Christina DuVernay

Date: 12/11/2017

To recognize physicians and members of care teams who exemplify clinical excellence, the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians has launched an annual awards program, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards for Physicians and Care Teams. Open to providers who practice at Johns Hopkins Medicine facilities, whether they are Johns Hopkins-employed or not, the program recognizes multiple aspects of superlative patient care through six awards:

• Physician of the Year
• Armstrong Award for Excellence in Quality and Safety
• Excellence in Service and Professionalism
• Best Consulting Physician
• Innovations in Clinical Care
• Clinical Collaboration and Teamwork

Each Johns Hopkins Medicine hospital and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians selects six winners after nomination and local committee review. John Flynn, vice president in the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians, says the awards “highlight our long history of dedication to clinical excellence and to the individuals who embody this on a daily basis in the service of our patients at Johns Hopkins.”

Award winners for 2017, who were chosen from more than 300 nominations across a broad range of specialties, were honored at an event on Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the Chevy Chase Bank Auditorium at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Short videos featuring each winner are available on the clinical awards website. 

“The pursuit of clinical excellence is deeply rooted in the DNA of our enterprise,” said Dean/CEO Paul B. Rothman, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, as he congratulated the winners at the event. “Caring doctors are better doctors. They practice safer medicine, earn more trust from patients and get them more engaged in their health care, leading to better outcomes.”

The keynote address, by Patient and Family Advisory Council member Roger Leventer, focused on the various aspects of clinical excellence he saw exhibited by the providers who treated his wife, Lynda, for cancer and their 11-year-old son for profound depression. What stood out for him in the remarks made at the ceremony by Dean/CEO Rothman and Ronald R. Peterson, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and EVP of Johns Hopkins Medicine, was how closely the themes of their remarks echoed the themes of his own. “Their commitment to what the patient and the patient’s family want from care inspired me,” he says.

For Dominique Foulkes, a pediatric hospitalist at Suburban Hospital, winning a clinical award validates the work she has poured into helping improve her colleagues’ communication skills via the PEARLS course. Recognized for excellence in service and professionalism, Foulkes has trained much of the physician workforce in communication skills, to help them work better with each other and partner with patients.

Another recipient of the same award, Virginia Colliver, a cardiologist and the medical director of the Bethesda office of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, says that the awards are important for honoring providers who work together to maximize quality of care. “We are 20 cardiologists combined, 10 in Bethesda, and we are committed to ensuring coverage at all hours of the day and night,” she says.

Physician of the Year

This honor is awarded 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.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Nicole Chandler, M.D., pediatric surgeon

Howard County General Hospital: Srilatha Kanumuru, M.D., internist

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: William Greenough III, M.D., associate medical director, clinical chief of the ventilator rehabilitation unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and professor of medicine

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians: Neil Rosenman, M.D., office medical director, JHCP Germantown

Sibley Memorial Hospital: Scott Cohen, M.D., pulmonologist

Suburban Hospital: , vice president of medical affairs

Learn more about the Physician of the Year award recipients.

Armstrong Award for Excellence in Quality and Safety

This award is presented to the physician who partners with patients, families, colleagues and staff members to optimize patient outcomes and eliminate preventable harm.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Gerald Tuite, M.D., pediatric neurosurgeon

Howard County General Hospital: Hadley Wesson, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of surgery

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: Eric Howell, M.D., division director of the Collaborative Inpatient Medicine Service (CIMS) and professor of medicine

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians: Susan Schrock, M.D., office medical director of JHCP at Canton Crossing, internist and pediatrician

The Johns Hopkins Hospital: Michael Streiff, M.D., medical director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Special Coagulation Laboratory and associate professor of medicine

Sibley Memorial Hospital: Joshua Leifer, M.D., anesthesiologist

Suburban Hospital: Vuk Sekicki, M.D., hospitalist

Learn more about the Armstrong Award for Excellence in Quality and Safety award recipients.

Excellence in Service and Professionalism

This honor is presented to the physician who actively promotes a culture that embraces, expects and rewards the delivery of patient- and family-centered care.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Stacey Stone, M.D., neonatologist

Howard County General Hospital: James Harris Jr., M.D., assistant professor of surgery

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: Amy Knight, M.D., chief medical information officer and assistant professor of medicine

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians: Virginia Colliver, M.D., cardiologist

The Johns Hopkins Hospital: Bimal Ashar, M.D., clinical director, Division of General Internal Medicine, and associate professor of medicine

Sibley Memorial Hospital: Dhiraj Jagasia, M.D., anesthesiologist

Suburban Hospital: Dominique Foulkes, M.D., pediatric hospitalist

Learn more about the Excellence in Service and Professionalism award recipients.

Best Consulting Physician

The Best Consulting Physician award is presented to the physician providing superior consulting or specialized services.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Jennifer Mayer, M.D., pediatric hematologist and oncologist

Howard County General Hospital: Eric Aldrich, M.D., Ph.D., director of inpatient neurological services and associate professor of neurology

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: Matthew Kashima, M.D., director of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and assistant professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians: Shabina Ahmed, M.D., endocrinologist

The Johns Hopkins Hospital: Robin Avery, M.D., professor of medicine

Sibley Memorial Hospital: Steven Burka, M.D., nephrologist

Suburban Hospital: Elena Isenbergh, M.D., chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases

Learn more about the Best Consulting Physician award recipients.

This award is presented to the physician, nurse and/or team that demonstrates a visionary approach to problem-solving and performance improvement.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Amanda McCollom, R.N., and the eighth floor pediatric medicine team

Howard County General Hospital: Abul Arifuddowla, M.D., M.P.H., Diana Berescu, Pharm.D., and the pharmacy team

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: David Pearse, M.D., and the STRIDE Program

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians: Janet Siddiqui, M.D., Christy Baxter, R.N., and the Odenton pediatrics team

The Johns Hopkins Hospital: Pamela Johnson, M.D., Lenny Feldman, M.D., Amit Pahwa, M.D., and the High Value Care Committee

Sibley Memorial Hospital: Miguel Agrait Gonzalez, M.D., emergency medicine physician

Suburban Hospital: Mihail Zilbermint, M.D., director of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism care at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Suburban Hospital and assistant professor of medicine

Learn more about the Innovations in Clinical Care award recipients.

Clinical Collaboration and Teamwork

This award is presented to the team that engages colleagues in shared decision-making, fostering cooperation and open communication.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Katie Namtu, Pharm.D., and the antimicrobial stewardship team

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital: Joana Machry, M.D., and the NICU Pulmonary Task Force

Howard County General Hospital: Tanya Brescia-Oddo, M.D., Carolina Collison, C.R.N.P., and the palliative care team

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: Harpal Khanuja, M.D., and the total joint replacement team

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians: Carmen Salvaterra, M.D., and the Howard County General Hospital infusion project team

The Johns Hopkins Hospital: Barry Solomon, M.D., M.P.H., and the Harriet Lane integrated mental health team

Sibley Memorial Hospital: Diane McCarthy and the rehabilitation services team

Suburban Hospital: Leo Rotello, M.D., Melissa Means, M.D., and the critical care team

Learn more about the Clinical Collaboration and Teamwork award recipients.