Faculty and staff honored recently during the PCOM South Georgia awards reception held on campus include (from left) Daryl Crenshaw, MD; Randall (Lee) McGill, MD; Edward Hamilton Jr., DO; Marla Golden, DO; Christin Zipperer, LPC, NCC; Nikita Mirajkar, PhD; Susan Owens; and Kristie Petree, DO.

When community leaders and College representatives gathered on Wednesday evening, May 24, to present student awards, a group of outstanding faculty and staff also received awards for their efforts during the past two years.

The Outstanding Faculty Award recognizes the basic medical science faculty member who exemplifies exceptional dedication and superior performance in teaching. The recipient for the 2021-2022 year was Savita Arya, MD, professor of pathology in the department of biomedical sciences. The recipient for the 2022-2023 academic year was Nikita Mirajkar, PhD, associate dean for curricular execution and associate professor of pharmacology.

The Outstanding Clinical Support Award recognizes the clinical faculty member who exemplifies exceptional support and superior performance in teaching patient- and family-centered care. The recipient for the 2021-2022 academic year was Marla Golden, DO ’88, associate dean of clinical education for PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia, and associate professor of emergency medicine. The recipient for the 2022-2023 academic year was Kristie Petree, DO ’13, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) chair and associate professor of neuromusculoskeletal and osteopathic manipulative medicine.

The Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award recognizes an adjunct faculty member who exemplifies excellence in teaching and contributes to the training of PCOM students. The recipient for the 2021-2022 academic year was Randall (Lee) McGill, MD. The recipient for the 2022-2023 academic year was Daryl Crenshaw, MD.

This Outstanding Staff Award recognizes a staff member who demonstrated "above and beyond" achievements in their respective duties. The recipient for the 2021-2022 academic year was Susan Owens, administrative assistant for Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) and Primary Care Skills (PCS). The recipient for the 2022-2023 academic year was Christin Zipperer, LPC, NCC, personal support counselor.

This Outstanding Preceptor Award recognizes the exceptional contributions and accomplishments of an individual who has demonstrated exemplary dedication and excellence in the role of a preceptor within the field of healthcare education. Preceptors are practicing physicians who are integral to the clinical education and training of medical students. They provide the experiential portion of the curriculum by supervising student physicians as they acquire clinical medical knowledge by helping to care for real patients—in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Outstanding Preceptor of the Year Award recipients for 2022-2023 were:

• John Joyave, DO, Calhoun, Georgia

• Daryl Crenshaw, MD, Moultrie and Thomasville, Georgia

• David Quang, DO, Warner Robins, Georgia

• Nicole Hardeman, DO, Chatsworth, Georgia

• Mitchell Storace, MD, Allentown, Pennsylvania

• Santanu Das, MD, Warner Robins and Fort Valley, Georgia

• Surya Rao, MD, New Smyrna Beach, Florida

• Sonnie Kim-Ashchi, MD, Jacksonville, Florida

• Bridgett Asbury, MD, Tifton, Georgia

• Edward Hamilton Jr., DO, Columbus, Georgia

• Anthony Johnson, MD, Valdosta, Georgia

• Ashley Cole, MD, Fort Payne, Alabama

• Stephen Cox, DO, Alpharetta, Georgia