2020 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement is bestowed upon CMS alumni who have made a significant impact in the field of medicine and whose efforts have brought distinction to the Chicago Medical School.

 

Leslie J. Sandlow, MD ’60 

A medical career as long and distinguished as that of Dr. Leslie J. Sandlow, a member of the CMS Class of 1960, gives cause for the Chicago Medical School’s deepest gratitude and admiration.

Dr. Sandlow’s influence on all aspects of health care has been exemplary and has impacted so many lives. He is a master clinician and researcher caring for some our most vulnerable patients and families. Yet his commitment to medical education spans from the most highly trained specialist to the budding premedical student—all received his full energy and most important, his enthusiasm to provide learners at every level with the best experience. 

Board certified in internal medicine, Dr. Sandlow is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American College of Physician Executives. His professional excellence and commitment to the advancement of medicine is also evidenced in his long record of academic and administrative appointments. A Professor Emeritus of Medical Education and Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, he has also held appointments at the Chicago Medical School, the University of Chicago, the UIC School of Public Health and the William Beaumont School of Medicine while serving as a high-level administrator at Michael Reese Hospital. He has been recognized as a mentor to many, an innovator of curricular change, professionalism, student assessment, the use of adult education teaching and learning methods, faculty development and the design of hospital clinical and teaching facilities.

Dr. Sandlow has co-authored dozens of original publications, abstracts, books and chapters. He has lectured widely. A doctor’s doctor, he has apparently found it difficult to say “No,” lending his expertise in numerous other professional activities, as advisor, advocate and trustee. He has toured the world as a highly sought after visiting professor and in the process of documenting his exotic travels, has become an accomplished blogger and photographer.

Dr. Sandlow’s career has been a testament to growth and learning, and to the highest standards of the medical profession. 

 

Sabrina R. Kendrick, MD ’90, FACP 

It is with great pride that the Chicago Medical School honors Dr. Sabrina Kendrick, a member of the CMS Class of 1990, with the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Achievement in recognition of her strong record of leadership and her commitment to patient care, research and teaching.

In her 30 years in medicine, Dr. Kendrick has put the health needs and concerns of patients and communities first. As the director of the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center Screening Clinic — one of the largest HIV/AIDS clinics in the United States that treats more than 10,000 patients annually and named after former Chair of the Rosalind Franklin University Board of Trustees — she has focused on the prevention, care and research of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. 

In her dual roles as Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Rush University Medical Center and as an Attending Physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Dr. Kendrick has championed the highest quality care for persons and families affected by infectious diseases, with respect, dignity and compassion and without regard to their ability to pay. She has sought to expand initiatives to routinize and optimize screening for STIs, linking and re-engaging people living with HIV to care, working to decrease stigma and putting services and supports in place to help patients stay retained in care and achieve viral suppression.

Dr. Kendrick has championed a patient-centered environment by seeking to better understand and to prevent disease through education and research. As a Principal Investigator, she has also contributed a rich vein of research, much of it delving into rapid HIV testing, STIs, antivirals and antiretroviral drugs. She has co-authored manuscripts and many abstracts. 

Always generous with her time and talent, Dr. Kendrick has served on many advisory boards and as a mentor, leader and educator. Above all, she is a healer and champion of the underserved. 

Distinguished Alumni Award for Service is bestowed upon CMS alumni for unselfish devotion of time and service in a professional capacity or in the broader community that have brought distinction to the Chicago Medical School.

 

Mitchell L. Goldflies, MD ’75 

Dr. Mitchell L. Goldflies, a 1975 graduate of the Chicago Medical School, has made an indelible mark on his profession and alma mater. Dr. Goldflies’ career and service are deeply rooted in his dedication to professional medical education, to CMS and to future physicians who will carry forward his legacy of commitment.

The son of Jerome Goldflies, MD ’45, Dr. Goldflies is renowned in the fields of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine. He has practiced for 45 years in the Chicagoland area, while also serving as a mentor to the next generations of doctors through his outstanding teaching and lecturing. 

Throughout his noteworthy career, Dr. Goldflies has demonstrated unwavering commitment to his practice and his patients, affording him several leadership positions at Saint Anthony, Norwegian American and Thorek Memorial Hospitals. 

Dr. Goldflies has been a consummate advocate of the Chicago Medical School. Since 1985, he has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery training Rosalind Franklin University students from both CMS and Scholl College. He joined the CMS Alumni Association Board of Governors in 2001, and worked quietly, without fanfare over the years to support CMS students by serving as a clinical exposure host, alumni mentor and specialty consultant.

Giving back to his community and profession, Dr. Goldflies has generously used his gifts to help those in underserved populations. CMS is truly grateful and humbled by his selfless example, distinguished service and indomitable spirit. 

Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Career Achievement is bestowed upon CMS alumni of the past 15 years who have achieved early distinction that proudly reflects the power of a Chicago Medical School education.

 

Sara Pavitt, MD ’15

Our final alumni award recipient this evening is Dr. Sara (Cady) Pavitt, a member of the CMS Class of 2015, who is the 2020 recipient of the Chicago Medical School Distinguished Alumni Early Career Achievement Award for attaining early distinction that proudly reflects the power of a CMS education.

Dr. Sara (Cady) Pavitt, a 2015 graduate of the Chicago Medical School, is a Pediatric Headache Fellow at Benioff Children’s Hospital at the University of San Francisco having completed a pediatrics residency at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford where she also served as Chief Resident in her Child Neurology Residency at Stanford Health Care. 

She is a medical educator and interested in quality improvement. She has conducted research on the development of innovative educational practices and improving communication in our complex healthcare system that has led to publication in peer-reviewed journals including Pediatrics, Academic Pediatrics, Academic Medicine, and Headache, as well as peer-reviewed — and award-winning — platform and poster presentations.

Dr. Pavitt has been repeatedly recognized by both her peers and students alike. This year alone Dr. Pavitt was chosen as one of 15 residents in the country for the 2020 American Academy of Neurology's Enhanced Resident Leadership Program. She was presented with the Christine Wijman Humanism in Medicine Award at Stanford for demonstrating that concern for human interests, values and dignity is of the utmost importance to the care of the sick. The Arnold P. Gold Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award was bestowed upon Dr. Pavitt for her exceptional teaching skills and compassionate treatment of patients, families, students and colleagues.