News Housestaff Recognition

February 2024 Kudos and Awards

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Kudos and Awards graphic

Thank you, residents and interns, for all you do for one another and for your patients. Though often under-appreciated, your work does not go unnoticed. 

Help us highlight the kindness, clinical judgement, resourcefulness, and work ethic.
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Nominate a resident/intern for Housestaff of the month or just share something good. 

Faruque

February 2024 Inpatient Intern of the Month
Dr. Samir Faruque

On behalf of the hepatology consult service and Dr. Fleckenstein, I wanted to nominate Dr. Samir Faruque. We’ve been working closely with him for one of our potential liver transplant patients and Samir has truly gone above and beyond to help this patient become a better transplant candidate. Samir personally worked with AA to get a meeting set up for this patient while he’s still in the hospital and has been instrumental in orchestrating his complex multidisciplinary care. Samir has also been a fierce advocate for the patient to get him listed for liver transplant while acknowledging the pt’s barriers to being an ideal candidate. We are truly impressed with this intern’s commitment to patient care!

I am on hepatology consults and am following a patient that Samir is taking care of on Firm. This patient is a very young man with alcohol-associated cirrhosis who needs a transplant and had been drinking alcohol until recently, along with other social issues that may prove to be an obstacle to transplant listing. Samir has gone above and beyond in advocating for his patient, helping to plug him into various resources, and systematically addressing the issues raised in the multi-disciplinary transplant meeting. He even had four members of AA come visit the patient in the hospital to introduce him to the program, and ensure a smoother transition when he is discharged. Samir’s dedication to, and advocacy for, his patient is very impressive, and may end up being the difference that enables this patient to stop drinking and eventually become a transplant candidate. 

Karl Wallenkampf
Wallenkampf

February 2024 Inpatient Resident of the Month
Dr. Karl Wallenkampf

“I am a nurse in the CCU. I had a great experience with Dr. Karl Wallenkampf recently, and I believe he deserves some recognition! I have worked with Dr. Wallenkampf before, and I have always had a great experience, but the night of 2/6 really stood out. My patient started getting sicker and sicker throughout the night, and unfortunately, they coded and passed away at the end of the shift. Despite the outcome, I truly believe everything was done for them and that they received excellent care by the whole team.

Dr. Wallenkampf, along with the other doctors on, were in the room with me most of the night as the patient kept deteriorating. It was clear which direction we were heading, and Dr. Wallenkampf stayed calm and confident. I was impressed by his leadership and communication throughout everything. Minutes before the code started, he was setting us up to run it smoothly by getting everyone in order and giving clear instructions. Earlier in the night, I watched him coach the intern resident through a couple of line placements, and he is also a very effective teacher. He answers all questions thoroughly and redirects in a way that builds confidence rather than hurting it.

I am impressed with his clinical decision making, and how he can lead a room in high intensity situations. However, the qualities that impressed me the most about Dr. Wallenkampf are his respect for coworkers of all disciplines, his compassion for patients, and his empathy for patients’ loved ones. He personally made me feel included in the decisions of care as the bedside RN, and he was wonderful at explaining the reasoning behind our actions to make sure everyone was clear on the plan of care. He made sure to take the time to explain everything to the patient and their family in a realistic, yet compassionate manner. Situations like this can get hectic, but he made sure to take the time for his patient. After the code, he made it a point to genuinely thank everyone for their hard work multiple times. Once we brought family back into the room, Dr. Wallenkampf showed so much compassion and empathy. The family member was so impressed with the care that he asked for Dr. Wallenkampf’s name along with some others to share his appreciation.

It wasn’t the outcome we hope for, but it was still a positive experience for all. Dr. Wallenkampf made sure to honor our patient through everything, and their loved one felt confident we did all that we could. In our field of work, it is reassuring to see providers who care deeply like Dr. Wallenkampf. I would gladly let him take care of my own family!”

Kensinger

February 2024 Outpatient Resident of the Month
Dr. Morgan Kensinger

I am currently rotating with Morgan on the AMBJAR service and her willingness to lend a hand to her co-residents while simultaneously juggling her own workload has been extremely generous and selfless. I had my own continuity clinic one morning and at 9 AM, all 6 of my patients showed up at once. Even though I did not ask for help, Morgan went to see one of my patients for me and allowed my morning to run much smoother and less stressful. She also would show up to ACTs with me even when she was not holding the AMBJAR phone to ensure I would not need any extra assistance in running them. I am so lucky to have her by my side and very much looking forward to working alongside her in the future!

I want to commend this resident on a fantastic month on AMBJAR. Her presentations and plans are always spot on – I rarely if ever have any notes – and her efficiency is excellent! I also heard she ran a very high acuity ACT in the OBGYN clinic late on a Friday afternoon. Kudos to her for her calm demeanor and excellent care in the face of a stressful situation! 

Kudos

Dr. Bhavna Guduguntla
Bhavna was a superstar on her CCU rotation! She diagnosed a new S4 gallop, provided families with informative and thoughtful updates, and made great plans for her patients. Her attention to detail and ability to learn quickly and teach the rest of the team new knowledge is particularly impressive. She is already functioning at very high level in her management of cardiac diseases! It has been such a pleasure working with her this month. She is an excellent physician!
Dr. Delaney Feldeisen
From PCMC staff: “Dr. Feldeisen received recognition from two patients. One patient stated she was able to send her a referral to a practice that has an acupuncturist and the patient has been wanting to see an acupuncturist for some time. The patient was very excited about this and said that Dr. Feldeisen was very kind and took the time to make sure she met all the patient’s needs.”
Dr. Amanda Golden
Amanda Golden
From PCMC staff: “Dr. Golden was recognized by a patient in Ambjar for being very kind. The patient was very tearful after her visit and didn’t get into specifics with me, but expressed gratitude for Dr. Golden.”
Dr. Kathlyn Zhuang
From PCMC staff: “Dr. Zhuang was recognized by a patient. The patient stated everyone is so kind here and said he will continue to come back because he feels our providers saved his life by referring him to specialist who recognized a blockage in his artery that could have killed him without treatment. He said that today specifically Dr. Zhuang was kind and explained everything very well providing him opportunity to ask questions.”
Dr. Ali Hixon
From PCMC Staff: “Dr. Hixon was recognized by a patient for doing a very good job. She said that Dr. Hixon was kind and friendly and took great care of her.”
Dr. Rahul Ramaswamy
Rahul Ramaswamy
Rahul was an outstanding senior on his month at the VA. He modeled great leadership skills as senior resident with an intern and two medical students on his team. He was devoted to his team’s learning and was frequently seen teaching his team high-yield chalk talks. He also was a regular participant at report, demonstrating his excellent medical knowledge and clinical reasoning. As everyone knows, there are often unpredictable logistical hurdles at the VA. Rahul provided insightful feedback to leadership when he encountered systematic barriers. He not only identified problems with hospital processes but brainstormed possible solutions. His feedback has laid the foundation for multiple improvement projects, big and small, at the VA. When these projects come to fruition, the residency will have Rahul to thank!
Dr. Andrew Alter
​​​​​​​Andrew Alter
Andrew was one of the best residents that I have worked with. He is extremely efficient, anticipates care and discharge barriers long before they occur, and is a true team player. There were numerous instances where he helped the interns lessen their workload on busy firm days. His bedside manner is incredible, and he often went out of his way to advocate for patients. Some examples included calling the VA multiple times himself in order to get a patient to JB, calling a patient’s PCP to get them re-established, scheduling multiple outpatient subspecialty clinic appointments for patients with low healthcare literacy, and coordinating numerous family meetings to ensure that a patient’s healthcare wishes were being met. He has a genuine curiosity to learn which was clear in his care plans. He will make a great hospitalist next year and his patients will be lucky to have him!
Dr. Harrison McMinn
Harrison McMinn
Harrison supported me as an intern during my med firm rotation. He is always volunteering to stay late to help and to navigate difficult conversations with patients. He is a master at goals of care discussions. He is good at boosting healthcare team morale.
Dr. Nick Bacon
Nick tirelessly cared for his patients, staying late having uncomfortable conversations, encouraging patients, assuaging family concerns, and supporting his team members. He kept his crew together and ensured optimal patient care!

Dr. Morgan Kensinger (left) and

Dr. Daniel Young

On behalf of the Clerkship team: Congratulations to Morgan Kensinger and Daniel Young for receiving the LeJIT Teaching Award for Medicine Clerkship Block One (January and February). Morgan and Jesse provided excellent feedback to their clerkship students through JITs. They also provided a positive learning environment for the students.

Congratulations to all our amazing residents, and thank you for the work that you do! 

View Past Winners and Kudos