Anthony Atala, MD, FACS, the George Link Jr. Professor of Regenerative Medicine, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the W. H. Boyce Professor and Chair of Urology, is the new chair of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Regents. The announcement of his election came during Clinical Congress 2023 in Boston, Mass. Atala also will lead the board’s Finance and Executive Committees, as well as work in concert with ACS Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD ’96, MBA, FACS.
Goldie Byrd, PhD, professor of social sciences and health policy and director of the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, was chosen as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in 2023. Based on her dedication and untiring contribution to equitable health care, she was one of 20 out of more than 200 honorees featured by the MIPAD organization for top recognition in the field of health and wellness. Byrd was nominated by Johnita P. Due, executive vice president of integrity and inclusion for CNN Worldwide. The honor was established in support of the International Decade for People of African Descent, proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly to be observed from 2015 to 2024.
Emily Dressler, PhD, associate professor and vice chair of biostatistics and data science, and Nicole Moore, director of core market growth and business development at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, were named recipients of the Winston Under 40 Leadership Awards. Dressler has been involved in more than 20 clinical trials as lead statistician. Her primary focus is on cancer research and statistical approaches, and she leads these efforts for the Comprehensive Cancer Center’s National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program.
Richard Flowers, DNP, assistant professor of academic nursing and program director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program, was one of 58 distinguished leaders inducted
into the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology 2023 Class of Fellows.
William Huang, MD, MPH, professor of dermatology, was inducted into the American Dermatological Association (ADA). Membership in the ADA is achieved through nomination and election based on meritorious contributions to the field of medicine and dermatology.
David Martin, MD, professor of orthopaedic surgery, received the 2023 North Carolina Orthopaedic Association (NCOA) Honored Surgeon Award. The award is presented yearly to a North Carolina orthopaedic surgeon who has been notably influential in promoting the highest standards of orthopaedic care and has distinguished themselves among their peers for dedication to quality patient care and to the medical profession. Also at the NCOA annual meeting, the establishment of the David F. Martin, MD, Endowed Orthopaedic Resident Leadership Award was announced. The annual award was endowed through the efforts of one of his former residents, W. Dickson Schaefer, MD ’96, House Staff ’01. The award will be given to a deserving Wake Forest University School of Medicine orthopaedic resident each year.
Giselle Meléndez, MD, assistant professor of cardiology and comparative medicine, will lead a study from the American Heart Association Strategically Focused Research Network on Biologic Pathways of Chronic Psychosocial Stressors on Cardiovascular Health. Meléndez is serving as the principal investigator for a large (approximately $2.4 million) nonhuman primate project. Co-investigators are Susan Appt, DVM, professor of pathology-comparative medicine; Heather Burkart DeLoid, DVM, assistant professor of pathology-comparative medicine; Carol Shively, PhD, professor of pathology-comparative medicine; and Jay Kaplan, PhD, emeritus professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine.
Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, president of Atrium Health Levine Cancer, executive director of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center and vice dean for cancer programs at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, has been named to the new American Association for Cancer Research Cancer Centers Alliance steering committee. Mesa will serve as subgroup chair of Education, Training, Professional Advancement, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Michael Nader, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology, was named a Fellow of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. The award recognizes a career dedicated to the field of pharmacology and exceptional contributions to its advancement.
Catherine Passaretti, MD, clinical professor of infectious diseases, was elected to the Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists of America’s board of trustees in the role of councilor for community health care epidemiologists and stewards. She will serve in this role until December 2025.
Katherine A. Poehling, MD ’95, professor of pediatrics and epidemiology and prevention, was one of 41 clinicians named an Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Manager and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for her efforts to promote immunization. The award acknowledges the outstanding efforts of those who go above and beyond ensuring vaccination access in their communities and increasing their community’s immunization rate coverage.
Scott Rhodes, PhD, MPH, professor and chair of social sciences and health policy, has been named the winner of the American Academy of Health Behavior’s (AAHB) 2024 Research Laureate, the highest member award bestowed by the AAHB. Research Laureate candidates are competitively evaluated on the overall quality of publications, funding, quality of mentoring activities, service to the community and overall impact of scholarship on the field. Rhodes, who is a behavioral scientist, conducts research that explores disease prevention, health disparities and health equity.
Darryl Rosenbaum, MD ’97, House Staff ’01, associate professor of family and community medicine, is now serving as senior associate dean of MD admissions.
Kiran Solingapuram Sai, PhD, associate professor of radiology, has been recognized as a One to Watch by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. The Ones to Watch campaign recognizes researchers early in their careers who have the potential to shape the future of precision medicine across all spectrums of the field and based on their contributions to research. Sai also was named a 2023 Distinguished Investigator by the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.
Aarti Sarwal, MD, professor of neurology, was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Service Award by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). This distinction is awarded to one member each year during the American College of Critical Care Medicine Convocation and SCCM awards ceremony.
Angela Sharkey, MD, FAAP, professor of pediatrics and special adviser to the dean for education innovation, was awarded the 2023 Alexander S. Nadas Lecture by the American Heart Association. Sharkey is a pediatric cardiologist with special interests in Marfan syndrome and fetal cardiology.
Perry Shen, MD, professor of surgical sciences-oncology, was admitted as an associate member into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.
Roy Strowd, MD ’09, House Staff ’13, MEd, MS ’20, associate professor of neurology, has been named vice dean for undergraduate medical education after serving in that role on an interim basis.
Atalie Carina Thompson, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, gerontology and geriatric medicine, has been named a Physician Scientist Advancing Insights for Improved Human Health by the Doris Duke Foundation. Thompson, one of 21 physician scientists honored, was selected through a rigorous peer-review process. Applications were evaluated on significance, as well as research approach and environment.
David Zaas, MD, MBA, was named president of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, succeeding Kevin High, MD, MSc ’98, who is now vice chief academic officer of Advocate Health. Zaas, who is also professor of internal medicine, has executive responsibility for Wake Forest Baptist’s clinical enterprise, including patient care, operations, strategy and growth. Previously, he was CEO of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health Charleston Division and MUSC’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, chief clinical officer of MUSC Health and professor of medicine at the MUSC College of Medicine. Earlier, he was president of Duke Raleigh Hospital and vice chair of Duke University School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine.
