DFM Faculty Shine at the 2025 Foothills Faculty Appreciation & Teaching Awards

(Pictured left to right.) Susie Piggott, MD, and Erika Overbeek-Wager, DO, both received the Family Medicine Preceptors of the Year Award.

The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine recently hosted its annual Foothills Faculty Appreciation & Teaching Awards, honoring the 2025 recipients for their exceptional contributions to medical education. The Department of Family Medicine stood out, with several faculty members and departmental resident graduates—as well as other Family Medicine docs who were recognized for their outstanding mentorship, role modeling, and dedication to patient care. 

These awards recognize the invaluable mentorship provided by teachers and preceptors within the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC). At the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, the LIC Foothills Clerkship Phase—part of the Trek curriculum—emphasizes leadership, curiosity, and commitment by integrating basic science with clinical training.  

Through year-long partnerships with preceptors across specialties, students build strong learning relationships, follow a cohort of patients through diverse care settings, and benefit from continuous teaching, mentorship, and assessment. 

In these close collaborations, medical students gain invaluable hands-on experience and uncover meaningful pathways for professional growth. Preceptors, meanwhile, often describe a renewed sense of purpose and energy, as the presence of learners brings fresh perspectives into their practice. Many find deep fulfillment in mentoring, noting that watching students evolve into confident clinicians is one of the most rewarding aspects of their role. 

Congratulations to the following Family Medicine docs (listed alphabetically within each group): 

LIC Teacher of the Year - Selected from nominations by students for outstanding teaching/precepting, one faculty member selected per LIC. 

• Harriet Huang, MD - DH Equity LIC  
• Emily Maraschky, MD – UCH Inquiry 2 LIC (Hospice & Palliative Medicine and Family Medicine trained) 
• Bela Mohapatra, MD - CH LIC  
• Morgan Shier, MD - Rural LIC 

LIC Seminar Teacher of the Year - Selected for outstanding classroom teaching and facilitation, one faculty member selected per LIC. 

• Shalvi Patel, MD - DH Equity LIC 
• Jennifer Tseng, MD - UCH QI LIC  (Hospice & Palliative Medicine and Family Medicine trained) 
• Jessica Zha, MD, MPH - DH PPH LIC

LIC Champion - Selected by LIC leadership for extraordinary contributions to the LIC. 

• Lauren Rhoades, MD - DH LIC  
• Danny Wells-Prado, MD - CH LIC  
• Kayley Swope, MD - AMC LIC (Medicine-Internal Medicine and Family Medicine trained)

Family Medicine Preceptors of the Year - Selected from nominations by students across all LICs for outstanding teaching. 

• Susie Piggott, MD - UCH Inquiry LIC  
• Erika Overbeek-Wager, DO - CSB Equity LIC 

Internal Medicine Preceptors of the Year - Selected from nominations by students across all LICs for outstanding teaching. 

• Taisa Wiedel, MD - Rural LIC 
  

 
Congratulations to these incredible teachers who are molding our future Family Medicine physicians! And a special shoutout to Lauren Rhoades, MD; Danny Wells-Prado, MD; Shelby (Shalvi) Patel, MD; Harriet Huang, MD; Jessica Zha, MD, MPH; and Susie Piggott, MD who are Department of Family Medicine resident graduates—exemplifying hard work during their trainings. 

(Pictured left to right.) Roberto Silva, MD, posing for a photo with Morgan Shier, MD, who won Rural LIC Teacher of the Year.