College of Medicine Honors Dean Christopher Westfall, M.D., and Outstanding Faculty, Staff
| The College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recognized exemplary faculty and staff at its annual Dean’s Honor Day awards ceremony on May 17, capping the event with a surprise tribute to retiring Dean and UAMS Executive Vice Chancellor Christopher T. Westfall, M.D.
College of Medicine Dean Christopher T. Westfall, M.D., thanks his wife, Terri, for her support and guidance throughout his career in the military and academic medicine.Evan Lewis
Westfall received the 2021 Distinguished Faculty Service Award for his work at UAMS since 1997. Among many leadership posts, Westfall served as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute for eight years prior to his appointment as dean and UAMS executive vice chancellor in 2018.
Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief academic officer, presented the award at the end of the ceremony, which was livestreamed to faculty, staff and guests from the Fred W. Smith Auditorium on the UAMS campus.
Robert Hopkins Jr., M.D., presents the Master Teacher Award to Sara Tariq, M.D., for her exemplary work with medical students and initiatives to help faculty colleagues become better teachers of future physicians.Evan Lewis
“Through his 23-plus-year tenure at UAMS, (Dr. Westfall) has been a respected teacher, a valued mentor for students and residents, an excellent clinician, a trusted colleague, and a calm, engaged and insightful leader in this college and this institution,” said Gardner, who appointed Westfall as interim dean in early 2018 while she was serving as interim chancellor. Incoming Chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, affirmed the appointment, naming Westfall as dean that August.
“He cares deeply about his team, and he is deeply committed to UAMS’ mission,” Gardner said of Westfall. “He has accomplished great things in a short amount of time – creating new educational initiatives as dean, cementing partnerships across the state, and hiring chairs and researchers who will have a long-term impact on this institution.”
Jessica Snowden, M.D., M.S., MHPTT, (left) congratulates Tamara Perry, M.D., after presenting her with the Excellence in Research Award for her accomplishments as a physician-scientist, including digital health interventions to help children with asthma.Evan Lewis
After receiving the award, Westfall thanked his wife, Terri, for her support during his 45 years in the military and academic medicine – a career that included service as a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and four years as the chief consultant in ophthalmology to the Air Force surgeon general prior to his military retirement at the rank of colonel. Westfall also thanked Gardner for providing him the opportunity to serve as dean and for showing him how to lead “with courage and grace and tenacity and commitment.”
Westfall praised his College of Medicine and UAMS colleagues. “It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of UAMS,” he said. “When people apply to UAMS for a chairmanship or another job, they say, ‘What’s the best thing about UAMS?’ I always say, ‘It’s the people – their collegiality, their warmth and their commitment.’ And you all are every one of those things.”
Chris Cargile, M.D., (left) nominated Physician of the Year recipient John Rubenow, D.O., (right) in recognition of his expert, compassionate mental health care and integral contributions to AR-Connect, the state’s first virtual urgent care program for mental health issues.Evan Lewis
“This past year has shown that you also demonstrate the epitome of courage and tenacity in the face of adversity,” Westfall said, acknowledging the hard work of faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted those efforts earlier in the ceremony as well. “I believe that now it is more important than ever for us to recognize the excellent work that you are doing,” Westfall said in his welcome remarks. “I am grateful beyond words to all of you for all of the ways that you have found to advance UAMS in each of its three mission areas: patient care, education and research. And I am thankful for your contributions not just this year, but year in and year out.”
Fifteen additional faculty and staff members received awards during the ceremony. Erick Messias, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, associate dean for faculty affairs, professor of psychiatry and master of ceremonies for the event, also presented video photo tributes to faculty members who will be promoted in rank to associate professor or professor on July 1.
Leslie Stone, M.D., (left) presents the Staff Excellence – Education Award to Bailey Snellgrove, B.A., in recognition of her dedication to medical students during their Family Medicine Clerkship.Evan Lewis
“Dean’s Honor Day has always been an opportunity for us to pause from our everyday work and celebrate the contributions, the work and the character of our colleagues,” Messias said of the ceremony, which has been presented annually since 2011 with the exception of 2020.
Last year’s awards were presented individually or in smaller virtual meetings due to the unfolding pandemic. For the 2021 ceremony, in-person attendance was limited to honorees and their nominators and followed CDC protocols for social distancing, masking and activities of vaccinated individuals.
Watch the full video recording of the ceremony.
View the Distinguished Faculty Service Award presentation here.
The College of Medicine is proud to recognize the following 2021 honorees:
Click here for more photos and tributes to each recipient.
Master Teacher Award
Sara Tariq, M.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Educational Innovation Award
Riley Lipschitz, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Excellence in Research Award
Tamara Perry, M.D.
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Chief, Pediatric Allergy & Immunology
Residency Educator Award – Program Director
Alice Alexander, M.D.
Program Director, Medicine-Pediatrics Residency
Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Education
Department of Internal Medicine
Residency Educator Award – Program Coordinator
Wyvonne Ora, B.S.
Program Coordinator, Internal Medicine Residency Program
UAMS Northwest Regional Campus
Staff Excellence Award – Education
Bailey Snellgrove, B.A.
Course Coordinator, Family Medicine Clerkship
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine
Staff Excellence Award – Research
Aaron D. Warren, B.A.
Research Associate, Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases Center
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Staff Excellence Award – Clinical
Laura Jones, APRN
Department of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine Division
Adolescent Medicine & Eating Disorders Clinic, Arkansas Children’s
Staff Excellence Award – Administration
Shannon Giger, MHA
Department Administrator
Department of Emergency Medicine
Physician of the Year
Jon Rubenow, D.O.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Medical Director, UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute – Northwest
Medical Director, UAMS Crisis Stabilization Unit
Excellence in Service and Professionalism
Elena Ambrogini, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (Associate Professor, effective July 1)
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Excellence in Quality and Safety
Hunter Gibbs, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Medical Director, Psychiatric Research Institute Inpatient Services
Quality and Safety Officer, Behavioral Health Service Line
Best Consulting Physician
Benjamin Tharian, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Director, Advanced Endoscopy
Clinical Collaborations and Teamwork
Benjamin Davis, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care
Director, Surgical Intensive Care Unit
Rising Star Clinical Faculty
Zachary Lewis, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Co-Director, Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship/Pediatric Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship
Co-Director, Emergency Ultrasound Education