Below are those named to this month’s Internal Medicine Honor Roll—an employee recognition program where team members (providers, staff, etc.) can recognize other team members who are doing great things.
We are pleased to recognize their contributions!
Rachel Lee, Resident
Internal Medicine
Nominated by Anya Edwards
Rachel was an incredible senior and I felt so lucky to have her for my first 6RC rotation. She was SO patient and kind, and never made me feel like my questions were silly. I truly feel like she is the reason I was able to thrive on 6RC and I want her to get the recognition she deserves for being so attentive and kind to her new interns. She even went out of her way to order us all lunch on the weekend long call day. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to work and learn from Rachel on my first inpatient rotation of intern year. She really set the standard and role modeled how to be a great senior resident.
Elena Sagues Sese, Resident (Prelim)
Internal Medicine (Neurology)
Nominated by Milena Gebska
Dr. Sese, PGY-1 (Neurology) has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to providing the highest quality care for ALL of her patients and their families. Despite the heavy demands on the busy Cardiology Teaching Service (4RC), she went above and beyond by effectively obtaining archived records from another hospital to ensure the Cardiothoracic team had the crucial details regarding prosthetic valve (2006). Her bedside manners and thorough history taking are unmatched. Through her thoughtful questions and commitment, Elena discovered that another patient was apprehensive to receive blood transfusion from COVID-19 vaccinated donors prior to upcoming open heart surgery. Dr. Sese is not only an outstanding physician, but also an inspiring role model for me and many others.
John Rieth, Clinical Assistant Professor
Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Anonymous nomination
He is always available when needed, whether for patient care, teaching, or mentorship. He approaches every task with passion and diligence, and consistently shares valuable insights during oncology teaching sessions. His vibrancy is an invaluable asset to our Department.
Jana Ringle, Academic Clinical Program Management Associate
Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Nominated by Liz Jackson
Her leadership through the commencement of the new fellowship year has been exemplary, maintaining a steady course and ensuring continuity and progress under challenging circumstances. Her unwavering commitment and professionalism have been deeply appreciated.
Juno Sung, Resident
Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Juno helped cover the CVICU for a co-resident who had a time-sensitive appointment. Juno is selfless and has demonstrated time and time again that he is a great team player! We are lucky to have him in our program.
Jamie Paul, Interim Division Administrator
Hospital Medicine
Nominated by Jeydith Gutierrez
Jamie has done an incredible job helping as interim division administration for Hospital Medicine. Despite being really busy covering 2 roles, Jamie has prioritized helping us build the team, address urgent issues and has been always available for questions or concerns. She has been an incredible help and support as we transition to our independent division.
Jake Breitbach, Physician Assistant
Medical Intensive Care Unit
Nominated by Rolando Sanchez
Jake is without a doubt one of the best advanced providers I have ever worked in my 11 years of faculty at UI Health Care. His medical knowledge base and understanding of the pathophysiology of complex patients in the ICU is really impressive and admirable. The qualities that I admired the most in him are his passion for learning medicine, his always-calm demeanor under the most stressful conditions, and his humbleness. We are really lucky to have him as part of the MICU team at UI Health Care.
Doug Somers, Associate Professor Emeritus
Nephrology and Hypertension
Anonymous nomination
Nephrology deeply misses Dr. Somers in his retirement. We wish him all the best and continued success in this next chapter.
Trisha Elliott, Clinical Trials Research Associate
Cardiovascular Medicine
Nominated by Melissa Yoder
Trisha is an amazing mentor and co-worker. She is always offering a helping hand, continues to teach me the roles of a research coordinator, and has a positive attitude with her coworkers and her patients. She deserves to be recognized for her commitment to research and helping our team thrive!
Kim Nichols, Administrative Services Coordinator
Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Anonymous nomination
She keeps the ship sailing each day, jumping in where needed, and managing everyone’s schedules with a smile!
Maluki Brake, Resident
Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Tirelessly helpful and considerate. An evergreen teammate and friend. An excellent role model and future chief.
Kimberly Delcour, Clinical Associate Professor
Cardiovascular Medicine
Nominated by Usamah ElBakkush
She went above and beyond for the care of her patients and team, staying very late until well past 1:00 am to take care of a critically ill patient. She advocated for this patient in an extremely difficult situation, and I saw this as something commendable.
Sara Zimmerman, Division Coordinator
Cardiovasclar Medicine
Nominated by Melissa Yoder
Sara has been a great resource for me, whether it be helping obtain access to supplies, addressing questions I may have or getting paperwork completed. She is always willing to help. Thank you.
Rhonda Dunn, Nurse Practitioner
Immunology
Nominated by Brittany Bettendorf
Rhonda goes above and beyond when answering patient’s questions on My Chart. She recently provided a very thoughtful reply to a patient about tapering biologics in a person with stable disease, providing a very nice evidence-based explanation to help the patient make a decision. She has also stepped up during a very busy time in our division to help meet patient needs.