On June 13, the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program celebrated its 2015 family medicine graduates, and also highlighted that the Duke Family Medicine Residency graduated its first class 40 years ago. And we were honored with a visit by the residency’s first program director, Lyndon Jordan, M.D.
Several awards were given during graduation night, including:
Thomas E. Matheson, M.D., Memorial Award
Preyanka Makadia, DO, was the recipient of the Thomas E. Matheson Memorial Award.
The Duke Family Medicine Residency graduating class of 1984 established the award to honor and remember a colleague and friend who contributed greatly to their experience during their residency. Dr. Matheson became seriously ill in May of his second year and died in September 1983, which would have been his third year of residency training.
The award is presented to the first-year resident who best epitomized qualities which made Tom Matheson an outstanding physician and colleague. The specific interest and qualities which were considered for this vote are: inpatient education, family oriented issues, ability to balance personal and professional needs and goals, and inspire excellence in his/her colleagues.
Samuel W. Warburton, M.D., Resident Role Model Award
Farhad Modarai, DO, was the recipient of the Samuel W. Warburton Resident Role Model Award.
This award was presented to a second-year resident who was voted on by residents and faculty as consistently demonstrating an interest and willingness to help in times of need and who fosters positive morale amongst peers, staff and colleagues. The award was named after Dr. Warburton who served as the medical director for Duke Family Medicine and chief of the Division of Family Medicine until his retirement.
During his career Dr. Warburton (“Woody”) demonstrated the balance of personal and professional life that is recognized by the resident role model award. He had the spirit to lead the program through troubled waters and helped set the stage for the future of Duke Family Medicine for those who follow in his shadow at DFMC.
The resident must also provide a positive role model for the program in their relationship with our specialty colleagues and community.
Dr. Warburton attended the dinner and presented the award to Dr. Modarai.
William J. “Terry” Kane, M.D., Award for Excellence in Clinical Family Medicine
Michele Fass, M.D., was the recipient of this year’s award for excellence in the practice of family medicine.
This award is given to one departing third-year resident. Dr. Kane was division chief of family medicine when the program was emerging as a leader in the field in the late 1970s.This award is for one resident whose patient care activities “most exemplify the ideals of a family physician.”
The criteria includes a physician who provides the most responsible, comprehensive, accessible patient care, pays closest attention to details of quality care, such as timely follow-up of phone calls and lab results, careful record-keeping, prompt arrival for patient care shifts, etc., responds appropriately to patient needs both in personal interactions and medical decisions, medical knowledge seems the most appropriately up-to-date and medical observations and judgment are trusted the most.
The E. Harvey Estes, M.D., Award
Aaron George, DO, was the recipient of the E. Harvey Estes Award.
The Harvey Estes award is open to residents from all three years. Dr. E. Harvey Estes, served as chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine from 1996 to 1985. The Duke Family Medicine Residency Program exists because of his work in founding the residency program building local, state and national coalitions dedicated to training family physicians.
Dr. Estes’ service is a model for the role a physician can play in providing patient-centered compassionate care, and to serve as a beacon for change in both health care and education and health advocacy. The E. Harvey Estes Award is designated for the resident who exemplifies the vision of Dr. Estes. The recipient of this award should be an outstanding physician and teacher who is actively engaged in state and national medical societies. This resident serves as a leader in addressing the needs of the community through patient care, service to the community, academic effort, and advocacy for addressing health disparities.
Our chief resident Bret Powell, DO, and education chief resident Farhad Modarai, DO, were also recognized for their outstanding jobs as chiefs.
Golden Apple Teaching Awards
Each year the residents of the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program recognize the outstanding teaching efforts of one physician from the Duke Family Medicine Center and one from a non-DFM or community rotation. This year’s award recipients were:
- Mark Sakr, DO, sports medicine, Duke Family Medicine Center
- Rasheeda Monroe, M.D., pediatrics, medical director, WakeMed Physician Practices
Honoring our graduating residents
And lastly, we honored our graduating residents. Three years have gone by since they arrived at Duke and it has been an amazing journey. Two of them go on to do fellowships that will add on knowledge to their ability as well-rounded family doctors. Here’s a look at what’s next for our graduating residents:
- Bret Powell, DO, Duke Geriatric Fellowship, Durham. The Iowan turned Southern gentleman will continue to contribute to the well-being of the elderly population of Durham.
- Jonathan Bonnet, M.D., Sports Medicine Fellowship University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. Bonnet will continue to enhance on his already vast knowledge on wellness and health through exercise and proper eating.
- Michele Fass, M.D., Norton Community Medical Associates, Shepherdsville, Ky. Fass returns to her hometown of Louisville, Ky., as not only the “Queen of Procedures,” but also a quality improvement and patient safety expert having served as the chair of this committee at Duke.
- Aaron George, DO, Summit Health Primary Care, outpatient family practice in Chambersburg, Penn. George turned down the possibility of a White House fellowship to go back home to Pennsylvania where he knows he is needed most today.
I applaud them. This class holds the record in publications, hours of advocacy, baking cupcakes and cookies, pumping iron at the gym, presentations at state, national and international meetings, and leadership activities at Duke University and in multiple organizations. They are also very dear to my family, for they also became mentors to my son, Francesco.
It was an honor to meet the families and friends of our graduating residents who attended the celebration. A reminder of how when we receive new residents to the family at Duke Family Medicine, our own family extends through theirs.
All hearts and souls wishing for their success.
Years in the making,
these great family doctors
go now into the world.They carry with them
the experience of lives
and patients cared for.Knowledge shared
by peers,
faculty, and staff.Community engaged,
leaders,
innovative change agents,
mentees become mentors.Going to a new community
as a new generation
arrives to the cycle of
training in family medicine.Years in the making.
— Viviana Martinez-Bianchi
Viviana Martinez-Bianchi is program director of the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program. Email viviana.martinezbianchi@dm.duke.edu with questions.
Editor’s note: A member of the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program leadership team guest blogs every month.