Humanism. Integrity. Respect. Service. Those values and more were recognized April 23 as University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine faculty were honored at the school’s annual Distinguished Clinician and Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards ceremony.
Twelve honorees – nominated by leaders and peers – received their awards at a banquet at The Benson Hotel & Faculty Club, adjacent to the CU Anschutz campus.
In his opening remarks, CU Anschutz School of Medicine Dean John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, described the evening as “a celebration of excellence,” demonstrating that the school is a place “where patients experience extraordinary care, learners are shaped in unique ways, and faculty lead with integrity.”
He added: “Tonight is a celebration of these individuals, but it's also a symbol of our gratitude for them serving as examples to others in our midst. We're here to honor those who live those examples on a daily basis and show the rest of us the way forward.”
One by one, honorees were called to stand before their peers, family members, and others as their impressive virtues were extolled, usually by the faculty member who nominated them. One of the presenters – Angelina Koehler, CPNP, MS, MA, senior instructor in the Department of Pediatrics – paused to say how she was inspired by the “amazing” introduction speeches she was hearing.
“I want to say thank you to everyone in this room,” she told attendees. “If we’re honest, it’s a hard time in health care, and this has inspired me to recommit. Thank you for everything you do.”
Photo at top: Recipients of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards pose with Dean John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA. Photo by Melissa Santorelli | CU Anschutz School of Medicine.
Attendees at the Distinguished Clinician and Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards ceremony on April 23, 2026. Photo by Melissa Santorelli | CU Anschutz School of Medicine.
The Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards were established in 2007. The awards honor faculty at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine who exemplify professional excellence, humanism, integrity, and accountability across the core missions of academic medicine. Recipients demonstrate respect, empathy, and altruism in their daily work, along with a strong commitment to service and community engagement. They foster a collaborative environment and uphold high standards in their interactions with colleagues and learners.
Awardees are dedicated to continuous growth and make meaningful contributions to the teaching, service, and administrative missions of their department and the School of Medicine.
The Distinguished Clinician Awards – first presented in 2023 – recognize the CU Anschutz School of Medicine’s exceptional physicians, advanced practice providers, and other licensed professionals who promote a patient-centered culture. Recipients are recognized for demonstrating mastery in an area of clinical medicine, with a dedication to providing excellent and compassionate patient care, with exceptional outcomes and patient satisfaction scores. They frequently and eagerly share their clinical knowledge and skills with others to demonstrate a high standard of professionalism and personal integrity, showing a humanistic approach to both patient care and interactions with colleagues.
The awards program was moderated by Abigail Lara, MD, assistant dean for faculty relations, and Cheryl Welch, MPA, director for faculty affairs.
Recipients of the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards (from left): Mark Dell’Acqua, PhD; Anne Fuhlbrigge, MD, MS; Jane Reusch, MD; and Christopher Schneck, MD, MS.
Here are the recipients of the 2026 Distinguished Clinician and Faculty Professionalism awards, along with remarks excerpted from nomination letters. (Nominators introduced the honorees except where noted.)
2026 Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards
Mark Dell’Acqua, PhD – Dell’Acqua is a professor and vice‑chair of the Department of Pharmacology and director of the NeuroTechnology Center at CU Anschutz. Trained at the University of Maryland, Harvard, and the Vollum Institute, his research focuses on synaptic regulation, learning and memory, and neurologic disease. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2001, he has authored 90 publications with over 9,000 citations, led extensive trainee mentorship, faculty recruitment, and received multiple research, teaching, and mentoring awards.
Nominated by Heide Ford, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Pharmacology, along with co-nominators Wendy Macklin, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology; and David DiGregorio, PhD, professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics.
Remarks: “Mark has led both the department and the graduate program by serving as an excellent example of someone who is not only a top-tier scientist, but who also really cares about the success of those around him.”
Anne Fuhlbrigge, MD, MS – Fuhlbrigge, a professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, is interim senior associate dean for faculty and former senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. Trained at Washington University and Harvard, she is an internationally recognized physician‑scientist in pulmonary and asthma outcomes research, author of more than 200 publications, and leader of NIH- and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-funded studies, with sustained excellence in clinical leadership and patient‑centered, values‑driven service.
Nominated by Sunita Sharma, MD, MPH, professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, and vice chair of medicine.
Remarks: “Her leadership is quiet, steady, and anchored in the belief that professionalism is expressed not through accolades, but through everyday actions.”
Jane Reusch, MD – Reusch is a professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, associate director of the Ludeman Family Center for Women's Health Research at CU Anschutz, and a physician‑scientist at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. Internationally recognized for research on diabetes metabolism, exercise intolerance, and women’s health, she is a dedicated mentor and national leader. She has received major honors from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Endocrine Society and served as ADA president for medicine and science, advancing equitable, evidence‑based diabetes care.
Nominated by Whitney Goldner, MD, visiting professor, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes. Award accepted by Janine Higgins, PhD, professor of medicine and the CU Department of Medicine’s vice chair for research.
Remarks: “Dr. Reusch uplifts individuals, builds community, and creates structures that allow others to thrive.”
Christopher Schneck, MD, MS – Schneck is professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Marsico Endowed Chair for Excellence at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. He serves as executive and medical director of the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center at CU Anschutz and director of the CU Bipolar Program. His clinical and 25‑year research focus centers on complex mood and bipolar disorders. A dedicated educator, he spends significant time teaching residents and has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and patient care.
Nominated by Rachel Davis, MD, professor and vice chair, Department of Psychiatry. Award co-presented by C. Neill Epperson, MD, chair, Department of Psychiatry.
Remarks: “He approaches disagreement calmly. He listens carefully. He avoids escalating tone or personalizing conflict. He preserves dignity on all sides.”
Recipients of the 2026 Distinguished Clinician Awards: Top row, from left, Rebecca Allyn, MD; Hareklia (Harri) Brackett, MSN, APRN, CNS; Thomas Campbell, MD, MS; Stephanie Lehto, PsyD. Bottom row, from left: Steven Lommatzsch, MD; Stephen Scott, MD, MPH; Chelsey Stillman, PA; Jessica Yu Rove, MD.
2026 Distinguished Clinician Awards
Rebecca Allyn, MD – Allyn is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. A lifelong Coloradan, she completed medical school and an internal medicine residency at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. She has worked as a hospitalist at Denver Health since 2007, where she enjoys caring for a diverse, complex patient population. She is associate chief of Hospital Medicine with interests in provider well-being and faculty advancement and development.
Nominated by Anuradha Paranjape, MD, MPH, professor, Division of General Internal Medicine.
Remarks: “Her professionalism, deep understanding of the safety net health care system and its patients, and tireless advocacy for equitable, high-quality care have earned her tremendous respect.”
Hareklia (Harri) Brackett, MSN, APRN, CNS – Brackett is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and lead advanced practice provider for the Palliative Care Consult Service since 2005. A lifelong Coloradan with extensive experience in oncology and palliative medicine, she is a recognized educator and program leader, serving as communication lead for the MS in Palliative Care program and co‑facilitating the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium and Rocky Mountain Palliative Care Days for two decades.
Nominated by Katherine Dickerman, RN, MSN, ANP-BC, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Remarks: “Over more than 20 years in a clinically demanding specialty, Ms. Brackett has sustained a high level of practice while contributing to the development of a stable, interdisciplinary team with strong retention and a culture of mutual respect. Her work has shaped both the care delivered to patients with serious illness and the clinicians who provide that care.”
Thomas Campbell, MD, MS – Campbell is professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and medical director of the Adult Clinical Translational Research Center at CU Anschutz. A graduate of UT Southwestern, he completed internal medicine training at Parkland Hospital and an infectious diseases fellowship at CU Anschutz. He joined the faculty in 1993 and focuses his research and clinical work on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, serving as principal investigator of the Colorado Infectious Diseases Clinical Trials Unit.
Nominated by Wendy Macklin, PhD, distinguished professor and chair, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology. Introduced by and award accepted by Wendy Armstrong, MD, professor and head, Division of Infectious Diseases.
Remarks: “Dr. Campbell is the clinician to whom colleagues turn, the physician whom patients trust for decades, and the leader who strengthens systems without ever losing sight of the individual in front of him.”
Stephanie Lehto, PsyD -- Lehto is a licensed clinical psychologist and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She serves as clinical director of student and resident mental health and faculty and staff mental health, and is a psychologist in the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program. She earned her PsyD from Midwestern University and completed pre- and post-doctoral training at the Eating Recovery Center before joining the Department of Psychiatry in 2020.
Nominated by Emily Hemendinger, LCSW, MPH, CPH, ACS, assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry. Introduced by Joel Green, MSW, senior instructor, Department of Psychiatry.
Remarks: “Through her compassionate, patient-centered approach to care and her respectful, collaborative relationships with colleagues, [Lehto] demonstrates the highest standards of personal integrity.”
Presenters congratulate honorees at the Distinguished Clinician and Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awards ceremony. Photos by Melissa Santorelli | CU Anschutz School of Medicine.
Steven Lommatzsch, MD -- Lommatzsch is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health. He specializes in complex airway diseases and directs the Bronchiectasis and adult Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia programs. His research focuses on improving care for these conditions, and he is recognized for compassionate, patient-centered care, including honors as a 5280 and Castle Connolly Top Doctor.
Nominated by Irina Petrache, MD, professor and head, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.
Remarks: “Dr. Lommatzsch represents the very standard this award was designed to recognize: sustained clinical excellence, deep institutional commitment, uncompromising professionalism, and an unwavering dedication to patient-centered care.”
Stephen Scott, MD, MPH – Scott is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, completed residency at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and joined the CU Anschutz faculty in 1996. He earned an MPH in 2015. He founded the Children’s Hospital Colorado Pediatric Gynecology Program and codirects the Colorado Adolescent Maternity Program, the PROMISE Clinic, and the CHC Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic.
Nominated by Saketh Guntupalli, MD, professor and chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and three co-nominators.
Remarks: “Dr. Scott represents the very best of the University of Colorado's mission and values. His career has been defined by a sustained and meaningful commitment to pediatric and adolescent gynecology, and he has served this vulnerable patient population with remarkable excellence.”
Chelsey Stillman, PA – Stillman is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She practices in neurology at Children’s Hospital Colorado, serving in inpatient and outpatient settings, subspecialty and outreach clinics, and procedural roles. She directs the Integrative Tic Clinic, co-created and codirects the Pediatric-to-Adult Epilepsy Transition Clinic, and serves as advanced practice lead for neurology. She is a long-standing Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado leader and a 2025 fellow of the American Epilepsy Society.
Nominated by Koehler.
Remarks: “Across clinical care, program development, safety initiatives, education, and statewide advocacy, Chelsey exemplifies the qualities this award is meant to honor. Her work consistently improves outcomes, reduces inequities, and elevates the pediatric neurology system as a whole.”
Jessica Yu Rove, MD -- Rove is an associate professor in the Department of Surgery and the John T. M. Wright Endowed Chair in Heart Valve Surgery at CU Anschutz. She serves as director of robotic cardiac surgery and director of quality and safety in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. She specializes in robotic valve surgery, coronary revascularization, and atrial fibrillation ablation, and her research focuses on optimizing recovery after cardiac surgery, including SPARK award-funded device innovation to reduce postoperative pain.
Nominated by Joseph Cleveland, Jr., MD, professor of surgery and head, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Remarks: “Dr. Rove is the first to raise her hand and say, ‘How can I help?’ She is the ultimate team player and selflessly will assume any task to help her partner or a patient in time of need.”
Honorees received these awards. Photo by Melissa Santorelli | CU Anschutz School of Medicine.
