DOM Star Clinician Honor Roll
The Star Clinician Honor Roll celebrates Department of Medicine clinicians who exemplify exceptional patient care, professionalism, and teamwork. This recognition highlights individuals who consistently elevate the clinical mission and strengthen the care environment—especially those who are not routinely acknowledged through other awards. Honorees represent the top tier of clinical excellence, approximately the top 5% of DOM clinicians.
Awards are presented annually in the fall.
Nominations may be submitted by any UW Health department faculty member, staff member, PGY resident/fellow trainee, and APPs.
DOM Clinical Excellence Awards
Requirements for all awards:
- All nominees must have their primary appointment in DOM and be at least 50% FTE.
- All nominees must adhere to high standards of professionalism and good citizenship.
- A nominee is not eligible if they received the award in the past five years. (There are limited previous awardees listed below due to several factors: time between Chairs, COVID hiatus, and revamp of award processes.)
The DOM QI/Patient Safety Committee reviews nominations and submits recommendations for final selection to the chair.
The 2026 awards will be presented at the DOM Awards Event held in the fall.
Advanced Practice Provider of the Year Award
- Award Consideration: Awarded to a Department of Medicine Advanced Practice Provider who demonstrates clinical excellence and professionalism and promotes clinical collaboration and teamwork.
- Eligibility: Department of Medicine Advanced Practice Providers
- Nomination: Fill out the online form with your nominee’s (or your own) name and a brief statement (up to 200 words, maximum) describing why they (or you) are worthy of the award. Self nominations are allowed and there is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit.
Past Awardees
- Elise Strycharske, NP (2025)
- Meghann Martin, NP (2024)
- Paula Cynkar, PA (2024)
- Renee Bobb, NP (2023)
- Monica Zablotney, NP (2022)
- Sarah Goecks, NP (2021)
⌃Back to all Clinical Excellence Awards
Advancement of Social Impact and Belonging Award
- Award Consideration: Awarded to a DOM faculty member in recognition of achievements that ensure the department’s climate creates a welcoming space where everyone feels supported and valued. This faculty member helps create a climate of belonging for all learners and members of the health care team.
- Eligibility: Department of Medicine Professors of any rank and on any track (CT, CHS, tenure) and Advanced Practice Providers
- Nomination: Fill out the online form with your nominee’s (or your own) name and a brief statement (up to 200 words, maximum) describing why they (or you) are worthy of the award. Self nominations are allowed and there is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit.
Past Awardees
- Siobhan Wilson, MD, PhD (2025)
- Monica Patel, MD (2024)
- Bret Benally Thompson, MD (2023)
- Angela Byars-Winston, PhD (2022)
- Shivani Garg, MD, MS (2021)
⌃Back to all Clinical Excellence Awards
Clinician Rising Star Award
- Award Consideration: Awarded to a Department of Medicine junior faculty member who demonstrates clinical excellence and exhibits innovation, dedication, and enthusiasm for serving patients, families, and the community.
- Eligibility: Department of Medicine Assistant Professors on any track (CT, CHS, tenure) who have been part of the department and out of formal training for less than five years.
- Nomination: Fill out the online form with your nominee’s (or your own) name and a brief statement (up to 200 words, maximum) describing why they (or you) are worthy of the award. Self nominations are allowed and there is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit.
Past Awardees
- Sara Westergaard, MD, MPH (2025)
- Jessica Musto, MD (2024)
- Margarita (Rita) German, MD (2023)
- Amy Jaeger, MD (2022)
- Kate Schueller, MD (2021)
⌃Back to all Clinical Excellence Awards
Grossman-Page Professionalism Award
- Award Consideration: Awarded to a Department of Medicine faculty member who displays the highest standards of professionalism and compassion in our missions and represents the Department of Medicine with energy, honor, and humility. Showcases an individual whose actions exemplify the highest standards of professionalism and compassion.
- Eligibility: Department of Medicine Professors of any rank and on any track (CT, CHS, tenure)
- Nomination: Fill out the online form with your nominee’s (or your own) name and a brief statement (up to 200 words, maximum) describing why they (or you) are worthy of the award. Self nominations are allowed and there is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit.
Past Awardees
- Jessica Tischendorf, MD, MS (2025)
- John McCartney, MD (2024)
- Sarah Ahrens, MD (2023)
- Christie Bartels, MD, MS (2022)
- Mark Micek, MD (2021)
- Mark Burkard, MD, PhD (2018)
⌃Back to all Clinical Excellence Awards
Outstanding Clinical Leader Award
- Award Consideration: The DOM Outstanding Clinical Leader Award recognizes an exceptional clinical leader who elevates care delivery, strengthens team culture, and drives operational excellence across the department. This award honors a leader whose influence, collaboration, and execution set the standard for high-performance clinical operations.
Outstanding DOM leaders demonstrate vision, accountability, and influence that measurably improve workflows, access, reliability, and team functioning. They build high-trust, team-based environments, partner effectively with administrative and nursing dyads, communicate with clarity and humility, and consistently remove barriers to better care delivery. Consistently models professionalism. - Eligibility: Senior leadership roles (Chair, Division Heads, Vice Chairs) are excluded. Eligible nominees may include medical directors, section chiefs, dyad leaders, associate/assistant directors, clinical operations leads, and informal leaders in DOM divisions.
- Nomination: Complete the online form with the nominee’s name (self-nomination is not accepted) and a maximum of a 1-page document describing the following:
- Clear examples of leadership impact.
- Evidence of improved workflows, access, or team functioning.
- Description of how the leader exceeds expectations for their role.
⌃Back to all Clinical Excellence Awards
Outstanding Clinician Award
- Award Consideration: Awarded to a Department of Medicine physician who exemplifies characteristics that would lead you to send a loved one to them. Recognizes a physician whose expertise, compassion, empathy, and honesty would make them your first choice for the care of a loved one. This person is the “Doctor’s Doctor.”
- Eligibility: Department of Medicine Professors of any rank and on any track (CT, CHS, tenure)
- Nomination: Fill out the online form with your nominee’s (or your own) name and a brief statement (up to 200 words, maximum) describing why they (or you) are worthy of the award. Self nominations are allowed and there is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit.
Past Awardees
- Anurag Soni, MD (2025)
- Joseph McBride, MD, MA (2024)
- Nicholas Haun, MD (2023)
- Lorna Belsky, MD (2022)
- Ann Misch, MD (2021)
- Andrea Schnell, MD (2018)
⌃Back to all Clinical Excellence Awards
Quality Improvement Award
- Award Consideration: Awarded to a DOM faculty member who has demonstrated commitment and engagement to quality improvement and patient safety as reflected in the principles of optimizing patient care, reducing medical errors, enhancing accountability and stewardship, and continually striving to “do better.”
- Eligibility: Department of Medicine Professors of any rank and on any track (CT, CHS, tenure) and Advanced Practice Providers
- Nomination: Fill out the online form with your nominee’s (or your own) name and a brief statement (up to 200 words, maximum) describing why they (or you) are worthy of the award. Self nominations are allowed and there is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit.
Past Awardees
- Mark Benson, MD (2025)
- Sean O’Neill, MD (2024)
- Deval Patel, MD (2023)
- Ravi Viswanathan, MD (2022)
- Jordan Kenik, MD, MPH (2021)