William Baumgartner, M.D., Physician of the Year

The Physician of the Year award is given to the physician who consistently achieves high standards in the practice of medicine and is looked upon as a role model by his or her peers.

Jessica Shackman

Jessica Shackman, M.D., Ph.D.

Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center

Physician, Emergency Medical Services

Jessica Shackman has been an attending physician in the adult emergency department since 2016. She is an excellent diagnostician who leads the team with grace, unwavering focus and thoughtful deliberation. She is a natural leader who has demonstrated resilience and stewardship of patients and the team during the most trying of times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For any member of the emergency department team, it’s a great shift when Dr. Shackman is working. She has also represented the department on a variety of committees and has been instrumental in facilitating initiatives regarding emergent cardiovascular care. Dr. Shackman is a glowing example of physician excellence.

Michael Wilsey, M.D.

Michael Wilsey, M.D.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

Vice Chair, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology

Michael Wilsey is an outstanding clinician who leads with enthusiasm, integrity and empathy. He helped build the hospital’s therapeutic endoscopy service and is nationally recognized for expertise and innovation in pediatric endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, offering new options for children with challenging and complex cases. He also collaborates with the pulmonology, surgery and neonatology teams to enhance multidisciplinary care and outcomes. Dr. Wilsey began a two-year term as chief of the medical staff in January 2020 and worked closely with leadership to help the hospital navigate pandemic challenges, including telemedicine implementation, shortages in personal protective equipment, and testing protocols to support the safe resumption of clinical care and endoscopic services. A role model for his peers and a mentor to trainees, he has made many contributions to system improvement and quality at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.

Arjun Chanmugam, M.D.

Arjun Chanmugam, M.D.

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Chair of Emergency Medicine

As an emergency medicine physician, Arjun Chanmugam has played a critical role in Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he and his team adapted to crisis standards of care protocols to address the impact of the surge in COVID-19 cases. During a time when staffing and resources were limited and stress was greater than anyone had ever imagined, Dr. Chanmugam led his team with grace and charm. He not only cared for some of our patients who were the most sick, but also fiercely advocated for and ensured his staff’s well-being throughout the challenges of the pandemic. Dr. Chanmugam’s willingness to lead by example is what makes him a highly regarded faculty member and a physician who is well respected by his patients.

Wing Tam, M.B.B.S.

Wing Tam, M.B.B.S.

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

Physician, Family Practice

Wing Tam has served Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP) and his patients for the past 25 years with care, integrity, efficiency, professionalism and resilience. A family medicine physician in Frederick, Dr. Tam has earned the admiration, trust and respect of his patients, evidenced by his consistently high Clinician and Group Survey-Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) patient experience scores and productivity, despite the many recent challenges. Dr. Tam practices evidence-based medicine with care and clinical excellency, enhanced by his patient and calm demeanor. He consistently advocates and collaborates with other specialists so that his patients will receive the best care. Dr. Tam’s staff members and colleagues respect him immensely, and he never hesitates to take the lead in ensuring cross coverage when providers are out of the office. He is kind to his co-workers and embraces inclusivity of all cultures and creeds. Providers and staff members at JHCP in Frederick agree with a comment that a patient of Dr. Tam’s once shared: “He is such a wonderful provider, he needs to be cloned.” Dr. Tam is a model of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s mission and values.

Chetan Bettegowda, M.D., Ph.D.

Chetan Bettegowda, M.D., Ph.D.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Jennison and Novak Families Professor of Neurosurgery

Along with serving as vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, Chetan Bettegowda performs more than 300 open and stereotactic radiosurgery procedures every year. He also directs more clinical centers in the department than any other surgeon. As the departmental physician adviser for patient safety and quality, Dr. Bettegowda leads several initiatives to improve patient safety, including Providers Aligned in Care Transformation — Craniotomy, an effort to develop enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways for patients receiving craniotomy for tumors. Together with colleagues in neurology and nursing, he helped develop pathways to reduce falls and catheter-associated infections for neuroscience patients, and he helped implement strategies to reduce length of stay for patients with brain tumors to below national metrics.

Dr. Bettegowda has inspired dozens of medical students, residents and fellows to pursue careers in neurosurgery and academic medicine. As director of the Johns Hopkins Physician Scientist Program, and as the Department of Neurosurgery’s director of research, he meets regularly with learners across all specialties to help identify personalized paths to explore their academic curiosities. He is constantly praised as a role model for burgeoning clinician-scientists.

A world renowned expert and pioneer in cancer genetics and cancer diagnostics, Dr. Bettegowda may be the country’s most recognized figure in liquid biopsy testing for brain tumors, and his efforts are likely to lead to new FDA approved tests that will tremendously benefit patients.

Nadia Eltaki, M.D.

Nadia Eltaki, M.D.

Sibley Memorial Hospital

Director of Emergency Department Clinical Operations

As a physician leader in Sibley Memorial Hospital’s emergency department (ED), Nadia Eltaki is held in the highest possible esteem by her colleagues and patient care teams. Despite the pressured environment of an ED, there seems to be no limit to the time and compassion she is willing to dedicate to her patients and their families. Not only has she helped guide the ED through some incredibly challenging times, she has also showed her commitment to continuous improvement throughout Sibley Memorial. As chair of peer review, Dr. Eltaki worked with the health system and local leadership to improve the peer review process, paving the way for a more standardized and comprehensive process using Just Culture principles.

Eric Park, M.D.

Eric Park, M.D.

Suburban Hospital

Medical Director, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Hospitalist Program

Eric Park leads an experienced team of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants that collaborate with specialists, nurses, social workers and others to ensure patients receive the best care possible, from admission to discharge, without compromising patient safety. He displays excellence and professionalism in every task he performs and provides extensive support to colleagues. Over 18 years ago, he helped to create the Hospitalist Program, and over time expanded it from three initial providers to over 30 providers. He is a true leader who inspires hospitalists to do their best.

Park is always finding ways to improve services and has introduced a more data-driven approach to allow more meaningful changes in the Hospitalist Program. He has been a champion of using data to improve patient throughput, patient care, length of stay and emergency department length of stay, and has been a champion of multidisciplinary rounds. He has mentored team members to take on administrative roles that allow them to view the position of hospitalist from a broader perspective.