Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education 2022 Winners
The following family medicine residents were selected for their exemplary patient care, their interpersonal relationships with patients, physicians and faculty, and their demonstrated leadership and community involvement. These 12 men and women are truly health care leaders.
Justin Chin, DO MEd
RESIDENCY
Lifelong Medical Care, Richmond, CA
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY
Dr. Chin counts transforming a quality improvement (QI) project in the first year of medical school as one of his top professional accomplishments. He looked at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on diabetic health care maintenance in a full-fledged specialty clinic where patients get retinopathy and foot screenings along with vaccines and referrals to care. Professionally, his areas of interest include addressing health disparities for Asian and Pacific Islander populations, preventive health care and interventions, and modernizing graduate medical education. Following residency, he plans to become a faculty member and preceptor, working in the community and helping to nurture the next generation of family medicine residents. In his free time, he enjoys traveling to new places, exploring new cuisines, mentoring medical students, community service, and playing board games.
Isaiah Cochran, MD, AAHIVS
RESIDENCY
Halifax Family Medicine Residency Program, Daytona Beach, FL
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH
Dr. Cochran counts serving as the national president of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) between medical school and residency as his top professional accomplishment. In this role, he was able to pay it forward to so many medical trainees and engage with many people, including legislators in the Washington, DC, area who are doing great work around the issues of health care for all, affordable medications, and gun violence reform. Professionally, his areas of interest include teaching learners medicine, being a physician advocate, caring for the LGBTQIA+ community, providing HIV treatment, and desiring to run for elected office one day. Following residency, Cochran will serve as medical director at AdventHealth’s underserved clinic, teaching family medicine and internal medicine residents and working on expanding the clinic to other areas of Orlando. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, attending live music concerts, tennis, and advocacy engagement for fun.
Allyson DiMagno, MD
RESIDENCY
Memorial Family Medicine, South Bend, IN
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI
Dr. DiMagno counts being elected vice-chief by her co-residents as her top professional accomplishment. Professionally, her areas of interest include medication-assisted therapy, improving health care access and the overall health of underserved populations, and sports medicine. Following residency, DiMagno plans to complete two fellowships, one in sports medicine and her fourth-year coursework for a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree with a health services management concentration. In the future, she hopes to provide inpatient and outpatient care, sports medicine coverage, and eventually, a faculty position in a family medicine residency program. In her free time, she enjoys playing and watching sports (especially basketball and soccer), completing 1,000-piece puzzles, and game nights with friends and family.
Erin Fredrickson, DO, MPH
RESIDENCY
University of Washington, Harborview Family Medicine Track, Seattle, WA
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lillington, NC
Dr. Fredrickson counts growing into the role of coach for the Primary Care Leadership Collaborative as one of her top professional accomplishments. She was honored to be considered to help grow the future of family medicine by equipping student leaders with a lens for social change. She was humbled by the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) she has worked with as they strive to improve health equity and diversity in the family medicine pipeline. Professionally, her areas of interest include providing comprehensive reproductive health care, including surgical obstetrics; advocating and collaborating to address health disparities for communities systemically marginalized by racism, poverty, policy, and power; and working to make the family medicine workforce reflect the populations we serve. Following residency, Fredrickson hopes to practice full-spectrum family medicine, including surgical obstetrics and comprehensive reproductive health care. She envisions joining a family medicine residency program as faculty to teach residents and students, lead curriculum and advocacy efforts, and improve population health through direct patient care and community collaboration. In her free time, she enjoys playing in the mountains with her partner, Connor, and dog, Charlie; visiting her three younger siblings in California; photosynthesizing during the first sunny days of the Seattle spring; and dreaming about qualifying for the Olympic marathon.
Avanthi Jayaweera, MD
RESIDENCY
University of North Carolina Family Medicine Residency Program, Chapel Hill, NC
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA
Dr. Jayaweera counts developing a student-led and leadership curriculum to prepare students to challenge systemic barriers to health; developing a needs assessment to understand students’ perceptions and knowledge of community health advocacy; and developing a research study to assess course participants’ knowledge of community health issues related to the social determinants of health (SDoH), advocacy skills, and confidence of using such skills as her top professional accomplishments. Professionally, her areas of interest include advocacy training in medical education, caring for marginalized communities, and comprehensive reproductive health care. Following residency, Jayaweera plans to explore fellowship training in outpatient procedures, including comprehensive reproductive care. She will also continue working at her federally qualified health center (FQHC) in rural North Carolina and plans to collaborate with community leaders to develop a community advisory board for her residency program, specifically their FQHC track. Her long-term goals are to be more involved in medical student education and continue organizing her community around health equity and justice issues. In her free time, she enjoys salsa and bachata dancing, preparing crowd-pleasing appetizers and desserts, storytelling as an advocacy tool, and interior design.
James Muller, DO
RESIDENCY
Novant Health Family Medicine Residency Program, Cornelius, NC
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lillington, NC
Dr. Muller counts starting hormone replacement therapy for one of his patients and writing his first letter of recommendation for a patient to be considered for the surgery as one of his top professional accomplishments. Professionally, his interests include gender-affirming care, sexual health, and HIV management in the family medicine setting. Following residency, Muller would like to remain in Charlotte, NC, and pursue outpatient family medicine with a focus on LGBTQIA+ medicine, gender-affirming care, HIV care, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), chronic disease management, and osteopathic manipulative therapy. In his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, swimming, indoor cycling, volunteering, shopping, spending time with family and friends, going to the beach, and taking long walks with his dog, Mandy.
Colbert Nelson, DO, MPH
RESIDENCY
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
MEDICAL SCHOOL
William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hattiesburg, MS
Dr. Nelson counts receiving the AAFP Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education, being elected chief resident, being appointed to the AAFP Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in Family Medicine, and completing the Housestaff Emerging Academy of Leaders (HEAL) as his top professional accomplishments. Professionally, his areas of interest include sports medicine; advocacy and involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education and medical education; and addressing racial health disparities and disparities in the care of underrepresented and underserved communities. He is also interested in engaging in free clinic care and better understanding medication-assisted therapy (MAT), LGBTQ+ care, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medications. Following residency, Nelson plans to complete a primary care sports medicine fellowship and pursue a career in academic medicine, becoming involved in education curriculum and teaching medical students, residents, and sports medicine fellows. In his free time, he enjoys fitness, cooking, spending time with family and friends, and reading.
Samuel Nwaobi, MD, MPH
RESIDENCY
Piedmont Columbus Regional-Midtown Family Medicine Residency Program, Columbus, GA
MEDICAL SCHOOL
University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, Nigeria
Dr. Nwaobi counts receiving the AAFP Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education, being a resident member of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors, and serving as the resident delegate at the 2021 and 2022 AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students as his top professional accomplishments. Professionally, his areas of interest include substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, health care leadership, eliminating health disparities and inequities, and medical education. Following residency, Nwaobi plans to complete an addiction medicine fellowship, provide broad-spectrum care to underserved populations, and continue advocating for more accessible and equitable health care. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, learning random facts, Jeopardy, policy discussions, and watching basketball, soccer, and football.
Aishwarya (Sunny) Sharma, DO
RESIDENCY
MetroHealth Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University Family Medicine, Cleveland, OH
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Warrensville Heights, OH
Dr. Sharma counts receiving the Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health (TOUCH) Platinum Award for having the largest number of volunteer hours at her university (more than 300 hours in community service) as one of her top professional accomplishments. She is also honored to be a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholar, highlighting her commitment to underserved populations. Professionally, her interests include providing inclusive care, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and Promoting Recognition of Identity, Dignity, and Equality (PRIDE) care for patients to better develop a strong clinical skill set to care for the diverse array of patients seen in family medicine. Following residency, Sharma is looking forward to repaying her commitment to the NHSC Student to Service Program by working in an underserved region and caring for vulnerable populations. Her personal interests include spending time with her family, especially her one-year-old son. She also enjoys volunteering and feels that investing in her community is one way to show her patients that their success reflects her success.
Ian Thomas, MD, RSCC, CSCS
RESIDENCY
McLaren St. Luke’s Family Medicine Residency, Perrysburg, OH
MEDICAL SCHOOL
University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH
Dr. Thomas counts receiving the AAFP Foundation Family Medicine Leads (FML) Emerging Leader Award, receiving the AAFP Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education, co-authoring the chapter on gymnastics in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Sports Medicine Comprehensive Review, writing a $50,000 grant to build a musculoskeletal ultrasound curriculum at his residency program, and leading an ultrasound workshop at the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) through the Emerging Leader Institute as his top professional accomplishments. Professionally, his interests include evidence-based sports medicine with an emphasis on dedicated facilities for gymnastics to build training regimens and provide preventive care models to reduce injury and increase longevity in sports. Following residency, Thomas plans to pursue a sports medicine fellowship. In his free time, he coaches and is the program director of the Sunrise Gymnastics Academy; composes and plays classical guitar, violin, and piano; and travels abroad learning new languages, including conversational Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, and Nepali.
Nikhil Vatti, MD
RESIDENCY
Southern Illinois University (SIU) Family Medicine Residency Program, Decatur, IL
MEDICAL SCHOOL
NRI Medical College and Medical Sciences, Guntur, AP, India
Dr. Vatti counts receiving the AAFP Award of Excellence in Graduate Medical Education, publishing his systemic review article on the long-term effects of COVID-19 with Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and being able to help individuals halfway across the world through Project Madad to educate rural health workers in India about COVID-19 as his top professional accomplishments. Professionally, his interests include working with organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Project Madad and working at free health clinics to provide care for Americans unable to access and afford primary health care. Following residency, Vatti plans to pursue a fellowship in sports medicine and become an academic faculty member. He also plans to continue advocating for patients in his care and legislatively and work with the AAFP to educate the public about preventive health care. In his free time, he enjoys serving disenfranchised populations and studying athletic injuries and chronic conditions, post-COVID-19 complications, and mental illness. He also hopes to one day attend the World Cup and Olympics.
Nicole Woodson-DeFauw, MD
RESIDENCY
University of Iowa Health Center Residency, Iowa City, IA
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Meharry Medical College, Nashville, IA
Dr. Woodson-DeFauw counts receiving the AAFP Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education, receiving the 2022 University of Iowa Hospital Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award, and being selected as an American Psychiatric Association (APA) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) minority fellow in substance use disorders as her top professional accomplishments. Professionally, her areas of interest include addiction medicine and maternal mental health, health care disparities and social determinants of health (SDoH), and mentoring underrepresented medical students. Following residency, she plans to complete her addiction medicine fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, practice family medicine, psychiatry, and addiction medicine in an outpatient setting, and continue mentoring students at all medical education levels. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and two dogs; playing sand volleyball with family medicine colleagues, performing violin cover songs and creating music on Instagram, and role-playing Dungeons and Dragons games.