Best Consulting Physician
The Best Consulting Physician award is presented to the physician who provides superior consulting or specialized services.
Alexander Y. Kim, M.D.
Director, Medical Biochemical Genetics
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
Alexander Kim is building the medical biochemical genetics program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and is an assistant professor of genetic medicine in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is recognized by colleagues throughout the hospital for sharing his expertise in genetically based metabolic disorders and their impact on care in multiple settings, helping to coordinate the care and safety of his patients in multiple settings, including the NICU and operating room.
Dr. Kim goes above and beyond to provide timely, helpful and thoughtful guidance to consulting teams. He is a strong advocate for patients with rare and often devastating disease processes, many of whom have conditions that increase the risk for complications of general anesthesia. Dr. Kim meets regularly with the anesthesia department and provides meticulous recommendations for fluid management and medications during surgery and the perioperative period. “The amount of detail provided is equivalent to reading CME material,” a colleague notes, “and he provides this level of detail for all of his patients.”
As an advocate for his patients, Dr. Kim can often be found staying late and spending extra time at the bedside to explain a complicated diagnosis to a family and provide moral support. He also carefully teaches trainees how to best evaluate and care for patients with complex genetic metabolic disorders to ensure the highest quality of care.
Tracy Friedlander, M.D., M.E.H.P.
Medical Director, Acute Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit
Residency Program Director, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Tracy Friedlander is a physician leader and clinical partner within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Johns Hopkins Bayview. She leads with collaboration and fosters a work environment that supports all members of the care team.
Recently, Dr. Friedlander saw a need to expand the clinical bench strength of advanced practiced providers (APPs) and developed a model for cross-training the consult service team with the members of the acute comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation unit (ACIR). Because of her leadership and support, there is now a wider pool of APPs to support patient care needs at Johns Hopkins Bayview, resulting in increased provider satisfaction and reduced risk of burnout.
Additionally, Dr. Friedlander helped revamp the PM&R consult service by improving workflows, yielding a 30% increase in internal referrals from the acute care hospital to the ACIR. She is a phenomenal partner to the admissions team and reinforces the new workflow while maintaining a high level of collaboration and communication
Gregory Kumkumian, M.D.
Cardiology
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
Gregory Kumkumian has been a valued member of the Johns Hopkins Community Physicians team of cardiologists for nearly 15 years and has served the National Capital Region for decades. He works long hours, and consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, professionalism, innovation and leadership. Dr. Kumkumian never turns down a case, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, receives the care and attention they deserve. A colleague notes, “His ability to navigate complex cases with both skill and empathy has greatly impacted our field and the lives of those he serves.” Dr. Kumkumian has been recognized as one of the area’s “Top Doctors” several times by Washingtonian magazine.
Says one patient, “Dr. Kumkumian is what a provider should be: Knowledgeable, caring, takes his time, listens carefully and communicates clearly.”
Pamela Johnson, M.D.
Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science and Vice President of Care Transformation
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Pamela Johnson is known for providing extraordinary care to her patients while supporting her colleagues both emotionally and professionally. She champions clinical excellence, and is available 24/7 to review CT scans and provide advice on the most complicated and critically ill patients. Dr. Johnson’s colleagues describe her as “a detective who helps us solve the cases that haunt us in the dark of night.”
In addition to her work as an exemplary radiologist, Dr. Johnson is vice president of care transformation for the Johns Hopkins Health System. She is a national leader in this field. In 2023 and 2024, Dr. Johnson was recognized on the Becker’s Hospital Review “Chief Transformation Officers to Know” list for achieving meaningful change in health care. In this role, Dr. Johnson has helped spearhead initiatives that directly improve patient care, including decreasing hospital admissions and length of stay.
Habib Khan, M.B.B.S.
Chief of Palliative Medicine
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
A compassionate yet direct team player, Habib Khan excels in his role as chief of palliative medicine at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center. Dr. Khan carefully and skillfully works with families facing a terminal illness to discuss end-of-life care and goals for patient management.
“He has a true gift of being able to meet, talk and relate with families and help them through the most difficult times,” says a colleague. “He meets the patient and their family where they are and then begins the goals-of-care journey in a compassionate, realistic, respectful and solutions-oriented manner. Simply partaking in a family meeting with him is an educational experience on how to talk to people.”
According to Dr. Khan’s nomination, the importance of his place in patient and family care at the medical center cannot be understated.
Camille Stanback, M.D.
Endocrinologist
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Camille Stanback is an expert communicator and efficient physician who helps link the inpatient and outpatient endocrinology teams. She exclusively staffs the endocrine hospitalist service at Sibley Memorial Hospital, handling high consult volumes efficiently. Dr. Stanback doubled the footprint of the endocrine hospitalist program and led improvements to the inpatient diabetes management program by shortening hospital stays, reducing readmission and improving patient outcomes.
Known for her compassion and clinical expertise, Dr. Stanback is always willing to go above and beyond for her patients. Outside of her clinical duties, Dr. Stanback is an avid teacher and advocate for her patients.
Rupen Baxi, M.D.
Oasis – Women’s Center for Advanced Gyn Surgical Care
Suburban Hospital
Rupen Baxi, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and fellowship-trained minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon, is always available at all hours of the day and night to quickly evaluate and treat patients at Suburban Hospital. Dr. Baxi takes pride in being available, reliable and providing his patients with predictable outcomes, even when he isn’t on call. His prompt response and surgical expertise enable more patients with gynecological emergencies to be treated on-site, even those with potentially life-threatening complications. Dr. Baxi is known for his calm, professional demeanor and his compassionate approach to patient care.
“He has yet to say no to coming in to save a patient,” a colleague writes, including a time when he left a family celebration to care for a patient suffering from a serious gynecologic surgical emergency. “That is always his answer when we need him: ‘I’m on my way.’”
