Department faculty, residents among 2024 AOA class

The Department of Medicine is celebrating the addition of four faculty members and several residents to the Indiana Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha. This medical honor society recognizes, advocates for, and inspires physicians in the care of patients and promotion of health, according to its website. Members can be elected at any point in their career, and an appointment reflects their professionalism, leadership and academic or clinical excellence.

Membership is lifelong. Elections are typically announced in August, with formal inductions taking place the following year.

The Department of Medicine faculty members included in the AOA’s 2024 class of inductees are:

Francesca Duncan, MD, MS
Duncan is an assistant professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Occupational Medicine. She is a graduate of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee where she also earned her medical degree. She completed a combined Internal Medicine – Pediatric Medicine residency at The Ohio State University before completing a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at IU School of Medicine. Her research interests include health disparities in lung cancer and COPD, as well as medical education surrounding racism, discrimination, and racism in medical education and academic medicine.

Lauren Nephew, MD, MAE, MSC, BA
Nephew is an assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and she serves as Assistant Vice Chair of Health Equity at IU School of Medicine. She attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University, where she also earned a master’s degree in bioethics. She completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital; and fellowships in gastroenterology and liver transplantation at the University of Pennsylvania. While at the University of Pennsylvania, she earned a second master’s degree in clinical epidemiology. Her research interests include understanding how the social and structural determinants of health contribute to disparities in chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma outcomes and developing interventions that move patients closer to health equity.

Sacha Sharp, PhD
Sharp is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, co-chair of the IU School of Medicine Diversity Council, and an adjunct assistant professor in the program of Africana Studies at IU Indianapolis. She earned her PhD at IU Bloomington with a higher education focus in the Department of Education, Leadership and Policy Studies. She also earned a master's in education and human development from George Washington University. As a medical education specialist, she serves medical students, residents and fellows through educational success initiatives. She also has expertise in curriculum development, program management and evaluation, and provides observations of teaching.

Glenda Westmoreland, MD, MPH
Westmoreland is an associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. She serves as Director of Geriatrics Education and is the Statewide Communications Competency Director for Interpersonal and Communication Skills. Westmoreland completed the whole of her medical education at IU School of Medicine, including her medical degree, residency and a fellowship in geriatric medicine and health services research. Her research interests include geriatric education, outcomes of curriculum implementation, standardized patient care, and effective medical communication.

 

The Department of Medicine residents included in the AOA’s 2024 class of inductees are:

Martha Cancilla, MD
Cancilla attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine

Peter Conrad, MD
Conrad attended Wayne State University School of Medicine

Molly Lee, MD
Lee attended the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Eleazar Montalvan, MD
Montalvan attended Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras

Parth Savsani, MD
Savsani attended the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago