The 2020 Whitehead Lecture was presented today by Koyal Jain, MD, MPH, FASN, assistant professor of medicine in the division of nephrology and hypertension.
“Be proud of all that you have achieved,” Jain told students. “You’re here during a time when change is needed, and you have the power to make it happen…at UNC we embrace and celebrate our differences.”
UNC Department of Medicine faculty also received Whitehead Medical Society Awards.
Lindsay Wilson, MD, MPH, received the Foundation Phase Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, recognizing a faculty member from the Foundation Phase curriculum who significantly contributed to the education of Foundation Phase students through their energy, dedication, and extraordinarily excellent teaching.
Wilson is the John W. Foust Medical Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor, and was recently promoted to associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine. In May, she also received the UNC Academy of Educators (AOE) Foundation Phase Teaching Excellence Award for significantly influencing courses in the Foundation Phase, based on teaching contributions and student evaluations from the class of 2022.
Jain received the Foundation Phase Outstanding Director Teaching Award, recognizing a faculty member from the Foundation Phase curriculum who has enhanced the education of second-year medical students, by fostering a collegial environment that supports and encourages excellence. She is program director for the nephrology training program and co-director of undergraduate medical education in the department of medicine.
Christopher Klipstein, MD, professor in the division of general medicine and epidemiology, received the Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Excellence in Teaching Award in the Clinical Sciences. This award was established in 1985 to recognize exceptional teaching in the clinical curriculum. Faculty members were nominated, and the recipient was selected by the Class of 2020.
Katie Gill, MD, a chief resident who is interested in pursuing primary care medicine and academic medicine, and Casey Birschbach, MD, an intern interested in internal medicine and medical education, received Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching Awards.
These awards were created by the Class of 2000 to recognize residents and interns who contribute in an exemplary way to the education of medical students, with their enthusiasm for teaching, including students in patient care decisions, and promoting involvement of students on the medical team.