(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.
LIC Seminar Teacher of the Year - Selected for outstanding classroom teaching and facilitation, one faculty member selected per LIC.
LIC Champion - Selected by LIC leadership for extraordinary contributions to the LIC.
Family Medicine Preceptors of the Year - Selected from nominations by students across all LICs for outstanding teaching.
Internal Medicine Preceptors of the Year - Selected from nominations by students across all LICs for outstanding teaching.
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.