slide from the awards show
October 14, 2020

School of Medicine Recognizes Faculty and Students at Annual Awards Event

2019-20 ceremony was delayed by pandemic

Author: Ross French
October 14, 2020

The annual UC Riverside School of Medicine Faculty and Student Awards Banquet for 2019-20 was held online via Zoom on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. The event, usually held with a celebratory banquet, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually converted into an online event when it became clear that large gatherings were not a possibility.

The ceremony recognizes outstanding instructors representing areas across the curriculum, as well as students who best exemplify the SOM mission.

"As you know, our school is continually growing and we need more physicians like you who care about our students and want to make a difference in our community," said Vice Chancellor and Dean Deborah Deas. "Your support is vital to the mission of the School of Medicine. We are so grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with our students."

The awards presentation was hosted by Associate Dean for Assessment and Evaluation Kendrick Davis, Ph.D., who was joined by Longitudinal Ambulatory Care Experience Director and Assistant Clinical Professor Moazzum Bajwa, M.D. and Associate Professor of Pre-Clerkship Curriculum Byron Ford, Ph.D.

The award recipients are listed below the video.


Student Award Recipients

Outstanding Clerkship Students

  • George Lee, Class of 2021
  • Amylee Martin, Class of 2021
  • Anne Lyon, Class of 2021

Outstanding LACE Students

  • Maura Becerra, Class of 2021
  • Josue Reynaga, Class of 2021
  • Joseph Miller, Class of 2021

Outstanding Practice Improvement Projects

MS1 - Class of 2023

Omar Abbas, Charity Hall, Carly Henderson, Erica Nguy, Alexis Castillo: “Investigating the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care in Riverside, California's Vulnerable Populations."

MS2 - Class of 2022

Matthew O’Hara, Sonul Gupta, Sawyer Schuljak, Jennifer Laborado: “Impact of Medical Adherence on Biomarkers of Chronic Diseases.”

MS3 - Class of 2021

Juan Jose Arguello & Joseph Miller: “Influence of Medication costs on patient adherence to prescribed medication regimen at Riverside Medical Clinic: Patient and Physician Perspectives."


Faculty Award Recipients

Outstanding Support to Careers in Medicine Award

  • Dr. Brigham Willis - Senior Associate Dean for Education
  • Special recognition: Christina Rangel - Careers in Medicine Program coordinator

Outstanding LACE Faculty

Class of 2023

Dr. Tony Lee - Assistant Clinical Professor,  Family Medicine

Class of 2022

Dr. Moazzum Bajwa - Assistant Clinical Professor in Health Sciences and the LACE Director

Class of 2021

Dr. Jerry Hizon - Assistant Clinical Professor, Family Medicine

Outstanding Pre-Clerkship Instructor - Golden Apple Award

Dr. Chris Lytle – Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences

Outstanding Doctoring Instructors

Class of 2023

Dr. Nandini Gowda - Associate Clinical Professor Health Sciences

Class of 2022

Kristyn Pellecchia - Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences & Dr. William Hunt - Department of Family Medicine

Outstanding PBL Instructor

Class of 2023

Dr. Phuong Nguyen - Associate Clinical Professor Health Sciences, Resident Physician, Department of Internal Medicine

Class of 2022

Dr. Rebeca Gavan - Clinical Instructor, Family Medicine

Outstanding Clinical Skills Instructor

Class of 2022 & 2023

Dr. Adolfo Aguilera - Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Outstanding Standardized Patient / Outstanding Patient Instructor

Ted Puffer

Outstanding Clerkship Instructors

Emergency Medicine

Dr. Samuel Zidovetzki - Medical Student Clerkship Director

Family Medicine

Dr. Moazzum Bajwa - Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences and LACE Director

Internal Medicine

Dr. Remus Popa - Clinical Professor Health Sciences

OB/GYN

Dr. Mallory Stuparich - Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences

Pediatrics

Dr. Adwoa Osei - Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences

Psychiatry

Dr. Niraj Gupta - Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences

Surgery

Dr. Raj Vyas - UCR Health Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dr. Ruben Osorio - Assistant Clinical Professor in Surgery

Outstanding Block or Clerkship Director

Dr. Christian Lytle - Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences

Outstanding Public Health Faculty

Dr. Brandon Brown - Associate Professor, Center for Healthy Communities