Greco Grand Grounds Awards 2025

This year’s ABSITE Awards are awarded a bit differently. Starting in January 2025, the American Board of Surgery discontinued its practice of using percentile scores for the in-training examination. Thus, this year’s awardees are the highest scorers in their class. The recipients are:

• Jimmy McDermott, MD – PGY1
• Deeksha Bidare, MD – PGY2
• Daniel Ahn, MD – PGY3
• James Agolia, MD - PD
• Leon Naar, MD – PGY4

The Intern of the Year Award is voted on by the senior residents (PGY4-5) The recipient is Baylee Bakkila, MD.

The Consult Resident of the Year Award acknowledges the service our PGY2 residents provide during consult call and is voted on by the General Surgery Faculty. This year we had two recipients Camille Hironaka, MD and Rheyana Branch, MD.

"Dr. Hironaka is an exceptional, reliable, and highly competent consult resident with a strong work ethic. Her assessments and plans are accurate, and her clinical judgment is excellent. She earns the trust of faculty in the evaluation and management of complex patients. She consistently does what is right for patient care and is highly effective at systems-based care for consult patients. Camille is very humble and demonstrates maturity in the evaluation of surgical patients." -Nominator

"Dr. Branch has performed exceptionally well as the consulting resident this year. Her clinical acumen is outstanding, and her assessments and plans are always accurate. She balances thoroughness and efficiency while dedicating extra time to patients to explain their surgical issues and address their questions and concerns. She is a remarkable team player who communicates effectively with her team, as well as with consulting services, patients, and their families."  -Nominator

The Resident Research Award is awarded for the best research manuscript and is voted upon by the Faculty Research Award Committee, consisting of Drs. Kebebew, Morris, Spain, Melcher, Seib, Knowlton, Dawes, Kirane, and Hameed. This year’s recipient is Chuner Guo, MD, PhD for her manuscript entitled: “NFAT Mediates Pro-Tumorigenic Inflammation in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma”

The Fellow Teaching Award honors a fellow in the Department of Surgery who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and excellence in educating residents and is voted on by the residents recruited/matched by General Surgery-Cats, PDs, & Prelims. The recipient is Marisa Schwab, MD.

"Marisa is the best colleague I have ever worked with, hands down. She is incredibly technically skilled, an amazing teacher, and a fierce advocate for her patients and their families. Even after the longest days, she can be seen going to the bedside to perform small tasks herself that she could have delegated to the busy residents in order to assist the team or simply to comfort a family and answer their questions. She is a true role model in every sense of the word and inspires others to rise to her level." -Nominator

The George P. Yang MD Assistant Professor Award goes to a junior faculty member who embodies the spirit of Dr. George Yang, who positively influenced the lives of countless residents and medical students during his time at Stanford. The recipient is Joseph Forrester, MD.

The General Surgery Resident Teaching Award is presented to a resident by the 2024-25 Surgery Clerkship students for their outstanding teaching, professionalism, and commitment to patient care. The recipient is Carlie Arbaugh, MD.

"Carlie was a phenomenal chief on service at SCVMC. She consistently took the time to check in with me and answer any questions I had. She was a great teacher in the OR and made it a safe and inclusive learning environment. Even during busy times, Carlie always found opportunities to ensure I was learning as much as I could. She has a clear passion and enthusiasm for medical education and medical student mentorship. Everyone on the team, from attendings to APPs to students, consistently spoke highly of Carlie and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. It was a pleasure to work with and learn from her." -Nominator

The Affiliated APP award is given annually to the Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant from LPCH, VA, Kaiser, or SCVMC who most personifies excellence in surgical patient care, teamwork, and dedication to resident education, as voted on by residents in the program. The recipient is Natalie Chin, a Pediatric General Surgery APP with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

"Natalie has poured tremendous energy into helping residents and medical students succeed in pediatric surgery, as evidenced by her comprehensive guide to the service (binder and pre-rotation video). Her cheerful, positive energy makes people feel welcome on the team right away, and she is always willing to assist with consults if the residents are swamped." - Nominator

The Best Service Awards are voted on by each PGY class to recognize a service that made a significant, positive impact on their education in the past year:

• PGY 1 – Acute Care Surgery
• PGY 2 – Kaiser General Surgery
• PGY 3 – Emergency General Surgery
• PGY 4 – Kaiser Vascular