Katharine Caldwell, MD, MSCI, received the 2024 Jameson L. Chassin, MD, FACS, Award for Professionalism in General Surgery from the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
According to the ACS, this award is presented to “a chief resident in general surgery who exemplifies the values of compassion, technical skill, and devotion to science and learning.”
“Dr. Caldwell is a future leader in surgery and has already started making her mark in the surgical world,” says Paul Wise, MD, vice chair for education in the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “She truly honors Dr. Chassin’s legacy as a recipient of this award.”
Caldwell completed her general surgery residency at WashU in June, serving as the Walter Ballinger II Administrative Chief Resident. She earned her medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque. During residency training, Caldwell earned a master of science in clinical investigation at WashU and completed a surgical education research fellowship through the Association for Surgical Education. She received a T32 Postdoctoral Training Grant in Surgical Oncology, resulting in several impactful publications focused on pancreatic cancer. Caldwell also completed the Washington University Teaching Physician Pathway (WUTPP) Program and the ACS Residents as Leaders and Teachers Program.
“Dr. Caldwell is more than a triple threat,” says Timothy Eberlein, MD, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and director of Siteman Cancer Center. “She has excelled doing basic science research, clinical research and education research. Her leadership skills have been recognized by her being an administrative chief resident of our residency program. Dr. Caldwell has made numerous educational contributions that will last far beyond her tenure in our training program. Not only have these contributions been utilized by our training program, but they have been adopted by other outstanding training programs nationally.”
Residents who have trained alongside Caldwell have described her as “efficient,” “productive,” “reliable… kind,” and “always ready to help.”
Caldwell is now a fellow in the HPB-GI surgery fellowship program at WashU.
“We were fortunate to recruit Dr. Caldwell to stay here for her HPB fellowship,” says Ryan Fields, MD, the Kim and Tim Eberlein Distinguished Professor of Surgery and chief of the Section of Surgical Oncology. “She goes above and beyond to truly be a friend, advocate and pillar of support for patients going through what is generally the most difficult time of their life.”
Caldwell has received numerous other awards. At WashU, she received Resident Teaching Appreciation awards in 2020 and 2021 and a Distinguished Service Teaching Award for clinical care in 2024. Nationally, she received the Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Resident Award from the Association of Women Surgeons in 2023 and the Outstanding Trainee Award from the Association of Program Directors in Surgery in 2024.
“‘What can I do to help?’ Whether talking to a patient or a medical student, sitting on a national committee or in an operating room, I seek to always look for the opportunity to answer this question,” Caldwell says. “For me, professionalism in surgery means that no matter what hat we are wearing, whether surgeon, scientist, or educator, we have an incredible gift to treat, to learn, and to teach. I believe with those gifts comes the responsibility to always look for the opportunities to compassionately and humbly do what is in our power to help.”
The Jameson L. Chassin, MD, FACS, Award for Professionalism in General Surgery was established in accordance with the wishes of the Chassin family to recognize the career and professional interests of Dr. Chassin.
The Department of Surgery congratulates Katharine Caldwell, MD, MSCI, on receiving the 2024 Jameson L. Chassin, MD, FACS, Award for Professionalism in General Surgery.