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The Brodie Medical Education Fund Committee annually recognizes up to five graduating residents from across all UVA Health medical and surgical residency programs with the Anne L. Brodie Resident Clinician Award.

The recipient of the award is a graduating resident known to:

• Provide continuity of care and intentionally develop collaborative, longitudinal doctor-patient relationships.
• Demonstrate compassionate, patient-centered care.
• Demonstrate excellence in clinical knowledge, skill, and judgment.

This year’s inspirational awardees are:

Eleanor Burton, MD | Ophthalmology

“Dr. Burton is, in short, up for anything. She is always very interested in complicated cases, rather than shying away from them. However, unlike many trainees who like interesting cases but do not necessarily like the interpersonal complexities that come with them, Dr. Burton is always thinking about the best thing for the patient. A situation comes to mind where Dr. Burton spent additional time speaking with a patient with a very complex retinal condition who was in need of surgical intervention – she spoke with the patient long after clinic had ended, until 5:45 p.m. The surgery went well, and afterward as a normal after-effect of the procedure the patient developed a cataract. He specifically requested that Dr. Burton do her cataract surgery.”

Andrew Chapman, MD | Neurology

“In the spirt of the Brodie Award, Andrew is intensely dedicated to his patients. He is notorious for adding patients onto his clinic schedule, even when he is not in clinic, because he feels they need to be seen. Multiple times he has come in on his day off, or stayed until lunch time after a night float shift, to make sure that his patients get the care he feels they deserve. His Epic inbox is famous among our program as receiving the most messages of anyone, attendings included, and yet he finds the time to respond to each and every one of them, on time, and with the warmth and compassion we would all want from our doctors.”

Erica Licari, MD | Pediatrics

“Across all clinical environments, Dr. Licari distinguishes herself through her ability to truly listen — to patients, to parents, and to the details that often shape a family's experience. She creates an emotionally safe and welcoming space where families feel comfortable sharing their challenges, including sensitive psychosocial factors and social determinants of health. In her continuity clinic, patients/families trust her implicitly, because she consistently shows them that she is present and invested, and committed to helping them navigate whatever barriers they face.”

Mary McGrath, MD | Medicine

“[Dr. McGrath] has had several patients on her panel receive a diagnosis of cancer and battle that condition during her three years with us. She truly treats each patient as if they were her family members. No matter the time of day, she reaches out herself to families with concerning results. She talks them through the next steps. I have seen her call late on a Tuesday night to walk a patient through a potential esophageal cancer recurrence/metastasis on imaging of the shoulder where there was a lot of diagnostic uncertainty and she wanted to talk through this with the patient and family before they saw the MyChart report. Her calm, compassionate nature has comforted these patients as they heard from their doctor right away and didn't spend a weekend worrying about the what ifs. Mary expertly loops in specialists and asks for help. She is always humble, inquisitive, and focused on the patients' best interests.”

Rishika Singh, MD | Medicine

“At the time of this recommendation, [Dr. Singh] is in the process of ‘saying goodbye’ to her UMA patients as she prepares to transition to oncology fellowship. I can tell you that many patients expressed that she has been the best resident doctor they have had and more than a few shed actual tears at the news of her departure. Dr. Singh has worked hard to develop a close longitudinal relationship with her patients. She knows ALL her panel patients very well, and to support these relationships she routinely visits, without fail, all her UMA patients when they are hospitalized. She often calls patients in between hospitalizations and clinic visits to check in on them.”