Meet the Winners at the NCMS Golden Stethoscope Awards Dinner November 2
Region 1 – Charin L. Hanlon, MD, FACP,
Dr. Charin Hanlon was nominated by Ryan Barclay, the Director of Graduate Medical Education Novant/New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
Here is Dr. Hanlon’s nomination essay:
Dr. Charin Hanlon has dedicated her life to the pursuit of excellence in medicine. She is dual certified in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine and is a driver of innovation in medical education at our institution and within the community. She thrives on interprofessional collaboration to better support our patient population. Dr. Hanlon has held many roles including being the former president of the New Hanover County Medical Society, Director of Internal Medicine Residency Program and has most recently been promoted to the Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education in the coastal region. She has organized and led many initiatives including physician wellness committees, exploration of a new cardiac fellowship, and brought one of the only sickle cell clinics in the area to her practice. She is always striving to raise the bar for our medical education team. Her leadership has led to better access to medical care for patients and improved training opportunities for the next generation of practicing physicians.
Dr. Hanlon is the Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education at Novant/NHRMC
Region 2 – Christine Khandelwal, DO
Dr. Christine Khandelwal was nominated by Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan, DNP, APN, CGCP
Here is Dr. Khandelwal’s nomination essay:
It is with great honor I would like to nominate my colleague, Dr. Christine Khandelwal, to be recognized for the North Carolina Medical Society Golden Stethoscope Award. Whether it is in her teaching, clinical work, or leadership skills, Dr. Khandelwal is an inspirational leader who develops innovative ways to care for patients in our communities while also training the future workforce in geriatrics and palliative medicine.
I have known and worked with Dr. Khandelwal for the past two years in our community-based geriatric and palliative care practice, Transitions LifeCare, before she took a faculty position at Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM) the past year. As I retire, it would be remiss of me not to have Dr. Khandelwal recognized by her peers as the inspirational physician leader she is within our community.
Dr. Khandelwal’s ability to navigate complex healthcare systems and advocate for systemic changes has been a testament to her exceptional leadership skills and unwavering commitment to excellence. Dr. Khandelwal has been a pivotal figure within the Wake Med Hospital Systems and surrounding communities, where her contributions have significantly advanced her mission to provide exemplary care for older adults and those with serious illnesses. Dr. Khandelwal was able to develop a palliative care program in the Wake Med Hospitals for the past ten years. The success of this team is attributed to Dr. Khandelwal’s inspiring leadership to elevate her team’s abilities and vision of success in caring for patients they serve. Due to this successful practice model, Dr. Khandelwal is currently developing a new palliative care service in the rural, undeserved region of Harnett County.
Dr. Khandelwal has also been a driving force in the community, spearheading numerous initiatives aimed at improving the health and well-being of our aging population. Her leadership in community health through the development of novel care models has bridged gaps in care and enhanced the quality of life for countless individuals. For example, Dr. Khandelwal developed a new model of care with a regional nephrology practice to improve care for patients with advanced kidney disease. This community-based, nephrology and palliative care partnership is the first of its kind in our state.
Additionally, Dr. Khandelwal developed an outpatient Comprehensive Geriatric Clinic with Wake Med. She has consistently demonstrated extraordinary leadership by creating collaborations with interprofessional teams, including a partnership with community-based neurology service to ensure timely patient care. As a testament to the quality care Dr. Khandelwal provides for her patients and their families, a grateful family recently contributed to the Wake Med Foundation’s Geriatrics Program to support other patients and families. This generous contribution highlights the profound impact of Dr. Khandelwal‘s dedication and the trust she inspires in those she serves.
As a Professor of Family Medicine at CUSOM, Dr. Khandelwal provides her expertise in training students in managing patients with serious illnesses and at the end of life. Dr. Khandelwal has developed an Interprofessional, End-of-Life Care Simulation experience, emphasizing a trauma-informed pedagogical approach. Recognizing the potential risk of secondary traumatization and retraumatization with death and dying, Dr. Khandelwal has prioritized student safety in all her educational programs. The success of this program has led to invitations for Dr. Khandelwal to present her trauma-informed curricula at regional, state, and national conferences.
Dr. Khandelwal is an exemplary physician whose contributions to geriatric and palliative medicine have been both profound and far-reaching. Her unwavering dedication to all our patients, learners, and community makes Dr. Khandelwal a truly deserving candidate for the NCMS Golden Stethoscope Award. Thank you for considering my nomination of Dr. Christine Khandelwal for this prestigious award.
Dr. Khandelwal is currently building the geriatric and palliative care program at Campbell University.
Region 3 – Dr. Jennifer Stoddard, MD
Dr. Jennifer Stoddard was nominated by Dr. Karen Smith, MD
Here is Dr. Stoddard’s nomination essay:
Dr. Jennifer Stoddard is a champion for physician initiatives. I have the honor of working with her for many years on projects which not only improve quality and access of care for our communities but also insure Physician workforce stability. She is very much aware of the business of medicine and the impact on independent practice but also realizes the importance of working in collaboration with systems mutual benefit of Physicians, Physician assistants, practices but most of all patients we care for in our office settings.
She is admired for recognizing the work of the North Carolina Medical Society and the role Moore County plays in the strength of the Sandhills region of our state. Her organizational efforts insure the voice of the region is at the table as healthcare decisions are made which impact the Physician and practice of medicine.
Her awareness of the need to emphasize Physician Well-being as so many new models and initiatives are introduced further requiring more tasks to be completed in the exam room and raising the risk for burn-out and how to optimize wellness strategies is timely.
Her compassionate professionalism is appreciated across all specialties as her focus is on you the physician or the provider beyond that of your specialty organization.
I enjoy the downtime with Jennifer because it usually means good time, great conversation, realistic, and leaving the venue empowered to return to the daily practice of medicine.
It is a honor to recognize her efforts as an example of a doctor who truly represents the profession of medicine.
Dr. Stoddard is a nephrologist in Pinehurst.
Region 4 – Dr. Mohan Thakuri, MD
Dr. Mohan Thakuri was nominated by Dr. Martin Palmeri, MD, DO
Here is Dr. Thakuri’s nomination essay:
Dr. Mohan Thakuri has been the foundation of malignant hematology care in Western North Carolina. Over the last 15 years, he has helped to grow and develop a complex malignant hematology program at Mission Hospital. Dr. Thakuri was a lead physician at Cancer Care of Western North Carolina. At the peak of the program, Mission hospital was performing over 40 induction therapies for acute leukemia patients as well as a robust population of patients getting high dose Methotrexate for CNS lymphoma. In 2019 when HCA took over Mission Hospital, there were serious concerns about the future of complex malignant hematology care in Western North Carolina. Dr. Thakuri was a vocal champion for oncology patients as well as the inpatient oncology nurses. During this transition, Cancer Care of Western North Carolina disbanded. Dr. Thakuri was a key leader in forming Messino Cancer Centers which allowed for sustained and uninterrupted oncology care in Western North Carolina.
During this HCA transition, many highly qualified oncology nurses quit and they were replaced with enthusiastic but inexperienced nursing graduates. Dr. Thakuri never refused an opportunity to provided teaching and education to these new nurses to help get them up to speed. As time passed and ongoing failures on the part of HCA led to further deterioration of inpatient oncology services (despite significant investment on the part of the doctors of Messino Cancer Centers to bolster Mission’s program), Dr. Thakuri had the wherewithal to recognize the fact that we should not be providing complex hematology care at Mission hospital. For any doctor who is passionate about their craft, this is an exceeding hard decision. He has subsequently helped to coordinate having these patients transferred to our regional academic centers and continues to support these patients when their care can be resumed locally.
Dr. Thakuri has also been a dedicated rural oncologist. He has been a staple in Franklin for over 10 years. His leadership and care has helped to grow regional rural oncology care.
Over the years, I have seen many of Dr. Thakuri‘s patients both in the community setting as well as when I cover for him in the hospital. His patients have a deep appreciation for his care. Dr. Thakuri has announced his retirement at the end of the year and there has been a wave of patients sharing their gratitude and thanks for the care he has provided. He will be deeply missed by his patients.
If I had to summarize Dr. Thakuri, he is tender and thoughtful when it comes to his patients. He is a tough and tenacious advocate for oncology care in Western North Carolina. He does not accept or ever settle for mediocrity.
Dr. Thakuri is recently retired and is currently spending a month hiking Kathmandu.