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!
Kris Greiner, Academic/Scientific Writer/Editor
Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Kris has supported me numerous times with grant applications, often stepping in on short notice and even working through weekends to ensure we meet application deadlines. Her dedication, reliability, and skills have made a real difference, and I deeply appreciate her invaluable contributions to our department.
Elizabeth Bowen, Clinical Assistant Professor; and the Inpatient APP Diabetes Team
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Nominated by Ermei Yao
I recently joined the Endocrinology Division’s Inpatient APP Diabetes Team and have been fortunate to receive exceptional training and mentorship from my peer mentors—Amber, Claire, and Guiling (in alphabetical order). My team lead, Bianca Carlson, division clinic director Dr. Ogunsakin, and division director Dr. Dokun have each taken time from their busy schedules to teach and support my onboarding. I’m especially thankful to Dr. Elizabeth Bowen for her remarkable dedication. Despite her full clinic and teaching schedule, she has consistently stepped in to provide valuable teaching and support on busy Fridays when my team mentors were unavailable. It is through the collective teaching, mentorship, and encouragement of this outstanding team and individuals that I have been able to gain confidence in my role within a short period of time. I am deeply grateful for their guidance and proud to be part of such a committed and inspiring team and division.
Kris Greiner, Academic/Scientific Writer/Editor
Internal Medicine
Nominated by Brian Gehlbach
We are very fortunate to have Kris in our department. As a researcher, she makes my job easier!! And she’s an incredible asset to our residency program. Kris helps our residents achieve their scholarship and career goals by teaching them how to write abstracts and papers, by editing their abstracts and manuscripts, and by helping them craft their CVs. We are exceptionally fortunate to have someone with her skills, experience, and can-do attitude in the department.
Luke Morrey, Fellow
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Anonymous nomination
During a particularly busy and stressful day with near-capacity census, Luke very kindly and graciously accepted an outside transfer to his unit that had been triaged to a different unit. This significantly positively impacted the downstream workload of the ATC, Charge Nurses, etc. Luke should be commended for his professionalism, calm and helpful manner, and teamwork. Wish we had more docs like Luke!!!
Whitney Schley, Admin Services Coordinator
General Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Whitney has done a wonderful job stepping in to help whenever needed! She always goes above and beyond with her work. Hospital Medicine would also like to thank Whitney for assisting as we continue to become an established division.
Hailey Briseno, Resident
Internal Medicine/Psychiatry
Anonymous nomination
I had to declare my first patient deceased on 6RC. I had no idea what to do, and my senior was at a rapid response. Hailey, who was the senior on another team, graciously offered to come down to the patient’s room with me. She walked me through the whole process and spoke to the family with me. I appreciated it so much!
Munish Ashat, Clinical Assistant Professor
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Nominated by Ngozi Nwude
He is an amazing team player. Always ready to help.
Usamah ElBakkush, Resident
Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Usamah did an amazing job on nights at the VA including catching a large pulmonary embolus in a patient with sinus tachycardia and identification of a fistula in an ICU patient. Great work!
Claire Schluensen, Nurse Practitioner
Endocrinology and Metabolism
Nominated by Bianca Carlson
Claire showed great teamwork and selflessness by offering to work on the date of our division conference she was planning to attend. She offered to work so her newer teammate could attend and gain valuable insight/knowledge to enhance her skills on the job. Claire’s dedication to the team do not go unnoticed.
Danielle Allen, Division Administrator
Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Nominated by Molly Flynn
Danielle shared a best-practice resource that she successfully implemented in her operations to support outpatient coding education. Her idea, strategy, and the accompanying tool served as an excellent communication aid for a fellow division. I truly appreciate her willingness to collaborate and share insights that help all of us succeed.
Tyler Maggio, Chief Resident
Internal Medicine
Nominated by Loreen Herwaldt
Tyler has been a great member of the CPC planning group. He thoroughly reviews possible cases and thoroughly explains why he thinks a case would or would not a good case for a CPC. He has demonstrated great attention to detail, a deep fund of knowledge, and a good understanding of the audience’s educational needs.
Ben Appenheimer, Clinical Associate Professor
Infectious Diseases
Nominated by Judy Streit
Dr. Appenheimer orchestrated in a very timely way the provision of consultative care at MCD by the ID Division.
Sam Feddersen. Nurse Practitioner
Hospital Medicine
Nominated by Maria Witt
Sam went above and beyond for a patient with special needs and their family to get biopsies and subsequent cancer diagnosis in a timely way. When I took over their care they were so grateful to have had Sam help them navigate the issue and were appreciative of her compassionate care.
Jack Oller, Human Resources Coordinator
Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Jack has strong commitment to the department, and is apparent in how he goes above and beyond to help where he is needed.
Usamah ElBakkush, Resident
Internal Medicine
Anonymous nomination
Dr. ElBakkush had some extraordinary good catches and clinical decision-making while he was on his overnights at the VA recently! He inspires us all to form our own clinical decisions based on patient presentations and reminds us to avoid anchoring bias when accepting patients who already have a presumptive diagnosis.
Deanna Gansemer, Administrative Services Coordinator
Cardiovascular Medicine
Nominated by Santosh Kumar
Dee is exceptionally knowledgeable, calm, and patient. She consistently helps get things done efficiently and is always willing to assist.
Loretta Bassler, Director, Research Administration & Financial Operations
Internal Medicine
Nominated by Santosh Kumar
Lori has been tremendously helpful with grant applications and project management. She knows exactly when to step in, allowing you to stay focused on the science. Her deep knowledge and steady approach ensure that even when progress seems slow, everything is completed thoroughly and on time.
Dominica Rehbein, Division Administrator
Hospital Medicine
Nominated by Jeydith Gutierrez
Dominica just joined Hospital Medicine as our new division administrator a couple weeks ago. I’d like to recognize her for the remarkable impact she has had in such a short period. She has already demonstrated exceptional knowledge, outstanding organizational ability, and impressive interpersonal skills. With the support of Jamie Paul (DA for GIM and former Interim HM DA) and Grant Worthington, she prepared us for a budget meeting on short notice–something that could easily have felt overwhelming. Instead, she approached it with calm focus, clear communication, and a level of competence that was admirable. We are incredibly fortunate to have her on our team.