Excellence in Service and Professionalism
The Excellence in Service and Professionalism award is presented to the physician who actively promotes a culture that embraces, expects and rewards the delivery of patient- and family-centered care.
Hadley Wesson, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
President of the Professional Staff
General surgeon Hadley Wesson has been president of the professional staff since October 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic and with constant workforce depletions, she did more than simply keep things moving along. Dr. Wesson chose instead to embark upon ambitious projects.
She revised the format of the quarterly professional staff meeting, based on member feedback. Recently, a networking opportunity was offered for new members of the professional staff to meet current members to facilitate collaboration and referrals.
Dr. Wesson also established the Professional Staff Accountability Committee, which founded a yearlong leadership curriculum with training and exercises to help physician leaders successfully manage issues with members of their departments. What has evolved is a hearty culture of leaders who now need little higher-level governance.
Allison Fernandez, M.D.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Allison Fernandez, along with Richard Elliott, co-founded the hospital’s pediatric pain service and has participated in many other such endeavors with clinical colleagues. The pain and child life teams recently worked together to develop a virtual reality program that helps children in pain through distraction. Dr. Fernandez is also active in quality improvement and safety initiatives, faculty development and physician well-being programs, and she is co-chair of the Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity Committee. At the national level, Dr. Fernandez works with senior female anesthesia leaders to share lessons learned through experience and to mentor female anesthesiologists. She also started the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Women of Impact in Anesthesiology lecture series, and with the support of Esteban Lugo and other team members, she helped translate the organization’s critical events checklist into Spanish. The checklist also serves as the Pedi Crisis app, a tool for teaching medical students, residents and fellows. This work has allowed Spanish-speaking anesthesiologists globally to use the critical events checklist during events and to assist in training anesthesia residents and fellows to respond to an emergency.
Homa Timlin, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Site Lead, Connective Tissue Disease and Lupus Clinic
For more than a decade, Homa Timlin has dedicated her clinical practice to treating patients with the most complex lupus nephritis and helping them avoid hospitalizations due to lupus flare-ups. In addition to performing patient care, Dr. Timlin educates medical students and residents about the basics of rheumatology and managing lupus. As the medical chair for the local chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America, she also provides educational sessions for patients with lupus and their families.
Kristen Peichert, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
Physician, Internal Medicine
Kristen Peichert epitomizes excellence and professionalism in all aspects of her work as an internal medicine physician at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians’ Glen Burnie, Maryland, practice. Dr. Peichert puts her patients first, going above and beyond to address their needs and concerns. She regularly adds patients to her busy schedule to ensure they are receiving the time, attention and care they deserve. Her exceptional service is evident in her patient satisfaction scores as well as in comments from her team.
“I do not think there is a day that goes by that I don’t talk to a patient who says how much they love and appreciate Dr. Peichert,” says a practice nurse. “She is a wealth of knowledge. She helps me be a better nurse by sharing new, relevant guidelines, and she answers any question that I have without hesitation.” Patients and the Johns Hopkins organization are fortunate to work with such a wonderful clinician.
Mustapha Saheed, M.D.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Medical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine
Mustapha Saheed is an exemplary clinician who goes above and beyond to provide the most compassionate and highest quality care to all patients who come through the emergency department. In such a complex practice environment, Dr. Saheed ensures that all emergency department physicians and medical staff members have the knowledge and resources needed to provide the best possible care for their patients.
A large part of this work is his tireless advocacy for initiatives and protocols to streamline emergency department care, and to reduce overcrowding and make the safest care possible for the highest number of patients. Dr. Saheed has been instrumental in several programs that have helped reduce boarding times, including a program that expedites patient transfers during times of critical capacity.
Whether he is leading practitioner education programs or working one on one with a patient, Dr. Saheed exhibits compassion, kindness, tact and expertise. He is loved by his patients and trainees alike.
Pouneh Razavi, M.D.
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Director of Breast Imaging, Johns Hopkins Medicine, National Capital Region (JHM-NCR)
Pouneh Razavi is the utmost professional in caring for patients. As a dedicated breast radiologist, she focuses on the unique aspects of each patient’s breast image. She makes patients feel respected, and they often comment on how kind and considerate she is when explaining results and next steps. Dr. Razavi is a compassionate, knowledgeable and courteous physician who also serves our local community. Recently, she represented JHM-NCR during the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk, and where she talked about the importance of mammograms screenings and preventive care. Dr. Razavi is extremely passionate and genuinely cares about improving the health of women.
Tet Wei Chan, M.D.
Suburban Hospital
Physician, Critical Care Medicine
Tet Wei Chan has served Suburban Hospital as an intensivist since 1998. He has extensive experience in managing the most critically ill patients, and is respected by staff in the critical care units and throughout the hospital for his impeccable service and professional demeanor.
Known for his compassionate, calm, humble and effective approach to patient-centered and family-centered care, Dr. Tet Wei Chan is driven by his passion for quality and safety. He has championed improvements in critical care protocols and management guidelines in the intensive care units, with a focus on minimizing the time patients spend on ventilators and reducing catheter-associated infections.