong commitment to teaching, educational innovations and research.
Zackoff is an outstanding educator and educational leader. His enthusiasm for teaching and his ability to create teachable moments at the bedside are recognized by learners across the medical education continuum. He consistently receives the highest teaching evaluations and is rated as one of the best educators in his division. He serves as a clinical and research mentor to many residents, fellows and junior faculty interested in medical education.
Zackoff has strong organizational skills, outstanding teaching techniques and a solution-oriented approach—along with an impressive track record of educational innovation and collaboration. His vision to facilitate safer healthcare and improve patient outcomes through innovative training is ambitious and important.
Zackoff is the consummate educator, leader, mentor and researcher and is one of our best and brightest junior faculty members.
Educational Achievement Award
Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD
Division of Pathology and Pulmonary Biology
Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD, is a highly successful researcher, clinician and educator. Her cumulative contribution to our education mission at all levels is astounding. She has a long list of formal titles, holds multiple Cincinnati Children's leadership roles, and has served on 31 PhD dissertation committees and as a mentor on 10 NIH trainee awards.
Wikenheiser-Brokamp plays a critical role in the recruitment of Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) students to the NIH-funded program with her enthusiasm, recognition of talent, ability to engage students and support of research and training at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's.
Her transformational contributions include leading the creation of a physician-scientist individual development plan, designing a mechanism for 360-degree feedback and assessment of the value and outcomes of our training initiatives, and creating opportunities for vertical integration of physician-scientists across Cincinnati Children's.
Wikenheiser-Brokamp contributes to the excellence of the Cincinnati Children's educational missions at every level.
Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Douglas Millay, PhD
Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology
Douglas Millay, PhD, has a natural and intentional inclination for translating his reasearch into commercial solutions. He and his lab have discovered a protein named myomerger that is integral to the fusion of cells.
Millay's publications about this fusion-based strategy to introduce healthy nuclei into the muscle fiber has generated interest from industry about the possibility of a therapy that could correct deficiencies in genetic diseases of the skeletal muscle, such as muscular dystrophy.
The utility of this technology has wide applications beyond skeletal muscle. This therapeutic strategy is poised to take advantage of the revolution in gene therapy development which would offer curative treatment for patients and reduce lifetime medical costs and improve quality of life over decades.
Millay's attitude and practice create open collaborations that bring the highest likelihood of achieving the translational potential of his research. Millay is not just a close partner with industry but has been a great partner with Cincinnati Children's Innovation Ventures.
Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Angela Lorts, MD, MBA
The Heart Institute
Angela Lorts, MD, MBA, has been diligently and skillfully working to improve the care of patients who need ventricular assist devices (VADs). Her enterprising nature has led to the development of technology with the potential for wide-scale commercialization.
Because pediatric heart failure and VAD education materials need to be tailored for a generation that is accustomed to information and education delivered in digital form, Lorts and her colleagues developed the VAD Controller Change-out Video Game. This simulation allows patients, caregivers and staff to practice controller change-outs in a safe, gamified environment. The game has been well-received, helping providers, patients and caregivers to be more informed, prepared and confident about their ability to give life-saving care.
As an improvement scientist, Lorts is always thinking of ways to improve and solve problems for the benefit of patients. She is a talented leader who is driven to transform the care of patients with cardiac disease.
Mentoring Achievement Award
Joanna Thomson, MD, MPH
Division of Hospital Medicine
Joanna Thomson, MD, MPH, has supported the development and careers of numerous fellows by shaping them into strong and successful clinical researchers. She fosters autonomy, innovation and passion and creates a safe space to process challenges, while encouraging her mentees to critically evaluate and improve their work. She has designed a comprehensive clinical research curriculum for the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship and has an incredible knack for teaching the basics of biostatistics, study design and epidemiology.
Thomson serves as an exemplary role model of a successful junior clinical researcher. She is an exceptionally gifted scientific writer who has effectively guided many through the seemingly overwhelming tasks of designing and writing their first manuscripts and grants.
Thomson has an all-encompassing and enduring impact on her mentees' lives, in both professional and personal spheres. Her mentorship is one of the key ingredients that makes oure Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship one of the best in the nation.
Mentoring Achievement Award
Claire Chougnet, PhD
Division of Immunobiology
Claire Chougnet, PhD, offers exemplary mentorship and guidance. Her trainees are continuously mentored to think scientifically, apply rigor to their experiments, communicate and collaborate effectively with their colleagues, and disseminate their findings with the highest degree of preparedness.
Such mentorship directly provides key experiences and advocacy for career development of her trainees. Notably, Chougnet's trainees have attained post-doctoral and faculty positions at top-level academic institutions in the US and abroad.
Chougnet takes great pride in helping and mentoring a wide array of junior faculty within Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati. Her constant challenge to junior faculty to recognize and address potential shortcomings and clearly articulate their scientific questions and ideas has always been supported by her open-door policy and willingness to review and constructively comment on the drafts of various proposals and manuscripts.
Choughnet is truly an outstanding mentor, teacher, leader, researcher and collaborator.