Teaching & Trainee Excellence Awards

Dwight C. McGoon Teaching Award

Awarded by the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association

2020 Awardee

Natalie Lui, MD

Assistant Professor

The Dr. Dwight C. McGoon Award is an award given annually by the TSRA to an outstanding young faculty member in cardiothoracic surgery in recognition of his or her commitment to resident education and mentorship. Each year, cardiothoracic surgery residents in North America are eligible to nominate a faculty member within the first ten years of their attendingship who has demonstrated a remarkable interest in resident training — inside or outside of the operating room. From the nominated faculty, the winner will be selected and presented with the award at the STS Annual Meeting.

Dr. Natalie Lui is the second woman to receive the award in fourteen years, and Stanford is one of only two institutions to receive this award twice.

2019 Awardee

Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS

Professor

The Dr. Dwight C. McGoon Award is an award given annually by the TSRA to an outstanding young faculty member in cardiothoracic surgery in recognition of his or her commitment to resident education and mentorship. Each year, cardiothoracic surgery residents in North America are eligible to nominate a faculty member within the first ten years of their attendingship who has demonstrated a remarkable interest in resident training — inside or outside of the operating room. From the nominated faculty, the winner will be selected and presented with the award at the STS Annual Meeting.

Dr. Leah Backhus is the first woman to receive the award in fourteen years, the first African American recipient, and the first recipient from Stanford.

Denise O'Leary Award for Clinical Excellence

Awarded by Stanford Healthcare

John Levin, Board Chair, presented Dr. Mark Berry with the O’Leary Award.

The Denise O'Leary Award is presented each year to an outstanding physician at Stanford Healthcare.  This annual physician award was started in 2009 as a lasting tribute to Denise’s commitment to excellence at Stanford Hospital. This award is considered the highest honor for physicians conducting patient care as it recognizes the values of clinical excellence, integrity, humility, inclusiveness, and collaboration.   The award is given by the Stanford Healthcare Board of Directors.

Dr. Mark Berry, while Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, received the 2017 Denise O’ Leary Award for Clinical Excellence on September 19, 2017. 

Dr. Berry joined Stanford in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery, in August 2014. Since arriving at Stanford Dr. Berry has shown nonstop dedication to exceptional patient care and has served as a terrific mentor to our cardiothoracic residents.  Dr. Berry has made lasting impressions as a mentor with our former and current residents. One resident commented, “Dr. Berry is a wonderful teaching attending and clinician. He speaks to patients with respect and works diligently to communicate well with the residents and the rest of his team. He extends himself beyond his duties to make sure that everything gets done and that all issues are taken care of. He ensures that the residents are included in medical decision making. His contributions to case conference demonstrate his facility with the literature. He was a pleasure to work with and I have marked him as a role model for how I want to be as a future clinician.”  

Read more about Dr. Mark Berry’s award.

Pat O. Daily, M.D. (January 1, 1937 – April 25th, 2008)
Memorial Award for Clinical Excellence in Cardiovascular Surgery

Dr. Pat O. Daily was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, educated at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Chicago, Medical School, and was Dr. Norman Shumway’s Chief Resident in Cardiovascular Surgery in 1968-69. He stayed on the Stanford faculty from 1971 to 1973, when he became Director of Cardiac Surgery at UCSD. He was a gifted technical surgeon with great intellectual curiosity, who made many seminal contributions to the field: he and Norman Shumway performed the first CABG at Stanford (October 1968) and introduced percutaneous internal jugular venous catheterization, central aortic CPB cannulation, the Stanford type A and type B nomenclature system for aortic dissections, AC electrical fibrillation of the heart, the Daily cooling jacket, and successful surgical techniques and instruments for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTEA). He will be remembered as a master, cardiovascular surgeon and teacher, who always had time to stimulate and develop young minds. Pat O. Daily lived life to the fullest, whether it be in the operating room, piloting his various airplanes, scuba diving, training his dogs, ham radio (W5UDF), or popularizing prevention of heart disease through nutrition. His legacy lives on in the careers of those students and residents he made better doctors and surgeons, as well as clearer thinkers.

Award Recipients:

2010  - Anthony D. Caffarelli, MD
2011 – Judi Lachenmyer, RN, MS, CNS
2012 – David Liang, MD, PhD
2014 – R. Scott Mitchell, MD
2015 – Charles C. Hill, MD
2018 – Michael R. Ma, MD

Phillip E. Oyer, MD, PhD, Award for Outstanding Achievement on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery In-Service Training Examination

Named in tribute to Dr. Phillip E. Oyer, MD, PhD—a pioneer and visionary in the realm of Thoracic Surgery—this award is a prestigious recognition of academic excellence within the field of Cardiothoracic Surgery. This award is presented annually to celebrate and honor the exceptional achievements of Junior and Senior Level Trainees, as well as the Overall Trainees, who achieve the highest scores on the In-Service Training Examination in their respective levels. This award serves as a testament to Dr. Oyer's dedication and contributions to the profession.

The award encompasses three distinct categories, each recognizing the academic prowess and dedication of trainees at different stages of their career:

  1. The Junior Level Trainee (Post-Graduate Years 1-3) Award acknowledges the remarkable accomplishments of early-career Cardiothoracic Surgery residents as a testament to their commitment to the demanding path they've embarked on.
  2. The Senior Level Trainee (Post-Graduate Years 4-7) Award pays tribute to the accomplishments of residents in the latter stages of their training and proven dedication and promise in the field.
  3. The Overall Trainee (Post-Graduate Years 1-7) Award recognizes the top-performing resident across all levels, showcasing not only exceptional knowledge but also the ability to maintain excellence throughout the course of their training.
2023
Perry Choi
Terrence Pong
Terrence Pong
2022
Perry Choi
Sumanth Kidambi
AJ Pedroza
2021
AJ Pedroza
Melissa Medina
Sumanth Kidambi
2020
AJ Pedroza
Sumanth Kidambi
Peter Chiu
2019
AJ Pedroza
Peter Chiu
Sumanth Kidambi
2018
Elizabeth Colwell
A.J. Pedroza
Michael Paulsen
2017
Sanford Zeiglier
Perter Chiu
2016
Sanford Zeiglier
Perter Chiu
2015
Michael Ma
Peter Chiu
2014
Michael Ma
Sanford Zeigler
Peter Chiu
2013
Katherine Harrington
Michael Ma
2012
Katherine Harrington
George Dimeling
2011
Michael Monge
Clayton Kaiser
2010
Bo Yang
Katherine Harrington