Award Winners
Faculty Award Winners
Our MSTAR program is full of stars but we like to give special recognition to some of our outstanding mentors each year who have won awards and honors as part of this program.
Awards provided by this program, based on feedback by program directors and students, are the Best Research Mentor and Best Clinical Mentor.
Best Research Mentor Award
2022 — Albert Shieh, MD
2021 — Rusell Buhr, MD, PhD
2020 — Joanna M. Schaenman, MD, PhD
2020 — Alejandra Casillas, MD
2019 — Joshua Hyong-Jin Cho, MD, PhD
2018 — Allison Mays, MD
2017 — Jeffrey Saver, MD
2016 — Cathy Lee, MD
2015 — Lee Jennings, MD
2014 — Alison Moore, MD, MPH
2013 — Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH
2012 — Neil Wenger, MD
2011 — Edmond Teng, MD, and Jonathan Wanagat, MD
2010 — Liana Apostolova, MD, and Carolyn Mendez-Luck, PhD
2009 — Cathy Alessi, MD, and Catherine Sarkisian, MD, MSPH
2008 — Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH
2007 — Harry Vinters, MD
2022 — Jennifer James, PhD
2021 — Katrina Abuabara, MD
2020 — Kristine Yaffe, MD
2020 — Theresa Allison, MD, PhD
2019 — Krista Harrison, PhD
2018 — Victor Valcour, MD, PhD
2017 — Anna Chodos, MD
2016 — Alison Huang, MD
2015 — Brie Williams, MD
2014 — Rebecca Brown, MD
2013 — Alex Smith, MD, MPH
2012 — Victor Valcour, MD
2011 — Deborah Barnes, MD
2010 — Kala Mehta, DSc, MPH, and Brie Williams, MD
2009 — Beth Cohen, PhD
2008 — Michael Steinman, MD
U Colorado
2014 — Kerry Hildreth, MD
2013 — Adit Ginde, MD, MPH
2012 — Kerrie Moreau, MD
2011 — Cari Levy, MD
2010 — Thomas Robinson, MD
2009 — James Grigsby, MD
2008 — Evelyn Hutt, MD
2007 — Cari Levy, MD
2022 — Angela Hanson, MD
2021 — Tam Pham, MD, FACS
2020 — Elizabeth A. Phelan, MD
2020 — David G. Cook, PhD
2019 — Jose M. Garcia, MD, PhD
2018 — Elizabeth Rhea, PhD
2017 — Stephen Kaplan, MD
2016 — Stephen Kaplan, MD
2015 — Cynthia Sprenger, MD
2012 — William Banks, MD
Best Clinical Mentor Award
UCLA
2023 — Leonard Susan, MD
2019 — Maristela B. Garcia, MD
2018 — Albert Bui, MD, and Sinny Wang, MD
2017 — Patricia Harris, MD
2016 — Erin Cook, MD
2015 — Hong-Phuc Tran, MD & Edith O'Neil-Page
2014 — Maristela Garcia, MD
2013 — Michelle Eslami, MD
2012 — James Davis, MD
2011 — Michelle Eslami, MD
2010 — Sue Charette, MD
2009 — Brandon Koretz, MD
2022 — Louise Walter, MD
2021 — Kaitlin Willham, MD
2019 — Kenneth Lam, MD
2018 — Michi Yukawa, MD, MPH
2017 — John Newman, MD, PhD
2016 — Lauren Carpenter, MD & Anne Fabiny, MD
2015 — Anna Chang, MD
2013 — Edgar Pierluissi, MD
U Colorado
2010 — Jeffrey Wallace, MD
2009 — John Scott, MD
U Washington
2023 — Sarah Psutka, MD
2021 — Itay Bentov, MD
2019 — May J. Reed, MD
2018 — Nathalie Bentov, MD
2017 — Itay Bentov, MD
2015 — May Reed, MD
2012 — Itay Bentov, MD
Student Award Winners
Murray H. Neidorf MSTAR Scholar
This recognition is awarded to the student who exhibits the most promise to become an academic geriatrician.
2022 – Michael Hong (2022 UCLA MSTAR)
2020 – Meghan Reddy (2020 UCLA MSTAR)
2019 – Lara Windisch (2019 UCLA MSTAR)
American Geriatrics Society - Edward Henderson Student Award Winners
The Edward Henderson Student Award is presented to a student pursuing a career in geriatrics with demonstrated excellence contributing to the field.
2016 – Marielle Bolano (2015 MSTAR)
2012 — Vivien Sun (2010 MSTAR)
2006 – Joy Guerrieri-Bang (2005 MSTAR)
American Geriatrics Society - Clinical Student Research Award Winners
This award honors an undergraduate student in dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or social work who submitted the most outstanding student abstract for the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting. The Clinical Student Research Award is presented to undergraduate students who have submitted exceptional research for presentation at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting.
2019 – Smrithi Sukumar (2018 MSTAR)
2014 – Julie Thai (2013 MSTAR)
American Geriatrics Society – Presidential Poster Session Winners
2015 – Kaveh Hemati (2014 MSTAR)
2010 – Christina Metzler (2009 MSTAR)
2006 – Joy Guerrieri-Bang (2005 MSTAR)
American Geriatrics Society – Best Poster Award Winners
2014 – Hillary Jenny (2013 MSTAR)
2009 – Ralph Balbino (2008 MSTAR)
2008 – Valerie Zamudio (2007 MSTAR)