Three faculty members from the Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery were recently recognized with awards for their work in educating residents and fellows.
The awards were announced during the 2025 general surgery residency graduation and the critical care fellowship graduation events. Recipients were:
- Evarts A. Graham Teaching Award: Matthew J. McHale, DO, FACS
- Jeffrey F. Moley Mentorship Award: Matthew J. McHale, DO, FACS
- Tim & Kim Eberlein Humanism Award: Matthew R. Rosengart, MD, MPH, FACS
- Critical Care Fellowship Teaching Award: Sara A. Buckman, MD, PharmD, FACS, FCCM
“Our section is deeply engrained in surgical training,” said Lindsay Kranker, MD, an assistant professor of surgery, who was recently elected into the AOA Honor Medical Society class of 2025. “Trainees work incredibly hard on our service, so it is gratifying to see our faculty recognized for their educational efforts. I am so proud of our faculty for their exceptionally strong showing in this year’s award ceremonies.”
Kranker leads the annual Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) course at WashU Medicine and plays a major role in the section’s education programs.
McHale, who received two awards for teaching and mentorship—a program first—is an active duty Air Force Colonel and adjunct assistant professor, and serves as the director of the Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS) program, a vital Military Civilian Partnership program.
“The privilege afforded me with this partnership to teach and mentor residents has been the most rewarding aspect of my career,” McHale said. “I am deeply humbled and grateful for this honor.”
In addition to receiving the humanism award, Rosengart was recently named director of resident research for the general surgery residency program at WashU Medicine. “Rosie” (as he is affectionately known to colleagues and trainees) was inducted into the Academy of Educators in 2024.
Buckman is the program director for the surgical critical care fellowship. She received the “Teacher of the Year” award from fellows from both the anesthesia critical care medicine program and surgical critical care fellowship. Fellows commented that Buckman “embodies quality patient care down to the smallest minutiae”, and she advocates “fiercely for her patients to receive appropriate medical care which sets the standard for learners and trainees in the ICU. She genuinely cares about all of the fellows, their wellbeing, their growth and their success before, during, and after the fellowship.”
“Dr. Buckman has shown excellence in her role as program director since taking over,” said Douglas Schuerer, MD, a professor of surgery in the Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery. “She transitioned quickly to online interviews and has led the fellowship to excellent match classes over the last several years while continuing to build an outstanding curriculum for the fellows.”
Congratulations to the acute and critical care surgery faculty who were recognized for their excellence in education.
