Primary Care & Psychiatry Clerkship Honors Excellent Community Physician Teachers

At a ceremony on May 28, 2025, the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Primary Care and Psychiatry Clerkship leaders announced their annual Departmental Excellence in Teaching Awards. YSM medical students nominate community-based physicians for the awards.

The Yale Department of Internal Medicine Ambulatory Teaching Award was presented to Assistant Clinical Professor David Antonetti, MD, who is affiliated with Northeast Medical Group (NEMG). A special Department of Internal Medicine Ambulatory Teaching Award, in memorium, went to Assistant Clinical Professor, Cynthia Togawa, MD, who had been affiliated with NEMG.

The Pediatrics Teaching Award was presented to Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Katherine Mini, MD, who is associate chief of pediatrics at Yale Health Pediatrics, while the Psychiatry Teaching Award went to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Sean Patterson, MD, who is the interim medical director of the Adult Mood Disorders Unit at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital.

At the ceremony, the clerkship leaders read excerpts from the student nominations for the awards. For example, Professor of Internal Medicine (General Medicine) and Co-Director, Yale Primary Care and Psychiatry Clerkship Peter Ellis, MD, MPH, read from medical student Lenique Huggins’s nomination, which characterized Antonietti as “my most attentive and empathetic preceptor in any rotation, and he actively tries to create opportunities for students to learn in and out of their comfort zones. Great as a teacher and just as a personable, understanding person!” Referencing how he excelled at creating learning environments, Huggins’s nomination described how Antonetti “is the only person I worked with who had me present in front of patients. He offered this as an option from the first day, only if I felt comfortable. I think this was a great opportunity to go out of my comfort zone—having to present not only to the attending but to the patient at the same time. I feel it held me accountable to the patient story, sharpened my memory by not forgetting any details without reviewing beforehand, and forced me to have a sensible flow to my presentations.”

In announcing the special award for Togawa, Ellis shared that last year, all eight students working with her on their clerkship rotation gave her a perfect rating. Among the students’ many complimentary comments, was that Togawa was “an incredible educator and the kindest attending I have worked with throughout my clerkship year. I am so grateful for my rotation with her at NEMG because I grew as a medical student in both my skills and my clinical reasoning.” Similarly, another student shared that Togawa was “an outstanding preceptor. It was obvious that she cared about my education and growth. She is always available to answer questions, reflect on experiences, and set achievable goals for me. I improved every session I was with her. Not only did she support my learning, but she modeled exemplary physician practice. She held a strong bond with each of her patients, and in her I could see the physician that I wanted to become. It is rare to find a teacher who is both kind and willing to go the extra mile to help.”

Ellis explained that Togawa sadly passed away in April 2025, at age 44, and then stated that it is an honor “to recognize Dr. Togawa’s inspired teaching and outstanding contribution to Yale medical student teaching with this posthumous award,” continuing, “I hope to honor her impact on Yale student education, acknowledge her unrealized potential, and recognize and celebrate her talented teaching—inspiring!” Togawa’s husband, Ken Matsuo, MD, accepted the award on her behalf.

Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) Ada Fenick, MD, who serves as associate director for pediatrics, Medical School Clerkship in Biopsychosocial Approach to Health, presented the Pediatrics Teaching Award. Fenick shared remarks from several students praising Mini. For example, one student shared, “Dr. Mini was incredibly friendly and approachable from day one, making my pediatrics experience both enjoyable and deeply enriching. She fostered an environment that was both supportive and challenging, encouraging significant growth and learning. I appreciated the structured progression of the rotation—starting with a week of shadowing before transitioning to seeing patients in parallel—which provided both autonomy and guidance, allowing me to build my clinical confidence over time.”

Another student stated that Mini’s “warmth and compassion with patients set a strong example of the physician-patient relationships I hope to cultivate in my own career. Her dedication to teaching was exceptional; she took the time to review patients before visits, collaboratively develop care plans, and provide thoughtful feedback afterward. I also admired her humility, which reinforced the idea that being a physician is a lifelong journey of learning.”

Professor of Psychiatry Kirsten Wilkins, MD, who serves as the Psychiatry Department’s director of medical student education, shared several students’ reflections about Patterson during the ceremony. These included, "Dr. Patterson is the best attending I have worked with my entire clerkship year. He is deeply passionate about patient care and teaching. He really made me feel like a part of the team. He leads by example, and I feel grateful to have worked with him!" Another student shared, "Dr. Patterson is incredibly generous with the independence he gave me to lead interviews, see patients, and generally be integrated within the care team. He was also an excellent teacher and took every opportunity to teach and talk through topics. I learned a lot from watching the empathy and thoughtfulness with which he interacted with patients and everyone on the unit."