Awards and Honors: Spring 2020

Celebrating the accomplishments of Department of Medicine faculty and staff


School of Medicine Receives $53 Million to Fund Clinical and Translational Research

The Clinical and Translational Science Award Program has renewed a five-year, $53 million grant to fund collaborative research led by Mark Cullen, professor of primary care and population health medicine, biomedical data science and health research and policy, at Stanford Medicine’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Education.

The funding will allow for continued collaboration with a national network of medical research institutions that share resources and work to improve the processes that enable research discoveries to become medical treatments and cures. Cullen says the grant marks the beginning of “a fabulous new era for clinical and translational research at the School of Medicine” and will “accelerate the application of research discoveries into clinical care, helping people live longer, healthier lives.”

Cullen is a member of Bio-X, Material & Child Health Research Institute and the Cancer Institute, a senior fellow with the Institute for Economic Policy Research and an affiliate of the Woods Institute for the Environment. He also acts as senior associate dean for research at the School of Medicine and director of the Center for Population Health.


Ray Kim Elected to American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Governing Board

Ray Kim, professor of gastroenterology and hepatology, is the newly elected Councilor of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases governing board. Kim will begin his three-year term in January 2020 and move on to serve as President in 2024. 

Kim is the chief for the Department of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.


Steve Goodman Wins 2019 Abraham Lilienfeld Award

Congratulations to Steven Goodman, MD, MHS, PhD, professor of primary care and population health and health research and policy, winner of the American College of Epidemiology’s (ACE) 2019 Abraham Lilienfeld Award. This prestigious award recognizes leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of epidemiology over the course of their careers, through research, scholarship, teaching and mentoring.

ACE says Goodman was selected based on his work that “greatly expanded the understanding of scientific and statistical inference, resulting in a deeper ability to share data and confirm and extend published science.” In addition to his role as a leader and mentor, ACE calls Goodman “a highly productive researcher” with a commitment to “developing innovative approaches to critical scientific issues that deal with the representation and measurement of evidence in epidemiologic research.” As co-founder and co-director of the Meta-research Innovation Center at Stanford, he demonstrates a commitment to improving the reliability and reproducibility of published biomedical science. Lastly, ACE says Goodman “generously gives his time in service to the broader scientific community” having served on numerous committees and boards throughout his tenure.

Goodman received the award at ACE’s annual meeting in September. He was also recognized as a lifetime Honorary Fellow of the College and gifted a $5,000 honorarium.

Goodman is also a member of the Cancer Institute, associate dean of clinical and translational research, director of MedScholars Clinical Research Concentration and director of graduate studies for the department of Epidemiology and Population Health.


Julie Parsonnet and Joseph Wu Elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Julie Parsonnet, George Deforest Barnett professor in medicine and of epidemiology health research and policy, and Joseph Wu, professor of cardiovascular medicine and radiology, are among 100 new members elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). In this role, Parsonnet and Wu will support the institute in its mission to provide independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues

As shared in a NAM press release, Parsonnet received the honor for her work “elucidating how infectious agents cause chronic disease and research on H. pylori’s roles in malignancy and in modulating host immunity that are widely cited in the field of gastric cancer” and Wu for his “seminal contributions and pioneer breakthroughs in the areas of cardiovascular medicine and imaging.” According to the news release, Parsonnet and Wu were selected by current members based on these “major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.” National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau says “members represent the most exceptional scholars and leaders whose remarkable work has advanced science, medicine, and health in the U.S. and around the globe.”

Parsonnet is a member of the Material & Child Health Research Institute , the Cancer Institute and the Steering Committee of Faculty Senate, as well as chief of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine and senior associate dean for Medical Education.

Wu is a member of Bio-X, Material & Child Health Research Institute and the Cancer Institute, director of Cardiovascular Institute and a Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health faculty fellow.


Staff Promotions

Cynthia L Llanes joined the Department’s Faculty Affairs Office in the role of Faculty Affairs Specialist, where she will oversee the faculty actions for the Divisions of BMT, BMIR & Nephrology, and she will support the Diversity LENS Advocate group. Previously, Cynthia worked in the Department of Pathology as the Associate Director for Faculty Affairs.

Marissa Quock has joined the Department of Medicine as a Human Resources Administrator. Prior to Stanford, Marissa worked for HR Operations at Tesla. She will support all divisions as a first point of contact for issues regarding time and leave, academic staff appointments, visa processing, and leaves of absence.

Deitria Chapman has joined the Human Resources Team as a Business Partner. For the past 12 years, Deitria has worked as a Human Resources Manager for the Department of Radiology at Stanford.

Lakshmi Mani has joined the Department as the Division Manager for Cardiovascular Medicine. Lakshmi brings great depth and breadth of experience to this role.  Her early roles include positions at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Permanente Medical Group, and the Santa Clara Valley Health plan as well as a role as a health care analyst at Packard. Most recently, Lakshmi has served as Director, Strategic Initiatives in the Dean’s office here at Stanford Medicine where she has partnered with leadership of departments, School and SHC to implement initiatives that grew out of the Integrated Strategic Plan. 

Erica Dapelo-Garcia has accepted the position of Division Manager for Primary Care and Population Health.  Erica joins the Department of Medicine from Stanford Healthcare, where she has worked for the past 11 years. She has held positions in planning and project management for Ambulatory Services and the Enterprise Contact Center. Most recently, Erica has served as Business Manager for Ambulatory Care Services, where she was responsible for budgets, projects, billing and reporting for the Employer Based Clinics. 

Michele Lima has accepted the position of Division Manager, Immunology/Rheumatology. Michele began her Stanford career 10 years ago as a research administrator in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.  She moved to a finance specialist role in Molecular and Cellular Physiology (MCP) in 2013 and was promoted to Associate DFA in 2017.  She was responsible for all financial and administrative functions within MCP including human resources, grants management, and department budgeting and financial activity.  She also participated in Lean process improvement teams in Finance as part of her role. Michele then spent a year in Biochemistry where she was responsible for administrative and financial functions, and most recently filled a special projects role in the new Department of Epidemiology and Population Health.