Yasuko Iwakiri, PhD, Digestive Diseases
PhD: Colorado State University
MS: Oregon State University
BS: Miyazaki University
What does your promotion mean to you?
It brought me enormous relief and represents a significant achievement in my life. Furthermore, I see it as the beginning of the next phase of my journey, where I can advance my career further with greater freedom from the promotion process. Additionally, it has given me assurance that I can express my opinions more freely than before.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to professor?
I called my husband and texted my family in Japan.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
I am fortunate to be surrounded and supported by incredible individuals—my husband, family, friends, colleagues, mentors, trainees, and staff—who have taught me in many ways and encouraged me to work hard to become a better person.
What is your favorite part of academia?
My favorite part of academia is the freedom of research, which allows me to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of knowledge. I also cherish the opportunities to meet with researchers from all over the world, exchanging ideas and insights and starting exciting collaborations. One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing my trainees grow and continue their research journey after leaving my lab.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
I have been running a half-marathon in the New Haven Labor Day Road Race every year for the last 10 years. This has become an indispensable annual event for me. Two cups of beer after completing the race are a gratifying reward and a vital part of this event—I have taken photos of this moment every year.
Benjamin Mba, MBBS, General Internal Medicine
Chief Resident: Cook County Hospital
Residency: Staffordshire General Hospital (UK), Cook County Hospital (USA)
Internship: Lagos University Teaching Hospital
MBBS: College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria
What does your appointment mean to you?
I was promoted to professor of medicine at Rush Medical College, in Chicago, in 2019. Now, being appointed professor of medicine at one of the most prestigious universities in the nation and the world is indeed a great honor and privilege. In accepting this honor and responsibility, I recognize that attaining the rank of professor at any university is an acknowledgment by an academic community that one’s work and achievements over the years have contributed to a broad body of knowledge and advanced the institution.
Perhaps more important is the acknowledgment and platform it provides to continue to impact the careers of numerous mentees positively. I embrace the responsibility that it brings to continuously grow and diversify our faculty body, expand knowledge, and advance the Department of Medicine and Yale’s mission.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were appointed as a professor?
It's funny, but you can say I shared the good news via generation-appropriate effective modes of communication: a call to my wife and a text to my kids.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
I am most proud of the diverse generations of trainees I have mentored over the years, the things they have achieved, and the propagation of clinical care, knowledge, skills, and mentoring they have ensured. This is not just a contribution to the circle of academia but also the tremendous impact the trainees have had and continue to have on thousands of patients and their families.
What is your favorite part of academia?
I am honored and privileged to partner, collaborate, and share ideas with incredibly brilliant and generous peers. In turn, I invest it all in the next generation of diverse academic leaders, clinicians, and change agents.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
I love ironing clothes. I find it relaxing.
Sandip Mukherjee, MD, FACC, Cardiovascular Medicine
Fellowship: Yale School of Medicine
Chief Resident: Yale School of Medicine
Residency: Yale School of Medicine
Internship: Yale School of Medicine
MD: Texas Tech University
BS: Texas A&M University
What does your promotion mean to you?
It is an honor and privilege for me to have been promoted to professor. The title, although affirming, is not simply about individual success. More importantly, the promotion allows physicians an even stronger platform to advocate for our junior colleagues and continue to strive for positive institutional change.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to professor?
I was overseas with my daughter on vacation at the time. The first thing I did was call my family and thank my mentors, without whom this would not have been possible. It was a joyous moment for me.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
I am most proud of being a doctor. Every day, I feel privileged to meet amazing people, be trusted, and possibly favorably alter the course of a person’s life. Alongside that fulfillment, I am proud of my efforts to further physician philanthropy at Yale as a means towards the betterment of our medical school, health care system, and community.
What is your favorite part of academia?
My favorite part of academia is the ability to be with individuals who make a difference—both intellectually and socially. Even after 36 years at Yale School of Medicine, I am struck daily by our capacity as a profession to enhance scientific innovation. I am very proud to be here.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
I love the art of cooking and have nearly 250 books on food and wine.
Mireille Serlie, MD, PhD, Endocrinology and Metabolism
Fellowship: Academic Medical Center Amsterdam
Residency: Academic Medical Center Amsterdam
PhD: University of Amsterdam
MD: University of Amsterdam Medical School
BS: University of Amsterdam Medical School
What does your appointment mean to you?
I feel honored and happy to be part of the Yale faculty and to continue my career in this inspiring academic environment.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were appointed as professor?
To be honest, I just went on with my day. Maybe I should have celebrated it more. It is probably my Dutch Calvinist genes.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
I am most proud of combining clinical work with science and addressing research questions that are relevant for patients. Also, I am proud of setting up one of the largest European intestinal failure and parenteral nutrition expert centers at the Amsterdam University Medical Center. We positively affected the quality of life of patients who are dependent on parenteral nutrition.
What is your favorite part of academia?
I enjoy in-depth discussions on the mechanisms of disease.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
You North Americans take squirrels and chipmunks for granted. I think they are the most adorable creatures, and I love observing them in my yard for hours.
Also, I have a black belt in karate.
Merceditas Villanueva, MD, Infectious Diseases
Fellowship: Yale New Haven Hospital
Residency: Duke University
Internship: Michael Reese Hospital
MD: Washington University School of Medicine
BA: Harvard College
What does your promotion mean to you?
I was notified of my promotion at almost the same time as I received my Medicare Part A card (yes, I am that old!), so I am in the later stage of my career. My journey has been atypical, with various career reinventions along the way requiring the gaining of new skills (grant writing, producing scholarly papers) even as I built on earlier carefully honed skills (clinical expertise, particularly in infectious disease). It has been a challenge to persevere and maintain resiliency in what has often felt like a young person’s domain, but I believe that with longevity comes a stronger sense of internal validation that can be a counterweight to the forces of external validation (by definition, necessary components for promotion), which can sometimes feel daunting.
My promotion has been a welcome institutional validation of a work ethic and career trajectory that underlies the clinician educator-scholar track, which, for me, values the ideals of joy in clinical medicine, the sharing of scholarly insights with the community at large (particularly the underserved), and a strong commitment to teaching and giving back to the next generation of physicians. Parenthetically, this milestone has shown me that there are many academic phenotypes that can potentially be welcomed to the table at YSM. I am extremely grateful for my mentors, past and present, and the support and advocacy from my colleagues, friends, and family.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to professor?
I processed the news rather quietly—I shed some tears of happiness as I did not think this day would come—then continued to complete my to-do list for the day. I told my husband of the good news on the drive home and let my immediate family know later that evening.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
I am proud that I still very much enjoy what I do on a day-to-day basis and that I continue to be excited to innovate. I have worked with amazing colleagues who have taught me so much and to whom I am indebted for help in building programs, advancing knowledge, and improving our clinical and teaching initiatives. I have dedicated my career to advancing programs to benefit persons with HIV, who are often among the most underserved and stigmatized persons in our midst. Bringing meaningful collaborations with community partners outside of academia has been extremely rewarding.
What is your favorite part of academia?
When I returned to the full-time faculty in 2009, I was excited to see all the academic activities happening around the medical campus. The opportunity to learn from colleagues in Infectious Diseases and other disciplines, garner new insights that apply to my own work, and collaborate with smart and interesting people has been a tremendous gift.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
I immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines at the age of four and grew up in Queens, New York—apparently the home base of other YSM faculty! My maternal grandparents were rice farmers in the Philippines, and my grandmother died of tuberculosis—presaging my interest in infectious diseases. It’s hard to believe how much change can happen in just one to two generations and how immigrants can impact the landscape.
The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.