UH Awards 44 Physicians for Excellence

Honored physicians are known as the “doctors of doctors”

UH Clinical Update | November 2019

Forty-four (44) UH clinicians were recently designated Distinguished Physicians in recognition of their exceptional clinical skills and dedication to patient care. Additionally, these physicians and surgeons are widely considered to serve as the top role models and mentors in the training of the next generation, including medical students, residents and fellows. Nominated by their department chairs and senior colleagues, these special clinicians are often referred to as “doctors of doctors,” providing such extraordinary care that their colleagues turn to them to care for their loved ones and themselves. These physicians set standards for quality, safety and patient experience, incorporating evidence-based guidelines to prevent and treat disease utilizing the latest technological advances along with the highest touch compassionate and personalized care.

“The caliber of any healthcare institution is built on the strength of its people,” says Cliff Megerian, MD, President of UH Physician Network and UH System Institutes. “Many of the finest physicians and surgeons in this country call UH their home. And while all of our physicians are experts in their fields and demonstrate compassion in caring for our patients, these physicians stand out and I am honored to work alongside them.”

The honored physicians were presented with a new lab coat bearing this distinguished new title, along with a UH presidential coin and a UH commemorative pin. These 44 physicians join an elite group of 36 Distinguished Physicians who were inducted last year.

“In today’s challenging healthcare environment, these individuals have demonstrated time and time again their ability to rise to the occasion in caring for the most complex patients and setting the highest quality care standards for others to emulate,” said Dan Simon, MD, President of UH Medical Centers. “We greatly appreciate their daily dedication to our vision — Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion.”

2019 University Hospitals Distinguished Physician Class

Anesthesia 
Irving Hirsch, MD 
David Wallace, DO

Dermatology 
Jeremy Bordeaux, MD

Emergency Medicine 
Vicki Noble, MD

Family Medicine  
Mike Adornetto, DO 
Goutham Rao, MD 
Cindy Zelis, MD

Genetics   
Anna Mitchell, MD, PhD 

Medicine
Mauricio Arruda, MD 
Ali Askari, MD 
Baha Arafah, MD 
Amitabh Chak, MD 
Marco Costa, MD, PhD 
John Dumot, DO 
Debra Leizman, MD 
Judith Mackall, MD 
Aparna Padiyar, MD 
Robert Salata, MD 
George Topalsky, MD

Neurology 
Bashar Katirji, MD

Neurosurgery  
Warren Selman, MD 

OB/GYN
Karen Ashby, MD 
Steven Waggoner, MD 

Ophthalmology
Faruk Örge, MD 

Orthopedics
James Voos, MD 

Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery
Rod Rezaee, MD 

Pathology
Howard Meyerson, MD 
Jay Wasman, MD

Pediatrics 
Nancy Bass, MD 
Claudia Hoyen, MD 
Lolita McDavid, MD, MPA 
Michele Walsh, MD

Psychiatry
Joseph Calabrese, MD

Radiology 
Michael Coffey, MD 
Sheila Berlin, MD 
Jeff Sunshine, MD, PhD

Radiation Oncology
Janice Lyons, MD 
Min Yao, MD, PhD

Cancer
Marcos de Lima, MD 
Afshin Dowlati, MD

Surgery
Jeff Hardacre, MD 
Jeff Marks, MD 
Joe Sabik, MD 

Urology
Lee Ponsky, MD