The Capital Area Health Consortium, the group of Connecticut hospitals that employs medical residents and fellows in UConn-sponsored programs, announces awards for three UConn School of Medicine residents and one faculty member.
Drs. Amdanda Frondella, Lisa Tamburini, and Irbert Vega won Community Service Awards, and Dr. Jaclyn Olsen Jaeger won the T. Stewart Hamilton, MD, Fellowship.
Frondella recently finished her second year in UConn’s internal medicine residency program.
“During her time with us, Amanda has dedicated herself to taking excellent care of our community both in and out of the hospital/clinic setting,” said Dr. Jaclyn Cox, the program’s assistant director, in her nomination.
Frondella is an active participant in the internal medicine residency’s Health Equity Track. Cox credits her with leading several community events to benefit vulnerable members of the Hartford community, being a key part of listening events around the Hartford community to raise her understanding of root causes of health disparities, and helping develop plans for outreach care on the streets in partnership with the group Hands on Hartford.
“Learning of my nomination for the Community Service Award was an unexpected honor,” Frondella says. “My involvement with UConn’s Internal Medicine Health Equity Track has been a highlight of residency and has taught me invaluable lessons that I now incorporate into my daily patient care. I plan to continue to lead community initiatives in Hartford and am excited to connect with individuals and organizations who understand the importance of eliminating health inequities in our community and society at large. I would like to express a sincere ‘thank you’ for this award — it means so much to me.”
Tamburini recently completed her second year in UConn’s orthopedic surgery residency program. Dr. Katherine Coyner and Dr. Lauren Geaney nominated her for her dedication to the Inspiring Women in Engineering and Medicine program, which is led by Coyner and seeks to empower and inspire young women to pursue careers in historically male-dominated fields.
“Lisa’s presence during these sessions has a profound impact on the participants, as she shares her experiences, insights, and expertise with unwavering enthusiasm and dedication,” her nominators wrote. “By actively participating in IWEM, Lisa not only demonstrates her commitment to community service but also helps break down barriers and stereotypes, showing young women that there are no limits to what they can achieve in medicine and engineering.”
“Receiving the Community Service award was truly an unexpected honor,” Tamburini says. “Volunteering for the Inspiring Women in Engineering and Medicine (IWEM) is something I really enjoy doing; there is nothing better than seeing the excitement of the participants as they suture, use a drill, or practice arthroscopic surgery for the first time. Being recognized for my involvement in this program reminded me of the impact we can make on our communities and the importance of our role in the community.”
Vega just completed UConn’s emergency medicine residency. Dr. Shawn London, the residency’s program director, nominated him in recognition of two volunteer endeavors — one local, one international.
London calls Vega a key member of the Department of Emergency Medicine’s educational efforts at the Maria Cabral hospital in Santiago, Dominican Republic, on behalf of that country’s first emergency medicine residency program.
“This residency program has been key to the development of emergency medicine and improved trauma care in a country where acute injuries are a leading cause of mortality in young adults,” London wrote. “As a physician fluent in Spanish, he has been a valued member of our faculty group’s travels to Santiago, where we have taught a comprehensive course in point of care ultrasound for the past several years.”
“I am deeply grateful for this award,” Vega says. “This recognition encourages me to continue to promote community partnerships locally and abroad. My time teaching ultrasound in Santiago de los Caballeros profoundly altered the course of my life and career.”
Vega says the experience inspired him to pursue a clinical ultrasound fellowship at Hartford Hospital, and still wishes to continue to advance ultrasound education in the Dominican residency program.
The local recognition is for his and his children’s volunteer work at the Trinity College community garden, planting wildflowers to support the bee population and helping maintain the infrastructure for the urban farming initiative.
“In addition to using this as an opportunity to engage with the local community, Dr. Vega’s maintenance efforts in the garden also helps local groups grow vegetables to help address food insecurity in the neighborhood surrounding Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Hartford Hospital,” London wrote.
“This garden not only promotes a healthy ecosystem by providing Northeast native flowers for pollinators, including a nearby beehive maintained by a local high school, but also enhances the beauty of the neighborhood,” Vega says.
The Community Service Award comes with up to $1,000 each to residents or fellows who have provided exemplary voluntary service in a health or human services capacity.
The T. Stewart Hamilton, MD, Fellowship is an up-to-$2,000 scholarship for employees of consortium hospitals who are interested in further their careers in health care management, medicine, or nursing. Olsen Jaeger sought the fellowship to apply toward the Harvard Medical School postgraduate certificate program “Training to Teach Medicine.”
“Since joining our faculty in August 2017 and from her time with us when she was a UConn medical resident, Dr. Olsen Jaeger has demonstrated a passion and an excellence for both clinical and medical education,” wrote Dr. George Kuchel, director of the UConn Center on Aging, in his recommendation letter. “[Training to Teach Medicine] will help Dr. Olsen Jaeger develop teaching skills and enhance her knowledge of medical education. Given her increasing medical education leadership role in the medical school, with an impact across the consortium, I cannot think of a more worthy recipient.”
Dr. Patrick Coll, medical director for senior health, also backed Olsen Jaeger’s application.
“She is a wonderful physician who has a very promising academic career,” Coll, wrote. “She brings incredible energy and enthusiasm to everything she does. I have been particularly impressed by her skills as a medical educator.”
“I am incredibly grateful for being selected for the T.S. Hamilton, MD, Fellowship,” Olsen Jaeger says. “One of the main reasons I chose to pursue a career in academic medicine was because of the opportunities I would have to teach health care professionals, especially medical students, as part of my daily job. I feel a strong sense of duty to optimally teach principles of geriatric medicine to the next generation of multi-disciplinary learners as well as enhance the quality of care of older adults living in our Connecticut communities and around the world. This scholarship will help continue to hone my skills in providing high-quality education in a variety of educational settings to a variety of learners.”
The Capital Area Health Consortium is a nonprofit voluntary association with six member hospitals collectively responsible for the residents’ and fellows’ salary and benefits.
