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Neurology residency program recognizes recent award winners

The department of neurology and the neurology residency program at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville recently recognized trainees and faculty members who have received awards over the past few months.

In June, the department honored the program’s four graduating resident physicians during its annual celebratory dinner. They are John Fitzgerald, MD; Jonathon Greco, MD; Anushil Patel, MD; and Pouya Shooliz, MD.

During the dinner, Andreja Packard, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology, received the Golden Apple Award. Residents selected Packard based on her strong clinical teaching skills and ability to consistently expand individual resident knowledge on general neurology and sleep disorders.

Greco was named Resident Scholar of the Year. He mentored junior residents with research abstract writing and clinical research design. During Grego’s training, he published two papers in peer-reviewed journals and received the 2018 UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville Dean’s Grant. In addition, he co-authored 13 abstracts that were accepted for presentation at local, regional and national meetings, including that of the American Academy of Neurology.

Zach Rosensweet, DO, won the department’s inaugural Resident Clinical Trialist of the Year Award. Rosensweet was an active sub-investigator in phase 3 multisite clinical trials in which the department participates. His clinical assessments in the areas of Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis have been regarded as critical to the success of those trials.

College-level awards

Also in June, several neurology residents and faculty members were recognized during Celebration of Resident and Fellow Education and Research Day at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville.

Patel received the Excellence in Student Education Award and was a finalist for the Louis S. Russo Jr. Award for Outstanding Professionalism in Medicine.

Shooliz was a finalist for the Robert J. Wears Outstanding Resident in Quality and Patient Safety Award. This past spring, he was recognized by the college as an Outstanding Resident Teacher.

John Robinson, MD, won the Photo Contest Poster Presentation Award for his poster titled “Acute Onset Myelopathy in the Setting of Primary Effusion Lymphoma.”

The following faculty members were named Exemplary Teachers:

  • Constance Katsafanas, DO, an assistant professor of neurology who was also a finalist for the Excellence in Student Education Award
  • Suparna Krishnaiengar, MD, an assistant professor of neurology who is also associate director of the neurology residency program
  • Natalya Shneyder, MD, an assistant professor of neurology
  • Scott Silliman, MD, a professor of neurology who is also director of the neurology residency program. He is the first 15-year Exemplary Teacher award winner for the College of Medicine on either the Jacksonville or Gainesville campus.

“We congratulate everyone who received an award, including the four residents who have recently completed their training,” Silliman said. “These honors represent steadfast dedication to excellence in a program that is quite rigorous and dynamic. Time spent within our program helps establish a solid foundation for a career as a neurologist. Given our excellent teachers and the incredible resources available at UF Health Jacksonville, we anticipate our program will continue to strengthen as we move forward.”

Featured Faculty

Constance V. Katsafanas, DO

Constance V. Katsafanas, DO

Associate Professor
Program Director, Neurology Residency; Associate Program Director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship; Associate Clerkship Director

Suparna R. Krishnaiengar, MBBS (MD)

Suparna R. Krishnaiengar, MBBS (MD)

Associate Professor
Associate Program Director, Neurology Residency

Scott L. Silliman, MD

Scott L. Silliman, MD

Professor
Medical Director, Comprehensive Stroke Program; Program Director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship