Awards and Honors: Fall 2021

Jonathan Shaw Named Associate Chair of Medicine for Community Partnership  

Jonathan Shaw, MD, associate clinical professor of primary care & population health, has been selected to be the inaugural Associate Chair of Medicine for Community Partnership.

In this role, Shaw will partner with an administrative Director of Community Partnership to help lead the Department’s vision to more fully engage with local organizations, including both non-profit community clinics and our partner health departments, to improve the health of our community, especially the disadvantaged and communities of color.  The creation of this position reflects our growing commitment to social justice and health equity, as well as the growing role that Stanford Medicine can play as an anchor institution in improving the health of our local community.

Shaw’s background is well-suited to help lead in this area.  In addition to a leadership role in the department’s Evaluation Sciences Unit, he has been active as a family medicine clinician at the Ravenswood-Mayview Family Health Center, the largest federally qualified health center in our region for many years, and for the past four years has led the division of Primary Care & Population Health’s community partnership mission, resulting in long-term partnerships, in clinical, administrative, and research arenas, with four community and homeless clinics in the region.  He has a demonstrated passion for the integration of social justice and health equity into the mission of academic medicine, and we look forward to his leadership in this important arena.

Congratulations to Jonathan!

David Relman Wins 2021 Alexander Fleming Award

David Relman, MD, Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor in Medicine, and professor in microbiology and immunology, was just awarded the Infectious Disease Society of America (or IDSA's) 2021 Alexander Fleming Lifetime Achievement Award.  The award "recognizes a career that reflects major contributions to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about infectious diseases."

Relman, described as a "pioneer of the human microbiome," is being awarded partially for his research on bacterial diversity in the mouth and gut, his evidence of individuality in the microbiome. More generally, the IDSA states: "His innovative research has creatively explored the human microbiota, including the diversity between pathogens and commensals and their roles in human health and disease."

The IDSA's announcement concludes: "Dr. Relman’s work has inspired a new field of discovery and transformed the way we think about the maintenance and restoration of health. The society is proud to honor this true pioneer in the field with the 2021 Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement."

Congratulations to David for this amazing honor!

Allison Kwong Receives NIH K23 Award

Allison Kwong, MD, MS, instructor of primary care and population health, has received an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award.  The award, which “provides salary and research support for a sustained period of "protected time" (3-5 years) to ensure a future cadre of well-trained scientists conducting Patient-Oriented Research,” supports career development for individuals who “have made a commitment to focus their on patient-oriented research.”  Kwong’s work will investigate the defining phenotypes of alcohol-associated liver disease with acute hepatic decompensation.  Congratulations, Alllison!

Linda Nguyen Promoted to Full Professor

Linda Nguyen, MD, has been promoted to full clinical professor of medicine for the division of gastroenterology and hepatology.  Her division calls her “a dedicated clinician and accomplished researcher with expertise in neurogastroenterology and motility,” as well as a strong mentor in the Stanford GI community.  Her research includes understanding the role and impact of physiologic testing on clinical care, exploring novel therapies for gastroparesis and expanding the role of neuromodulation in the treatment of GI motility disorders and pain.  Congratulations, Linda!

Nicholas Leeper Receives Jeffrey M. Hoeg Award for Basic Science and Clinical Research

Nicholas Leeper, MD, received the Jeffrey M. Hoeg Award for Basic Science and Clinical Research from the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.  The award “recognizes an established investigator in the prime of his or her career who has made an outstanding contribution to furthering understanding of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis.”  Leeper called the award a “special honor” adding, “I am humbled and honored to receive this incredible recognition.”  Colleagues called the award “well deserved.” 

Stephanie Harman Named Co-Director of the Stanford Leadership Development Program

Stephanie Harman, MD, clinical associate professor of primary care and population health, was appointed a faculty co-director of the Stanford Leadership Development Program, effective September 1.  She will work alongside Jay Shah, MD, associate professor of urology and  Vice Chief of Staff for Stanford Health Care.

Harman will take over the “incredibly prestigious and impactful position” along with her other roles, including Associate Chair of Medicine for Women and clinical chief of Palliative Care.  According to department leaders the appointment “reflects Stephanie’s innovative contributions in our own division in developing the first women’s leadership development program.”  Congratulations to Stephanie! 

New Appointments for Stanford Cancer Center

Heather Wakelee, MD, professor of medicine, division chief of medical oncology, and deputy director of Stanford Cancer Institute, and Rondeep Brar, MD, clinical associate professor of hematology, have been named to new positions at the Stanford Cancer Center.  Wakelee will serve as SCC’s interim medical director and Brar will be interim medical co-director.  Together they will provide strategic leadership for SCC with Eben Rosenthal, MD, transitioning to his new role as chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Wakelee is described as “a visionary leader, a committed mentor to dozens of trainees, and an innovative clinician-researcher who has published approximately 150 peer-reviewed articles,” and Brar will bring his expertise as “an outstanding clinician and gifted scientist with extensive expertise in hematologic disorders, including anemia, clotting and bleeding disorders, and cancers of the blood” to his role.  Congratulations to both!