Internal Medicine Honor Roll: September 2026

Below are those named to this month’s Internal Medicine Honor Roll—an employee recognition program where team members (clinicians, researchers, educators, trainees, staff, etc.) can recognize other team members who are doing great things.

We are pleased to recognize their contributions!

Nominate someone today!

Sergio Conti, Clinical Assistant Professor; David Hamon, Clinical Associate Professor;
Elly Hinders, Drake Jensen, Kim Turner, Nurse Practitioners
Cardiovascular Medicine
Anonymous nomination

Sergio Conti, David Hamon, Elly Hinders, Drake Jensen, and Kim Turner demonstrated outstanding teamwork and a willingness to go above and beyond to ensure our patients received the care they needed. Sergio and David stepped in to help accommodate last-minute cases, including Sergio traveling between multiple locations for procedures and David assisting with a very complex case. Because David was assisting with the procedure and had clinic scheduled, Elly volunteered to take over his clinic patients and see them all. Drake and Kim then stepped in to help Elly with the additional patients so that she would not become overbooked. Everyone was incredibly flexible, supportive, and willing to pitch in wherever needed. Their teamwork allowed us to accommodate our patients and avoid cancellations, demonstrating a true commitment to both our patients and one another.

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Elly Hinders, Nurse Practitioner
Cardiovascular Medicine
Anonymous nomination

Elly Hinders went above and beyond to support her coworkers and ensure patients received timely care. When one of her colleagues was out sick, Elly willingly gave up her vacation day to come in, cover an assignment, and help see clinic patients from the previous day so they could be seen within an appropriate timeframe. Her willingness to sacrifice her personal time and step in when needed demonstrates her exceptional teamwork, dedication, and commitment to both her coworkers and patients.

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Erin Christakos, Physician Associate
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Anonymous nomination

Erin is one of two Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) who manage the MCD GI/Hepatology inpatient service and procedure consents. She consistently cares for a complex inpatient population with professionalism, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to putting patients first. Erin routinely goes above and beyond to ensure continuity of care, often scheduling follow-up clinic appointments during her inpatient service days to meet patient needs, even when doing so increases her own workload. Her dedication, teamwork, and unwavering focus on delivering exceptional patient care make her an invaluable member of the GI/Hepatology team.

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Carlie Sorensen, Clinical Assistant Pofessor
Hospital Medicine
Anonymous nomination

Carlie was so patient and encouraging with a patient who needed further workup for her cardiovascular disease. She was constantly reassuring the patient regarding their options for treatment and why certain tests were important. Without her on the team the patient would not get the best care possible. She is an example for everyone at Iowa on delivering the best care. The Internal Medicine department is so lucky to have her in their growth for excellence!

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Lauren Ringe, Nurse Practitioner
Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Anonymous nomination

Lauren goes above and beyond in her position as supervising APP of the SCTCT program. In addition to caring for acutely ill hospitalized cell therapy patients, she covers in clinic as needed, leads the bone marrow harvests/mentors those learning to do so, performs routine bone marrow biopsies and LPs, in addition to teaching classes and all the administrative tasks that go along with a supervising position. She often comes early and volunteers to cover late in addition to covering weekends. I don’t know how she does it all, but she does it with a smile on her face. We are so incredibly lucky to have her, and she deserves all the recognition! Thank you for everything you do, Lauren!

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Patrick Vosters, Resident
Internal Medicine
Nominated by Pierre Palo

Dr. Vosters has responded to rapid responses on my unit in both the code-pager role and as senior medicine resident, and in both he has been exemplary. Two cases stand out. In June, a febrile hematology-oncology patient decompensated despite already being on antibiotics; Dr. Vosters astutely recognized that MRSA coverage was missing, added it, helped drive the workup, and the patient was appropriately transferred to the MICU. More recently, a patient with a history of atrial flutter went into SVT; he arrived promptly, got the leads on, took the initiative to order labs without being asked, and stayed engaged through two doses of adenosine until the rhythm broke. That patient was stabilized on the floor and never needed the ICU. What impresses me is not just the outcomes but how he works: he is actively thinking through the differential in real time rather than waiting for direction, he takes ownership, and he does it with humility. He is conscientious, helpful, always asking questions and always willing to learn. He is the gold standard for what an internal medicine resident should be, and the Department of Internal Medicine is lucky to have him.

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Sarat Kuppachi, Clinical Professor
Nephrology
Anonymous nomination

I’m nominating Dr. Kuppachi for consistently going above and beyond on acute consults rotations. He treats medical students and residents/fellows with genuine respect, is deeply knowledgeable and current on the literature, and listens carefully to every case presentation. One day, during an especially long consult list, he walked separately to different floors with each student and resident individually so we could all finish early – even though it meant much more back-and-forth for him. It’s the kind of quiet extra effort that makes a real difference, and I wanted to make sure it didn’t go unnoticed.

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JT Kosier, Revenue Cycle Coordinator
Internal Medicine
Nominated by Molly Flynn

JT does a superb job connecting with our new faculty and providing coding education. Recently, he has partnered with the Cardiology Division on coding re-education efforts, and I have heard outstanding feedback from those sessions. JT, thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and for consistently demonstrating a collaborative, team-oriented approach.

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Sara Zimmerman, Division Coordinator
Cardiovascular Medicine
Nominated by Molly Flynn

Sara has expertly coordinated and communicated the recruitment visits for several faculty candidates over the past three weeks. Her attention to detail, focus on the candidate experience, and extensive institutional knowledge make all the difference. Her hard work and talents in this area are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Sara!