From an obstetrician who oversees more than 13,000 births annually to a heart specialist who brings advanced care to a country with fewer than 10 formally trained cardiologists, this year’s Leaders in Clinical Excellence Award recipients embody the spirit of compassion and dedication to patients inherent at UT Southwestern.

Ten physicians and a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. were recognized for their exceptional contributions at the seventh annual ceremony on Nov. 14 in the Tom and Lula Gooch Auditorium. Nine recipients won individual awards, while leaders representing one program were honored for their team’s ability to improve patient care.

“Each award recognizes the exceptional contributions of clinical faculty to the care of our patients, to the education of the next generation of health care professionals, and to UT Southwestern overall,” said UT Southwestern President Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., who hosted the ceremony. He, along with Jonathan Efron, M.D., Executive Vice President for Health System Affairs, and W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School, conferred the afternoon’s awards.

There were 205 nominations for this year’s program, the highest number since its inception in 2018.

Before beginning the presentations, Dr. Podolsky asked those gathered to observe a moment of silence in memory of Professor of Internal Medicine Sharon Reimold, M.D., who was the 2012 winner of the Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D. Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine, the highest honor presented each year, and who had passed away the previous day. Dr. Reimold was a national leader in the field of cardiology and cardiac imaging, and a passionate advocate for the advancement of women in medicine and science.

Excellence in Clinical Medicine

Miguel A. Vazquez, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Chief, Division of Nephrology, was presented with the day’s top honor, the Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D. Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine.

Dr. Vazquez has spent his entire career at UT Southwestern, beginning with his internship. He has also served as Medical Director of Transplantation at Parkland Health and UT Southwestern and as Director of UTSW’s dialysis units. In addition, he is a skilled clinical researcher and Co-principal Investigator of the Kidney Precision Medicine Project, a national effort to better understand the underpinnings of chronic and acute kidney disease. Under his leadership, UT Southwestern is one of the highest-enrolling sites, including among traditionally underrepresented patient groups.

On accepting the award, Dr. Vazquez spoke about the privilege and rewards of his long career at UT Southwestern, where so many patients with kidney disease have entrusted him with their care.

“We walk together some of the journey and we learn from their resilience, their grace, what it really means to be in medicine,” he said.

Besides thanking the support of his family, mentors, and colleagues, Dr. Vazquez added that he still feels the same excitement today walking across McDermott Plaza that he did as an intern. It all ties into the mission, he said.

“To the many other colleagues, both in Nephrology, outside Nephrology, to all the housestaff, students, those dedicated professionals, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, dialysis technicians – you make the difference. Whether it’s in the wards, in the transplant clinic, in the outpatient clinics, or in our dialysis units. You are the ones who make it possible for all of us to come together as a team to our shared goal, which is to provide every single patient at every time the best possible care,” Dr. Vazquez said.

Two Patient and Family Recognition Awards were presented to outstanding faculty members who help patients maneuver challenging health issues with sensitivity and compassion.

Bonnie Prokesch, M.D., an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and infectious diseases specialist who works with patients diagnosed with recurring urinary tract infections, received five heartfelt nominations for this award, including one from a patient who said Dr. Prokesch had restored her quality of life.

“Every time I see a patient, our visit ends with a hug,” Dr. Prokesch said. “The patients may think that the hugs are for them, but more often than they know, the hugs are for me.”

Many of the cancer patients of David Sher, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Radiation Oncology, learn to manage high levels of uncertainty and anxiety. Dr. Sher is known for his reassuring demeanor and commitment to helping patients thoroughly understand their options while navigating cancer.

“I see my patients once a week, so I become part of the family,” Dr. Sher said.

Throughout the evening, award winners thanked their families for supporting and understanding their demanding careers in academic medicine. Dr. Sher put it poignantly, quoting his son’s response when he couldn’t join him in a recent activity, saying: “Daddy, I know that cancer doesn’t stop growing over vacation.”

Fiona Strasserking, M.D., FACC, FASE, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, received The President’s Award for Diversity and Humanism in Clinical Care. Her interest in global health was sparked during a cardiology fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She received the coveted Fogarty International Fellowship in Global Health from the National Institutes of Health, which led to her travel to Zambia, where she forged strong bonds.

“The patients we care for at UT Southwestern and Parkland are the same patients I see when I travel in lower- and middle-income countries,” Dr. Strasserking said in a pre-recorded video. “Caring for those patients is not just an act of compassion, but it’s an act of gratitude, because if not for them, I would not be here. I love being a person who can take them from a sense of hopelessness in the midst of their disease and give them hope. That is what keeps me going.”

Dr. Strasserking coordinates the UT Southwestern/University of Zambia International Heart Education Consortium, which helps train physicians from Zambia in the management of heart diseases. She also works with Zambian physicians to improve their systems for treating heart failure.

Advancing care through innovation

This year’s Program Development Award, which recognizes a group of clinical faculty and staff who have partnered to create an innovative program, went to the Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Care (PACC) Program. In 2022 and 2023, the one-year survival rate of pediatric patients who had a heart transplant was 100% – a remarkable statistic. The program’s medical success has resulted in the growth of the program, with patient visits quadrupling since 2017.

“The most important part of this is the program development piece,” said Ryan Davies, M.D., Professor of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery and Director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support. “The team itself is large and consists of physicians, nurses, social workers, and pharmacists – and I’m going to miss about 10 different specialists. … I really want to accept this on behalf of everyone at The Heart Center at Children’s because that’s what it takes to get these results.”

Ryan Butts, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, shared the Program Development Award for his leadership in the success of the PACC Program. Dr. Butts echoed Dr. Davies’ comments.

“Really and truly this stage should be filled with people. There are at least 50 members of the PACC team in multiple different disciplines who come together to help out the patients. But beyond that, there is the incredible work of the entire Heart Center,” he said. “There’s the Cardiac ICU, our cath lab team, our ECHO team, all those have worked incredibly hard in terms of getting better and helping take care of some of the highest-risk patients.”

Rising stars and longtime service

Elaine Duryea, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was presented with the Rising Star Award in recognition of exceptional commitment and professionalism by an early-career faculty member.

As the Service Chief of Obstetrics at Parkland Memorial Hospital, she has responsibility for more than 13,000 deliveries each year, and personally handles many of the most challenging cases. She has a special interest in cancer patient pregnancies.

In accepting her award, Dr. Duryea praised her “OB family,” and said, “We know we are always going to be there for each other.”

A pair of gifted physicians received the Institutional Service Award.

Jonathan Dowell, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Chief of Hematology and Oncology at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was recognized for his service on committees and task forces that led to improved patient care. Dr. Dowell is also Chair of the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In a video, Dr. Dowell said, “My mentors early in my training all had multiple service roles, whether it be education, research, or administrative roles. That resonated with me. I always assumed part of my job was to give back.”

He concluded his acceptance comments by saying, “Lastly, I want to acknowledge our patients. They are the true heroes, especially our oncology patients.”

The second recipient, Heidi Jacobe, M.D., Professor of Dermatology, is also the Associate Dean of Clinical Research Development. In that role, she leads junior faculty across the campus who are interested in carving out careers as clinical researchers. Dr. Jacobe spoke about “paying it forward.”

“I found (at UT Southwestern) this incredible community that always saw more in me than I saw in myself,” Dr. Jacobe said. “I am deeply grateful to the people – the mentors, the colleagues, the families, the friends, my patients – who all reiterated that for me daily and opened doors that I didn’t even know existed.”

Inspiring tomorrow’s clinicians

Mentoring Awards celebrated two clinicians for their abilities to guide and educate health care providers of the future: Laura Lacritz, Ph.D., ABPP, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, and Ildiko Lingvay, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.C.S., Professor of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Lacritz has been recognized numerous times for her work with up-and-coming neuropsychologists. One of her award nominators described her work with professionals in training as warm and encouraging but also honest and practical.

Upon receiving her award, Dr. Lacritz said, “Most of all I want to thank my mentees, who have inspired me to be a better version of myself and who have had fun along with me.”

Dr. Lingvay is one of the most sought-out mentors in the Division of Endocrinology. The breadth of the influence she has had on young clinical researchers extends not only across the UT Southwestern campus but worldwide.

“Being a mentor is a privilege,” Dr. Lingvay said. “I want them to have the confidence to believe they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.”

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Award Winner Videos

See below for special videos that were played for each winner or winning program.

To enlarge any video below, click on the “fullscreen” icon at the far right of the video player.

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Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D. Award

Miguel A. Vazquez, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine
Clinical Chief, Division of Nephrology

 

Patient and Family Recognition Award

Bonnie C. Prokesch, M.D.
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine

 

David J. Sher, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor of Radiation Oncology
Vice Chair and Medical Director for Clinical Operations and Quality
Chief of Head and Neck Radiation Oncology Service

 

The President’s Award for Diversity and Humanism in Clinical Care

Fiona Strasserking, M.D., FACC, FASE
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Cardiology

 

Program Development Award

Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Care Program

Ryan Butts, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics

Ryan Davies, M.D.
Professor of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery
Director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support

 

Rising Star Award

Elaine L. Duryea, M.D.
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

 

Institutional Service Award

Jonathan E. Dowell, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Hematology and Oncology

 

Heidi Jacobe, M.D., M.S.C.S.
Professor of Dermatology
Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health
Associate Dean, Clinical Research Development

 

Mentoring Award

Laura Lacritz, Ph.D., ABPP
Distinguished Teaching Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology
Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute

 

Ildiko Lingvay, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.C.S.
Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Endocrinology and in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health