At the turn of the academic year in a few weeks, 15 faculty in the department will have taken the next step up the promotions ladder, with two of them taking the final step to professor. Though not official till July 1, Chair & DEO Upi Singh, MD, and Vice Chair for Faculty Advancement Christie Thomas, MD, hosted a small afternoon reception for those faculty members whose promotions applications had been approved.

The first event of its kind, guests were encouraged to invite colleagues, friends, and family to the open house. Over the course of a couple hours, guests helped themselves to refreshments and conversation. Thomas and Singh also delivered some brief remarks to congratulate the achievements of those being honored.

“The work is just beginning,” Thomas said. He then went on to encourage those gathered to look around and see who else was present. These people, he said, will be the ones they should connect with as they prepare to move from associate professor to professor. Singh echoed Thomas’s praise and thanked everyone for attending.

Tenure track
Aaron Scherer, PhD
William Thiel, PhD
Ajit Vikram, PhD

Clinical track
Christopher Iverson, MD, MBA, MPH
Samuel Johnston, MD
Quanhathai Kaewpoowat, MD
Amie Ogunsakin, MD
Charles Rappaport, MD
Justin Smock, MD – Professor
Ily Kristine Yumul-Non, MD
Hanna Zembrzuska, MD, MME

Research track
Kimberley Dukes, PhD
Olha Koval, PhD
Amy O’Shea, PhD
Vladimir Schusterman, MD, PhD – Professor