About the Awards
The annual Faculty Awards for Excellence in Patient Care honor outstanding contributions by Baylor faculty members to the College’s clinical mission. Three categories of awards are available to recognize excellence from up-and-coming (Early Career), mid-career (Star) and senior (Master Clinician) faculty members.
Faculty members involved in the direct care of patients, and in clinical areas such as clinical or translational research, patient safety and quality, clinical diagnostics and healthcare leadership are eligible for nomination. Nominations are reviewed by a Selection Committee chaired by Senior Dean of Faculty Biykem Bozkurt, professor of medicine and medical care line executive at the DeBakey VA Medical Center.
Deadlines
Deadlines for applications are:
- Early Career - Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 at 8 a.m.
- Star Award - Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 at 8 a.m.
- Master Clinician - Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 at 8 a.m.
Awards will be presented at Baylor’s Annual Awards Day in May 2026.
Award Categories
Early Career Faculty Award for Excellence in Patient Care
- For full-time instructors or assistant professors with two to six years of clinical service at Baylor
- Candidates may self-nominate but must be approved and submitted to the selection committee
- Deadline: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 by 8 a.m.
Star Faculty Award for Excellence in Patient Care
- For full-time instructors to professors with at least 6 years of clinical service at Baylor
- Candidates may self-nominate but must be approved and submitted to the selection committee
- Deadline: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 by 8 a.m.
Master Clinician Faculty Award for Excellence in Patient Care
- For active associate professors with more than 20 years of clinical service, or professors who have more than 15 years of clinical service at Baylor
- Candidates must be nominated by their section chief, chair, medical director, or center director
- Deadline: Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 by 8 a.m.
Please Note
Years before completion of a fellowship or other advanced training should not be counted as part of the total number of years as a faculty member, even when the individual had a co-appointment as a fellow and an instructor or assistant professor during that time period.
If prior clinical faculty experience outside Baylor combined with faculty experience at Baylor (total faculty time at all institutions) equals or exceeds six or more years on the date of the portfolio due date, the faculty should be nominated for the STAR award, not the Early Career Faculty Award.
Past Awardees
Past awardees for the Patient Care Awards in the past three years.
| Name | Title | Award Type |
| Charu Agrawal | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Andres Bacigalupo Landa | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Early Career |
| Anthony Balzer | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Early Career |
| Anna Banc-Husu | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Keisha Barton | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Eric Bih | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Early Career |
| Jolie Britt | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| George Cholankeril | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Nichole R. Davis | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Selorm Die-Tutu | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Katy Deljoui | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Lindsey Eilers | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Meha Goyal Fox | Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology | Early Career |
| Anil P. George | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Kuang-chun Jim Hsieh | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Early Career |
| Emanuel Narcis Husu | Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Early Career |
| Salmaan Azam Jawaid | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Scott Leikin | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Early Career |
| Lu Lin | Assistant Professor of Neurology | Early Career |
| Tran Locke | Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology | Early Career |
| Robert Lynch | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Early Career |
| Samuel G. McClugage | Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery | Early Career |
| Jennifer R. McKinney | Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology | Early Career |
| Brinkley Kwyn Moore | Assistant Professor of TCH Plastic Surgery | Early Career |
| Anvinh Nguyen | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Early Career |
| MaiLan Thanh Nguyen | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Olubunmi Oladunjoye | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Amanda Padilla | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Meera Patel | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Tam Dan Pham | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Thomas Powell | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Early Career |
| Craig Pymento | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Uma S. Ramaswamy | Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology | Early Career |
| Xinqi Ren | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Early Career |
| Ryan Henry Rochat | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Justin M. Seagraves | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Nidhi Singh | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Henri Traboulsi | Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology | Early Career |
| Heather West | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Katherine J. Williams | Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology | Early Career |
| Khannan Athreya | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Star |
| Megan Atkinson | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Diana Tej Atwal | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Star |
| Priya Bhat | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Christy Chai | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star |
| Arvind Chandrakantan | Associate Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Reena V. Chokshi | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star |
| Kevin Chu | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Dana Lynn Clark | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Star |
| Holly Clayton | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Star |
| Danielle Comeaux | Instructor of Physician Assistant Program | Star |
| Snehal Subodh Desai | Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology | Star |
| Ankhi Dutta | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Oluwatosin Fatusin | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Avegail G. Flores | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Star |
| Ricardo J. Flores | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Ruben Hernaez | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star |
| Grace Huang | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Shilpa Jain | Associate Professor of Pathology & Immunology | Star |
| Bharat Joshi | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Star |
| Basil Kaaki | Assistant Professor of Urology | Star |
| Souhail M. Karram | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Tamra Kelly | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Julie Klinger | Instructor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Jamie Lai | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Michele M. Loor | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star |
| Renata Souza Maricevich | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star |
| Scott D. McKay | Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery | Star |
| Nidhi Mehrotra | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Star |
| Parth Mehta | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Ahmed A. Nassr | Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology | Star |
| Roger Nicome | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Valerie Parrish | Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery | Star |
| Pamela C. Petersen | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Miguel A. Prada Rico | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Kiranmye Reddy | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Amee Revana | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Lizabeth Riley | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Star |
| Brandi Runnels | Instructor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Maria Kristine Reyes | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Brent Schakett | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Shazia Sheikh | Assistant Professor of medicine | Star |
| Shreya Sheth | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Karin Taslimi | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Ursula Tawbi | Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Star |
| Daniel Tolpin | Associate Professor of Anesthesiology | Star |
| Manpreet K. Virk | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star |
| Pedro Diaz-Marchan | Associate Professor of Radiology | Master Clinician |
| Yadollah Harati | Professor of Neurology | Master Clinician |
| Catherine "Mary" Healy | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Master Clinician |
| Jose Alberto Hernandez | Associate Professor of Radiology | Master Clinician |
| Joseph Kass | Associate Professor of Neurology | Master Clinician |
| Alicia Kowalchuk | Associate Professor of Family & Community Medicine | Master Clinician |
| George Mandy | Professor of Pediatrics | Master Clinician |
| Ida Orengo | Professor of Dermatology | Master Clinician |
| Aliya Sarwar | Professor of Neurology | Master Clinician |
| Name | Title | Award Type |
| Masih U. Ahmed, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology | Early Career |
| Muhammad Ajmal, MBBS | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Tannaz Armaghany, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Niveditha Balakumar, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Kelly Banneyer, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Dalia Bashir, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Albert Chen, M.D., Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology | Early Career |
| Clay Cohen, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Rachel Davis, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Sunjay Devarajan, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Tam Doan, M.D., M.S. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Erin Doherty, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Mohammed Ghasemi rad, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Early Career |
| Gabrielle Gonzalez, M.S.N. | Instructor of Orthopedic Surgery | Early Career |
| Erin Greenleaf, M.D., M.S. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Alexander Hanania, M.D., M.P.H. | Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology | Early Career |
| Michael Holliday, M.D., Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Stephanie Ibekwe, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Early Career |
| Peace Imani, MB.ChB, MMED, M.P.H. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Grace Kim, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| S. Julie-Ann Lloyd, M.D., Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Marina Ma, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Early Career |
| Michelle Medchill, M.S.N. | Instructor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Wallis Molchen, D.O. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Raysa Demori, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Zachary Pallister, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Maria Pereira, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Veena Ramgopal, D.O. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Yesenia Rojas-Khalil, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Abigail Roszak, APRN, M.S.N., M.P.H. | Instructor of Orthopedic Surgery | Early Career |
| Katherine Salciccioli, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Rehman Sheikh, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Sunthosh Sivam, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology | Early Career |
| Krystal Sully, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Sravanti Teegavarapu, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Early Career |
| Sruthi Thomas, M.D., Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Early Career |
| Kevin Tzan, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Early Career |
| Daniela Vidaurri, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Julie Voeller, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| J. Chris Wilkinson, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Early Career |
| Feibi Zheng, M.D., M.B.A. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
| Sandeep Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
| Dr. Diana Blicharski, MBBS | Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine | Star Award |
| B. Joy Blumenreich, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine | Star Award |
| Alex Chau, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Star Award |
| Rohini Coorg, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Catherine Eppes, M.D. | Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology | Star Award |
| Ruchi Gaba, M.D. | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
| Shawn Groth, M.D., M.S. | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star Award |
| Clark Hair, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
| Kelly Hicks, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Kirk Jackson, Jr., M.D. | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | Star Award |
| Pavan Jhaveri, M.D., M.B.A. | Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology | Star Award |
| Stella Kalu-Egwim, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Lina Karam, M.D. | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Swati Karmarkar, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Pamela Ketwaroo, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Radiology | Star Award |
| Indranil Kushare, M.D. | Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery | Star Award |
| Louis Le, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Star Award |
| Amy Lee, M.D. | Associate Professor of Anesthesiology | Star Award |
| Eric Lee, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine | Star Award |
| Bonnie McCann-Crosby, M.D. | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Michael McClam, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral | Star Award |
| Alexandra Mendoza, M.S., PA-C | Instructor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Shaine Morris, M.D., M.P.H. | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Shoba Navai, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Aikaterini Nella, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Cynthia Nelson, PA-C, M.S., M.P.H. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Trinh Thi-Thu Nguyen, D.O. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Regina Okhuysen-Cawley, M.D. | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Elizabeth Onugha, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Monika Patil, M.D. | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Jose Jesus Perez III, M.D. | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
| Karlyn Powell, M.D. | Associate Professor of Anesthesiology | Star Award |
| Andrea Anne Ramirez, M.D., M.Ed. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Robert Taylor Ripley, M.D. | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star Award |
| Kirti Saxena, M.D. | Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | Star Award |
| Alexis Shafii, M.D. | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star Award |
| Guilherme Silva, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
| Tiffany Stafford, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Mary Elizabeth Williamson, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology | Star Award |
| Chad Wilson, M.D., M.P.H. | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star Award |
| Jingyin Yan, M.D., Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
| Naga Jaya Yenduri, M.D. | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Cagri Yildirim Toruner, M.D. | Associate Professor of Pediatrics | Star Award |
| Samir Awad, M.D., M.P.H. | Professor of Surgery | Master Clinician Award |
| Debra Palazzi, M.D., M.Ed. | Professor of Pediatrics | Master Clinician Award |
| Rise Stribling, M.D. | Associate Professor of Medicine | Master Clinician Award |
| Name | Title | Award Type |
Shahid Ali | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Sehrish Ali | Assistant Professor - Associate Program Director | Early Career |
Jamie Andre | Instructor | Early Career |
Andres Arturo Avellaneda Ojeda | Medical Resident | Early Career |
Ahmed Arslan Yousuf Awan | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Kelli Diane Barbour | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Ziyad Binsalamah | Assistant Professor in Surgery | Early Career |
Sita Bushan | Early Career | |
Anthony B. Costales | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Robert Dempsey | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
Amy Li Richter | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Yuriko Fukuta | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Vincent Edward Horne | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Taylor S. Howard | Clin Postdoc Fellow | Early Career |
Lauren Jacobs | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Rachel Kentor | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Pascale Khairallah | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Jeffrey Steven Khan | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Melanie Gwendolyn Kitagawa | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Prathit Arun Kulkarni | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Gloria Wai-Chung Li | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Nabil Mansour | Assistant Professor, Director-McNair General GI Clinic | Early Career |
Cassius K B Mensah | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Elizabeth Andrea Moulton | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Priscila Nakano | Instructor | Early Career |
Kalindi Yajnik Narine | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Andrea Ontaneda Perez | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Vicente Orozco-Sevilla | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
Amanda Palo | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Kristy Lynn Rialon | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
Brittany S. Richardson | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Eric Russell | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Arindam Sarkar | Clerkship Director, Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Alexander Schutz | Assistant Professor of Surgery | Early Career |
Laura Elizabeth Sealy | Instructor/Np | Early Career |
Charu Jajoo Sehgal | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Ajay Shah | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Joseph Arie Spinner | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
David Steffin | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Bryan Michael Tucker | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Serife Uysal | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Natalie Villafranco | Assistant Professor | Early Career |
Sarah Elizabeth Gregory | Instructor/Pa | Early Career |
Neeraj Agrawal | Assistant Professor - Hospitalist | Star Award |
Dheeraj Ahuja | Senior Faculty | Star Award |
Aymer Al-Mutairi | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Terry S. Armstrong | Instructor/NP | Star Award |
Athis Arunachalam | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali | Associate Professor | Star Award |
David Frederick Bauer | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Dorothy Y. Harris | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Mir Reza Bekheirnia | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Jennifer Jee Bell | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Sanjana J. Bhattarai | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Ursula K. Braun | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Eugene Choi | Associate Professor of Surgery | Star Award |
Jose Luis Diaz-Gomez | Senior Faculty | Star Award |
Shannon McManama Dicarlo | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Edward James Espineli | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Lindsey Jordan Gay | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Sharada Hiranya Gowda | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Ali Hassanpour | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Allison Heinen | Medical Director/Assistant Professor - Hospitalist | Star Award |
Madhulika Kulkarni | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Indumathi Kuncharapu | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Lauren My Lobaugh | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Michelle S Ludwig | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Rossana Malatesta Muncher | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Ramya Masand | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Stephen R McCauley | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Kristine McCluskey | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Ayse Leyla Mindikoglu | Associate Professor of Medicine | Star Award |
Kenneth L. Muldrew | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Preethi Vijay Nambi | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Alvaro Orjuela | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Noreen Faisal Pirzada | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Ashraf Resheidat | Clin Postdoc Fellow | Star Award |
Sai Kaumudi Saridey | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Gary Edward Stapleton | Senior Faculty | Star Award |
Jennifer Nguyen Tran | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Yen Xuan Tran | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Mili Vakharia | Clinical Instructor | Star Award |
Veronica Adelle Victorian | Clinical Instructor | Star Award |
Amna Waqar | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Edward Wright | Associate Professor | Star Award |
Joanna Stephanie Yi | Assistant Professor | Star Award |
Joseph Nathaniel Chorley | Associate Professor | Master Clinician |
Himabindu Kadiyala | Associate Professor | Master Clinician |
Yasmeen Quadri | Associate Professor | Master Clinician |