Miller School Receives Top Recognitions at the Florida ACP Scientific Meeting

Faculty, students, and residents from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine took home a number of awards at the Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Scientific Meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Women in Medicine Recognition

Hilit F. Mechaber, M.D., associate professor of medicine and senior associate dean for student affairs at the Miller School, was awarded the Florida ACP Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Careers of Women in Medicine Award at the Governor’s reception.

Throughout her career, Dr. Mechaber has taken the time to advance women’s careers in medicine at many levels. What sets Dr. Mechaber apart is her longitudinal involvement and leadership across all stages of a physician’s “life cycle,” starting with their role as a medical student. Dr. Mechaber has helped countless students form their professional identities using her mentorship, sponsorship, and guidance to enhance their growth.

Dr. Mechaber has also contributed to the advancement of women in the faculty stage by founding the Women in Academic Medicine (WIAM) chapter at the Miller School, which she ran for seven years.

“To me, being honored for advancing the careers of other women is a reminder that the sometimes-intangible daily work has a lasting and important outcome,” Dr. Mechaber said. “Having even a small role in the success of other women’s careers enriches mine that much more. I have been fortunate to have been supported by incredible mentors and sponsors along the way, and I value the importance of paying it forward. I relish in the successes of my learners and colleagues, especially those who I have had a personal opportunity to influence.”

Medical Student and Resident Success

Honors for the Miller School also included wins by Deborah Lin, a third-year M.D. candidate in the research poster category for her work on “Impaired Expression of Innate Immune Mediators LL-37 and IL-1B in Hailey Disease.” Rhea Patil, a fourth-year M.D. student, won in the quality improvement-patient safety category for her work “Enhancing Patent Access: A Quality Improvement Project at a Primary Care Clinic.”

Residents at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System added to the list of achievements as Tiffani Houston, M.D., Ph.D., third-year pediatrics resident, was selected as a clinical vignette poster winner for her work on “The Missing Grillz: Complications in Delayed Diagnosis of Foreign Body Aspiration.” Jesus Antonio Gallegos, M.D., second-year internal medicine resident was also a vignette poster winner for “Double-hit High Grade B-cell Lymphoma Presenting in the Leukemic Phase with Spontaneous Tumor Lysus and Splenic Rupture.” The meeting concluded with the ACP Doctor’s Dilemma competition, in which a team comprised of residents in the internal medicine program was one of the finalists.

Tags: American College of Physicians Scientific Meeting, Deborah Lin, Dr. Hilit Mechaber, Dr. Jesus Antonio Gallegos, Dr. Tiffani Houston, Rhea Patil, Woman in Academic Medicine