May 14, 2026

After the Commencement ceremony on May 14, 2026, Dean Cairns hosted a luncheon to present awards honoring the hard work, achievements and impact of faculty and professional staff.

Congratulations to the 2026 award recipients!

2026 Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Clinical Teaching

The Excellence in Clinical Teaching Awards, established in 1993, recognizes the exceptional teaching Drexel students receive at clinical sites. Awardees are selected by both students and the administration through a ballot process, along with input from the Dean’s Office, and includes an administrative review of rotation evaluations. Honorees demonstrate a strong commitment to Drexel medical students and span our affiliate and regional medical campuses.

• Allegheny Health Network 
  David Broadbent, MD 
  Anesthesiology 
• Bayhealth Medical Center  
  Lee Colaianni, MD 
  Emergency Medicine 
• Capital Health System 
  Mark Kuhn, MD 
  Obstetrics & Gynecology 
• Jefferson Abington Hospital 
  William Ford, MD 
  Medicine 
• Kaiser Permanente - Bay Area 
  Jeffrey Andal, MD 
  Medicine 
• Main Line Health  
  William Morano, MD 
  Surgery 
• Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital 
  Yusuf Sattar, MD  
  Medicine 
• Reading Hospital - Tower Health 
  Anthony Donato, MD 
  Medicine 
• St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children 
  Emily Spengler, MD  
  Pediatrics 
• St. Luke’s University Health Network 
  Anish Parameswaran, DO  
  Medicine 
• UPMC Altoona 
  Mausaminben Hathidara, MD 
  Neurology 
• UPMC Harrisburg 
  Ayman Mansour, MD  
  Pediatrics 
• Virtua Health 
  Nurain Fuseini, MD  
  Obstetrics & Gynecology 
• WellSpan York Hospital 
  Joseph Uwazota, MD 
  Family Medicine 
• Ambulatory Medicine Site
  St. Luke’s University Health Network   Family Practice SiteSt. Vincent Hospital – Allegheny Health Network

2026 Dean's Excellence Awards

The Dean’s Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding contributions and achievements by faculty and professional staff. Recipients are nominated by department chairs, regional campus deans and directors of medical education, and were reviewed by a selection committee of faculty and administrators.  

Dean's Award for Excellence in Basic Science Education

• Joris Beld, PhD 
  Associate Professor 
  Microbiology & Immunology 
• Jed Shumsky, PhD 
  Professor 
  Neurobiology & Anatomy 

Dean's Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education

• Anastasios Kapetanos, MD 
  Associate Professor 
  Medicine 
  Allegheny Health Network 
• Pavani D. Pagolu, MD 
  Assistant Professor 
  Medicine 
  Reading Hospital - Tower Health 

Dean's Award for Excellence in Innovation 

• David L. Bartlett, MD 
  Professor         
  Surgery         
  Allegheny Health Network 
• Robert T. Sataloff, MD 
  Professor & Chair 
  Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery 

Dean's Excellence Award in Leadership for Faculty

• Nitin Bhanot, MD, MPH 
  Professor 
  Medicine 
  Allegheny Health Network
• Thomas A. Geng Jr., DO, MBA 
  Professor 
  Surgery 
  Reading Hospital - Tower Health 

Dean's Excellence Award in Leadership for Professional Staff 

• Caitlin Curcio, MS 
  Director of Faculty Affairs & Faculty Development 
  Office of Faculty

Drexel Medicine and Drexel Health Clinical Support Division Leaders: 

• Lisa A. DiGiacomo 
• Gregory Johnson, MBA 
• Tracy McSweeney 
• Edward Waldov, MBA