Residents, Graduates and Faculty Awards and Publications
Residents, Graduates and Faculty Awards and Publications
April 2025 Department of Family Medicine Newsletter
2025 Award Recipients
Dr. Sandy Wang – Family Medicine Community Teaching Award
We would like to recognize the teaching contributions of community physicians who volunteer their time to teach residents on a regular basis. We are very appreciative of all their contributions to the Family Medicine Residency Program.
“Dr. Wang not only precepts in multiple areas, including urgent care, inpatient, outpatient, but excels at giving concise and relevant pearls of wisdom at all times of day and in so many different clinical situations.”
Claire M. Moynihan, CNM, MS – Family Medicine OB Teaching Award
This annual award was established to honor an obstetrician/gynecologist clinician at Highland Hospital. It is granted by the Family Medicine residents to the clinician who best exemplifies excellence in clinical judgment and patient care, clinical teaching, and relating to and respecting Family Medicine residents and their ideals. A plaque with the names of all the recipients hangs in the Attending Lounge of the Obstetrics floor.
Dr. Jaclyn Grode – Highland Family Medicine Women’s Health Care Award
This award is given to the Family Medicine resident who has contributed most significantly in the area of women’s health. Contributions may be clinical, research, teaching, or administrative in nature.
“Dr. Grode is a highly skilled physician and excellent colleague.”
Dr. Carlos Diaz-Balzac – Highland Medicine Teaching Attending Award
This award is chosen by majority vote of the Internal Medicine, Med/Peds, and Family Medicine residents, in recognition of outstanding teaching of residents by a physician in Medicine. The winner’s name is engraved on a plaque that hangs in the Highland Hospital Library.
“Dr. Diaz-Balzac interacted with IM, MP, and FM residents this year as both a generalist and an endocrinologist, and is praised by residents at Highland as being a highly accessible and lucid teacher of complex inpatient and outpatient issues. He is a natural educator and a trusted faculty member who has had a lasting impact on the residents at Highland this year.”
Dr. Timothy Smilnak – Lovejoy Preceptor Award
This award is chosen by all the Family Medicine residents and is awarded to an outstanding academic or community faculty preceptor at Highland Family Medicine who demonstrates dedication to residency education, inspired teaching, and deep compassion for patients and residents.
“Dr. Smilnak is always finding ways to teach residents, whether it be outpatient or inpatient. He understands the burden of the work and modifies the teaching to be concrete, realistic, and highly applicable. I have even received articles in my mailbox days after our interactions.”
Dr. Kalyani Sonarikar – Jacob Holler MD Annual Resident Award and STFM Resident Teaching Award
The Jacob Holler award was established by the Highland Hospital Board of Directors in 1983 and is presented annually to a Highland Hospital resident selected by peers who best demonstrates deep and caring concern, kindness, integrity, understanding, good humor, and inspired teaching. The STFM Resident Teaching Award recognizes residents who demonstrate interest, ability, and commitment to family medicine education.
“Being able to work with Kalyani is a blessing any day. She is supportive and always finds opportunities to teach while on inpatient and in clinic. She builds you up and provides instantaneous feedback and opportunities to grow.”
Dr. Yuki Takeuchi – AFMRD Resident Award for Scholarship
This award is given to a resident who has demonstrated skills and interest in scholarship.
Dr. Jessica Meyer – AFMRD Resident Award for Advocacy
The AFMRD Resident Award for Advocacy recognizes a resident who has demonstrated skills and interest in advocacy.
Dr. Jeanne Beddoe – Family Medicine Faculty Teaching Award
This award was first given in 1978 to Dr. Don Treat, chair of the department from 1978–87. Since that time, it has been awarded to 48 faculty members (as of 2025) and is voted on by PGY‑3 residents.
Cynthia Brown – Brown Square Staff Appreciation Award
This award, established in 2006 by the Brown Square Family Medicine residents, recognizes a Brown Square staff member or clinician who has provided significant teaching and support of residents in their practices.
Resident and Faculty Publications
In this Learners on Location video on undergraduate medical education, Lilyveth Mesa, a third-year medical student, discusses her experience coming to Rochester with Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Professor of Emergency Medicine Flavia Nobay, MD, and her advisor, Vice Chair of Family Medicine and Associate Dean Anne Nofziger, MD, Class of 1999.
Scheutzow J, Wang S. Beyond the Multivitamin: Embracing an Integrative Medicine Approach to Nutrition in Primary Care. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2025;14(1):63–68.
Fogarty CT, Ly CM. Putting on Our Own Oxygen Masks First. Family Practice Management. 2025;32(4):56.
McKeown A, Taylor C. Navigating Infertility as a Physician. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;13(2):16–18.
Takeuchi Y. Navigating Residency and Single Parenting as a Foreigner – Lessons Learned from a Personal Crisis. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;13(2):40–42.
Lau J. Advice on How to Live Your Family Medicine Residency Experience to the Fullest. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;13(2):38–39.
Chawla A, Holub D. Mentorship and Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;13(2):31–32.
Wang S, Minney S. Letter to Parenting Docs – You are Not Alone! Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;13(2):25–26.
Wetterau N. Reviving Interest and Satisfaction in Being a Family Physician. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;13(2):23–24.
Carolyn Wolf-Gould, MD (Class of 1993). A History of Transgender Medicine in the United States: From Margins to Mainstream. Co-authors: Dallas Denny, Jamison Green, and Kyan Lynch.
Jack A, Mullin C, Brown E, Burtner M, Standish K, Fields A, Rosen-Carole C, Hartman S. Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol #19: Breastfeeding Promotion in the Prenatal Period (Revised 2024). BFM. 2024;19(8):575–587.
Fogarty CT, Schiano R. The Day I Almost Walked Away: Trust, Gratitude, and the Power of Teamwork. Ann Fam Med. 2024 Sep–Oct;22(5):451–452.
Fogarty CT, Strayer SM, Lord RW Jr, Baltierra DA, Jame PA, Hoff T. Making the Future of Family Medicine Brighter by Breaking it First…. Ann Fam Med. 2024 Jul–Aug;22(4):358–360.
Singh C, Palladino K, Karuza J, Ampadu L, Fogarty CT. Opportunities and Challenges of Interprofessional Education: Postgraduate Nurse Practitioner and Physician Residency. JNP. 2024;20(8).
Lau J; Ly C; Wang S. Review of Updated Guidelines on Deep Vein Thrombosis Diagnosis and Management for Family Physicians. Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2024;12(4):21–25,52.
Grewal H, Zhuang C, Iqbal M, Ur Rehman BA, Norton J, Vernon CM, Deol S, Brose SW. Integrative approach for women with fibromyalgia in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center: An observational study. Medicine. 2023;102(50):e36285.
Shifra Mincer, MD, Elizabeth Brown, MD, MPH, and Scott Hartman, MD. “A Cardiovascular and Psychological Stress Test: The Maternity Period and Its Lifelong Impacts.” Family Doctor, Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. 2023;12(1).
Sonoda K, Takeuchi Y. Antibiotics for Acute Bacterial Conjunctivitis. Am Fam Physician. 2023 Jun 1;107(6):Online.
Meyer JKV, Diaspro G, Muñoz I, Burmeister C, García-Huidobro D. A mixed-methods evaluation of the ¡Vamos por Más! parenting program implementation in Chile. JBI Evidence Implementation. 2023;21(1):101–112.
Tianrae Chu, MD and Sarah Hudson, MD. G6PD Deficiency: What Is a Family Physician to Do? Family Doctor. Fall 2022; Vol 11, No 2.
Nicholas Antos, MD with Flores R, Harawa N, Vecchio ND, Issema R, Fujimoto K, Khanna AS, Paola AD, Schneider JA, Hotton AL. Factors associated with HIV testing and treatment among young Black MSM and trans women in three jail systems. AIDS Care. 2022;34:1–8.
Resident Community Engagement
Gabrielle Capone, MD, worked with her peers in outreach during a heatwave: Keeping watch on the unhoused during the extreme heat .
Sarah Minney, MD, talked about raising awareness of preeclampsia: Raising awareness about the dangers of preeclampsia .
Ellerie Chen, MD, discussed emotional health as part of a healthy lifestyle: Take care of your emotional health as part of a healthy lifestyle .
Dominick DeFelice, MD, shared advice on healthy eating during the holidays: Healthy holiday eating .
Hannah Root, MD, explained what parents need to know about RSV: RSV cases in the community .