Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD, professor of medicine (endocrinology)
Fellowship: Yale School of Medicine
Residency: University of Maryland School of Medicine
PhD: Yale University
MD: University of Medicine at Baltimore
BA: Bucknell University
What does your promotion/appointment mean to you?
I never thought I would go to medical school or, a decade later, get a PhD and become a physician-scientist. Everything else is a bonus.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to/appointed as professor?
I shared the news in real time with my super supportive husband. At that moment, we happened to be walking over to campus to receive his MA privatim from Yale University for being promoted to full professor with tenure!
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
Not giving up.
Not giving up on teaching that obesity is a disease.
Not giving up in trying to figure out how medications target the pathophysiology of obesity.
Not giving up on helping patients with obesity transforms their lives and health.
What is your favorite part of academia?
My favorite part…
The people. The friendships. The relationships with my colleagues. We inspire each other. We are creative together. Hopefully, we are helping to make the world a better place for people living with obesity.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
My parents both have PhDs: my father is a neuroscientist. My mother is a pharmacologist. I study a neurometabolic disease – obesity – and novel pharmacotherapeutics to treat it. Nature vs. nurture?
Christopher Ruser, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine)
Residency: Yale School of Medicine
MD: Cornell University Medical College
BA: Cornell University
What does your promotion/appointment mean to you?
It’s certainly an honor, and as others have said, it is a kind of validation.
I don’t think of myself as having had a traditional academic career, and so the validation is less of a recognition of a visible body of research or science; rather, it’s recognition that clinical leadership, which is sometimes less tangible, can have important impacts.
A high-functioning leadership team in the right health care system, like the VA, can be a great place to innovate, share work, and share success. The bonus is that, beyond academics, you can also see improvements in patient care as a primary product.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to/appointed as professor?
Like any good internist, I didn’t act too quickly! Instead, I first did a lot of thinking. Of course, I shared the news with my family, but I had to think about what it meant.
Twenty-five years have gone by quickly. A moment like this gives you pause. In that pause, it’s nice to think about all the people you’ve met, different projects you’ve worked on, as well as varying roles, phases of your career, and the many patients that you’ve treated and some that you’ve lost, but don’t forget. Promotion is just a moment, but so much is rolled up into it.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
The COVID-19 pandemic was a dark period for the country and an unprecedented time in health care. I think for many of us, it will be formative for decades to come.
I was proud to be a part of a rational health care system and a talented leadership team in VACT Primary Care and Yale General Internal Medicine, where we were able to innovate in days and weeks, not years. We made rapid leaps from creative ideas to operational changes that saved lives, and we shared these ideas regionally and nationally in the VA and beyond. It brought out the best in our team and, in many ways, proved that health care systems themselves have a role in promoting equity.
Having the Secretary of the VA personally visit us and hand out “coins” (military awards) in recognition of our success is something that I will always remember.
What is your favorite part of academia?
I love solving problems as part of a team. This concept is well-known in traditional academia and science – translating a series of basic science solutions towards some greater goal, treatment, or cure of a disease, but in clinical leadership, it may be less obvious.
When we look at challenges in quality or population health, we’re often starting with small problems, like concrete workflow issues that start at patient check-in or stem from challenges in informatics or staffing. A creative team innovates to solve these small problems and then scales up to large programs, like mailed FIT (fecal immunochemical tests) for colorectal cancer screening, affecting whole populations of patients. When done well, this work gets shared with others at academic medical centers. It’s exciting to think about this ripple and how many patients’ lives can be impacted.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
While it’s not completely surprising that Dr. Susan Kashaf agreed to marry me (though I am still figuring that one out 25 years later!), it is surprising that she agreed to a date even after our first-year medical school show when I danced with her in a full chicken suit!
Kim Smolderen, PhD, professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine) and psychiatry (psychology)
Fellowship: Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute
PhD: Tilburg University
MSc: Tilburg University
What does your promotion/appointment mean to you?
It feels like coming full circle in a way, but also new, exciting beginnings. This appointment followed a long journey of growth in many different domains, supported by so many along the way, for which I am grateful. It is an honor and a privilege to be afforded this lifetime opportunity, and I feel the charge to carry it forward and to do something meaningful with it, so that it serves many.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to/appointed as professor?
I reached out to my family and then took some time to process further.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
I’m most proud that I followed my passion, and that I can support others in doing the same.
What is your favorite part of academia?
It is a place of creativity, growth, and connection with colleagues, mentees, and patients, with the united goal of improving the care and outcomes that we deliver to patients.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
I am a yoga instructor.
Aseem Vashist, MD, professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine)
Fellowship (Interventional Cardiology): Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut
Fellowship (Nuclear Cardiology): Yale School of Medicine
Fellowship (Cardiovascular Medicine): Montefiore Medical Center – Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residency: Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center – Albert Einstein College of Medicine
MD: Armed Forces Medical College
What does your promotion/appointment mean to you?
While I have held the title of professor at other institutions, I am deeply honored to be appointed to the rank of professor at Yale. It is indeed a very significant personal and professional milestone, and it marks a high point in my career.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to/appointed as professor?
I was finishing up a meeting with my chief, Dr. Eric Velazquez, when I received confirmation of my appointment. After expressing my deep gratitude to Dr. Velazquez for his immense support, I promptly proceeded to call my wife to share this exciting news.
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
Medical careers often follow highly structured pathways, but thanks to exceptional and supportive mentors, I was able to chart a career trajectory that was not necessarily easy but one that has been tremendously fulfilling. I am proud of several aspects of my career, including the privilege of taking care of patients, peer recognition, contributing to the development of professional guidelines, and leadership roles on national committees.
What is your favorite part of academia?
The most rewarding aspect of academia has been the blend of clinical, research, and teaching responsibilities. Working with outstanding students, trainees, and supportive colleagues at Yale has been tremendously satisfying.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
My son and I are “aircraft enthusiasts” and enjoy "plane spotting " enormously; we often plan our vacations around plane spotting venues across the globe....and also, I can pretty much quote every episode of Seinfeld verbatim!
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