Viet Le, PA-C, was named America's Top PA.
Stand up for Viet Le, PA-C, a physician assistant and researcher at Intermountain Medical Center, who was named America’s 2022 Top PA for Cardiology by Point of Care Network (POCN), a network organization for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. In an email announcing the honor he was described as an “amazing APP and caregiver” known for his “contagious laugh” and his “love for cardiovascular patients all over the globe,” by Kaley Graham, CV area operations director. Kaley recognized Viet for his “dedication to CV research” and for “spreading awareness of heart disease through his national and international presence.”
Scott Woller, MD, left, John Burke, MD, and Bert Lapansri, MD, pose for a picture to mark Dr. Burke's recognition.
Hat’s off to John Burke, MD, who has been awarded Mastership in the American College of Physicians. The award of Mastership is rare. There are only seven living physicians who have been awarded Mastership in Utah. Masters are American College of Physician Fellows who have been advanced because of “integrity, positions of honor, impact in practice or in medical research, or other attainments in science or in the art of medicine.” Masters must be highly accomplished persons demonstrating impact in practice, leadership, or in medical research, according to Scott Woller, MD, chair of medicine at the Intermountain Medical Center.
“Dr. Burke embodies Mastership in the College,” he says.
Dr. Burke graduated from University of Iowa with the highest scholarly distinction, becoming a part of the elite honor society Phi Beta Kappa. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honors society at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, excelled in his residency at Yale University, and had an infectious diseases fellowship at the Harvard University Hospitals.
Dr. Burke served the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an epidemic intelligence officer prior to embarking on a career at the University of Utah where he would rise in the ranks to professor of medicine with tenure and start a career with Intermountain Healthcare, Dr. Woller says.
“Dr. Burke’s career spanning five-plus decades was pivotal in defining how to best implement infection control,” Dr. Woller says.
It was in 1976 that Dr. Burke described the importance of infection control in the Intermountain Healthcare system and as early as 1985 he led efforts to establish computerized surveillance of hospital-associated infections. This work led to nearly 20 years of uninterrupted National Institutes of Health funding and more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, Dr. Woller says.
“Dr. Burke has been a mentor to countless students, residents, and infectious disease fellows, training many and shaping career paths,” Dr. Woller says. “He has demonstrated the utmost integrity with a career of service that has impacted medical research and education, while most durably advancing implementation science for the betterment of our society in Utah and beyond.”
Pallavi Ranade-Kharkar, PhD, earned a Technology Leadership Award.
Applause for Pallavi Ranade-Kharkar, PhD, Intermountain’s director of research informatics and precision health, who received the Women Tech Awards Technology Leadership Award for her innovative and groundbreaking work creating new technologies and for the leadership of her team and her leadership within the industry. The Women Tech Council, a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in the technology sector, has been recognizing outstanding women with its Tech Awards over the last 15 years. This year, eight award recipients were honored, in addition to 22 finalists selected from a nomination pool.
Dr. Ranade-Kharkar has dedicated her career to creating innovative healthcare technology solutions for patients and clinicians to enable high-quality, safe, and patient-centered care. She’s a mentor to girls in tech and an advocate for policies that support families and a fair work-life balance. Watch the award presentation.
Ann Pendo, MD, won a top poster award for poster about caregivers mental well-being during the pandamic.
Congrats to three Intermountain leaders — Anne Pendo, MD, medical director of physician and APP experience and well-being, Perry Gee, RN, PhD, nurse scientist, and Emily Stirling, caregiver well-being director — who recently won best overall poster at the 2022 Summit on Promoting Well-being and Resilience in Healthcare Professionals.
Emily Stirling was one of three caregivers to earn an award for a poster on Intermountain's efforts to help caregivers during the pandemic.
The summit was held at Ohio State University as part of the annual Clinician’s Well-being Conference. There were 28 posters from around the country submitted. The poster, titled “Health System Strategies for Employee Mental Well-being During the Persistent COVID-19 Pandemic,” demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing Intermountain’s seven mental well-being strategies through the Intermountain Operating Model framework and the impact it had on caregiver mental well-being through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s what each caregiver had to say about this recognition:
- “At the core of this work is listening to the needs of our caregivers,” says Dr. Pendo. “As result of that listening, the 2022 Caregiver Experience Survey results showed a score improvement in decompression — the ability to step away from work to recover and recharge. As we move forward, we’ll continue to listen, learn, and develop other options to meet the needs of our caregivers in a
variety of situations.”
Perry Gee, RN, PhD, also was honored with top honors for the poster.
- “I’m honored to represent Intermountain and our work in an academic arena and proud to work alongside passionate caregivers and leaders who work tirelessly to improve wellbeing,” says Emily.
- “Having national leaders in this space recognize our work is very validating,” says Perry. “We were recognized nationally several times during and after the pandemic in manuscripts, presentations, and workshops because our team is innovative and effective. Our work supported all caregivers during one of the most difficult times in memory, and we’ll continue to take those lessons and refine them for the future.”