TeamHealth honors healthcare heroes at 2023 National Medical Leadership Conference

ORLANDO, Fla., April 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TeamHealth clinicians and administrators from across the United States gathered at the 2023 National Medical Leadership Conference for the first time since 2019 and honored individuals for exemplary care delivery to patients when they need it the most. TeamHealth honored award recipients for the Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year; Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year; Compass Award; Amazing Save Award; Above and Beyond Award; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award; and the inaugural Clinician Scientist Award, named in honor of Dr. David Hogan.

“This year’s award recipients were recognized for exceptional clinical skills, working calmly under pressure, their commitment to patient-centered care, or for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at TeamHealth. The winner in each category was nominated by their peers and selected by a panel of judges. Please join me in congratulating this group of dedicated clinicians who truly distinguished themselves in their efforts, often in very challenging circumstances,” said Leif Murphy, CEO of TeamHealth.

Amazing Save Award
Dr. Arun Malhotra, emergency medicine physician, Dr. Max Baumgardner, facility medical director, and Kathleen Galleta, RN, at AdventHealth Lake Mary Off-site Emergency Department, were awarded the Amazing Save Award for demonstrating outstanding and selfless care in response to a mass casualty event. Dr. Malhotra led a small team that excelled under pressure and promptly provided care for seven simultaneous critically injured patients. Dr. Malhotra, Dr. Baumgardner, Kathleen, and the team were prepared and resilient in an unthinkable situation.

Above and Beyond Award
Dr. Gabriel Alejandro Lopez Vega, hospitalist at AdventHealth Altamonte Springs, was awarded the Above and Beyond Award for excellent care that transcends medical delivery. Dr. Lopez was serving a terminally ill patient who loved and played guitar, and he searched the hospital for a guitar to play music with his patient and bring them joy in the midst of their difficult circumstance.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
Brian S. Brown, senior clinical practice manager, Midwest Region, Post-Acute Care, was awarded the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award for his tireless commitment to advance DEI within TeamHealth and beyond. Brian serves on the TeamHealth Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and was instrumental in establishing the newly launched Black Cultural Resource Group.

Below is the full list of 2023 award recipients.

Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Directors of the Year

• Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year, Anesthesiology
  
  • Pia V. Lippincott, MD, Paris Regional Health in Paris, Texas
• Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year, Emergency Medicine
  
  • Janie Sanders, MD, Texas Health Frisco in Frisco, Texas
• Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year, Hospital Medicine
  
  • Mir Ali Sadat, MD, HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood in Kingwood, Texas
• Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year, Hospital Specialty Services
  
  • Charles Adamczyk, MD, Memorial Hospital Miramar in Miramar, Florida
• Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year, Post-Acute Care
  
  • Susan Kirchdoerffer, DO, Center at Eden Hill in Dover, Delaware

Advanced Practice Clinicians of the Year

• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, Ambulatory Care
  
  • Jennifer Light, PA-C, East Tennessee Children's Hospital Urgent Care in Knoxville, Tennessee
• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, Anesthesiology
  
  • Andrew Funkhouser, CRNA, Alton Memorial Hospital in Alton, Illinois
• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, Emergency Medicine
  
  • Jessie Balcom, NP, Banner Payson Medical Center in Payson, Arizona
• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, Hospital Medicine
  
  • Rebecca Kuprys, APRN, Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill and Fort Mill, South Carolina
• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, Hospital Specialty Services
  
  • Katie A. Moore, AG-ACNP, Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Charlton, Texas
• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, Post-Acute Care
  
  • Paul Hodgeman, RPA-C, New Hartford, New York
• Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year, VirtualCare
  
  • George VanDenburg, APRN-BC, Lead APC

Additional Awards

• Compass Award
  
  • Shannon Wendland, Vice President of Operations, Northeast Group
• Amazing Save Award
  
  • Arun Malhotra, MD, AdventHealth Lake Mary Off-site Emergency Department in Lake Mary, Florida
  • Max Baumgardner, DO, FACEP, AdventHealth Lake Mary Off-site Emergency Department in Lake Mary, Florida
  • Kathleen Galleta, RN, AdventHealth Lake Mary Off-site Emergency Department in Lake Mary, Florida
• Amazing Save Award Honorable Mention
  
  • Thomas A. Schaeffer, MD, Methodist Midlothian Medical Center in Midlothian, Texas
  • Jon-Paul Cloutier, PA-C, Abrazo Arrowhead in Glendale, Arizona
  • Doug Finefrock, DO, CPE, Griffin Health in Derby, Connecticut
• Above and Beyond Award
  
  • Gabriel Alejandro Lopez Vega, MD, AdventHealth Altamonte Springs in Altamonte Springs, Florida
• Above and Beyond Award Honorable Mention
  
  • Ryan Bachman, DO, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center in Mansfield, Texas
  • Andrew Bushnell, MD, MBA, FACEP, Rome Health in Rome, New York
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
  
  • Brian S. Brown, Senior Clinical Practice Manager, Midwest Region, Post-Acute Care
• Dr. David Hogan Clinician Scientist Award
  
  • David E. Hogan, DO, MPH, FACEP, Vice President of Education Development and Chair of TeamHealth Emerging Infectious Disease Taskforce
    

About TeamHealth
At TeamHealth, our purpose is to perfect the practice of medicine, every day, in everything we do. We are proud to be the leading physician practice in the U.S., driven by our commitment to quality and safety and supported by our world-class operating team. To improve the experience of our physicians and advanced practice clinicians, we empower clinicians to act on what they believe is right, free clinicians from distractions so they can focus on patient care, invest in learning and development to promote growth in the clinical field and foster an environment where continuous improvement is a shared priority. Through our more than 15,000 affiliated healthcare professionals and advanced practice clinicians, TeamHealth offers emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care, anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, obstetrics, acute behavioral health, post-acute care, post-acute behavioral health, ambulatory care, virtual care and medical call center solutions to more than 2,700 acute and post-acute facilities and physician groups nationwide. Join our team; we value and empower clinicians. Partner with us; we deliver on our promises. Learn more at www.teamhealth.com.

The term “TeamHealth” as used throughout this release includes Team Health Holdings, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates, affiliated medical groups and providers, all of which are part of the TeamHealth organization. “Providers” are physicians, advanced practice clinicians and other healthcare providers who are employed by or contract with subsidiaries or affiliated entities of Team Health Holdings, Inc. All such providers exercise independent clinical judgment when providing patient care. Team Health Holdings, Inc., does not have any employees, does not contract with providers and does not practice medicine.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Josh Hopson
Vice President, Communications
[email protected]
(865) 328-7689

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