2018 Resident and Fellow Commencement

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018, we celebrated a group of 64 extraordinary residents and fellows at the University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health’s annual commencement. Held at McNamara Alumni Center on a warm summer evening, the ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to honor the graduating class as they embark on the careers ahead of them.

Department Head James Pacala, MD, MS, addresses graduates

This year’s graduating class included:

• 52 family medicine residents from our eight programs 
• 3 pharmacy residents
• 1 primary care behavioral health fellow 
• 3 hospice and palliative medicine fellows 
• 3 human sexuality fellows 
• 2 sports medicine fellows 
• 16 faculty and fellows who completed Teaching, Evaluation, and Curriculum for Healthcare Professionals, also known as TEACH 
• 7 faculty who completed the Collaboration and Scholarship Intensive for Family Medicine (CSI-FM) program 

For a taste of what the evening was like, read our live tweets from the ceremony using the hashtag #umnfamilymedgrad on Twitter and view photos on Facebook.

Resident and Faculty Awards

After opening remarks by Department Head James Pacala, MD, MS, in which he encouraged graduates to consider their “role as an ambassador for an almost 50-year legacy of excellence,” several graduates and faculty were honored for excellence in teaching, research, and service.



Excellence in Research Award


The Excellence in Research Award was presented to Mankato’s graduating resident Andrew R. Bader, DO, for his impressive commitment to clinical scholarship. Dr. Bader was unanimously nominated by his program’s faculty, who described him as the “embodiment of the scientist-practitioner model.” What’s more, Dr. Bader amassed an impressive six peer-reviewed publications during his three-year residency - the highest publication rate of all residents across the department’s 8 programs.

[Dr. Bader] clearly recognizes that the practice of medicine becomes stagnant if not for ongoing clinical inquiry and scholarly investigation.
- award nominator

Leonard P. Burke, MD, Memorial Award

Graduating St. Joseph’s resident Thuy Duong Nguyen-Tran, MD, was presented this year’s Leonard P. Burke, MD, Memorial Award in honor of her unique service contributions to family medicine. Dr. Nguyen-Tran has been involved in several important projects at Bethesda Clinic that focus on increased community engagement and access to care for patients, especially Karen patients. In addition to serving as co-chief resident, she demonstrated excellent leadership and initiative in helping the clinic provide culturally competent care and develop multiple community partnerships.

[Dr. Nguyen-Tran] is hard working, enthusiastic, and welcoming, and she highlights the positive in every situation.
- award nominator

Faculty Awards

This year’s Affiliate Faculty Teacher of the Year went to Sandra Coffin, MD, (pictured below left) from St. Joseph’s. Nominees described Dr. Coffin’s passion and commitment to teaching, saying, “Often times, Friday afternoons can be one of the more challenging clinic days, but St. Joseph’s family medicine residents look forward to Fridays because they know Dr. Sandra Coffin will be precepting.”

Mankato faculty Erin Westfall, DO, (pictured below right) accepted the Faculty Teacher of the Year Award. As one nominee said, “Dr. Westfall has also taught me about the social responsibilities a great physician demonstrates…Dr. Westfall’s efforts show that it isn’t just about health in our clinic building – it’s about the health of our entire community that truly matters.”

STFM Resident Teacher Awards

Ten residents received the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Resident Teacher Award for demonstrated interest, ability, and commitment to family medicine. Awardees include Duluth residency graduate Charles S. Hackett, MD; Mankato residency graduates William Bensen, DO and Andrew R. Bader, DO; Methodist residency graduate Joshua Edward Scheck, MD; North Memorial residency graduate Melissa Pavek, MD; St. Cloud residency graduate Elina Lipovskiy, DO; St. John’s residency graduate Jennifer Svendsen, MD; St. Joseph’s residency graduates Daniel Smith, DO and Thuy D. Nguyen-Tran, MD; and University of Minnesota Medical Center residency graduate Alexandra Tsvilina, MD, PhD.

Congratulations to all graduates and award recipients!

Save the date for next year’s commencement: June 4, 2019