Academic Program Coordinator, Kirstie Cruz has won the 2020-21 GME Innovation and Excellence Award for her exemplary efforts to improve graduate medical education at UCSF. This award is given to program coordinators that have demonstrated a commitment to advancing graduate medical education at UCSF through educational and clinical quality improvement, service excellence, and innovation.
The award was presented in a virtual ceremony by the GME committee on June 21, 2021 with attendance from UCSF Program Directors, residents, fellows and staff from all different specialties.
She was nominated by resident, Micha Cheng, MD, MPH, MS who cited her as “a self-starter, hard-working, conscientious, innovative and caring person dedicated and interested in the well-being of medical students and residents.” Kirstie was instrumental in launching the UnderRepresented Trainees Entering Residency (UReTER) Mentorship Program. “Without Kirstie, we would not have been able to expand the program nationally and recruit over a hundred mentors and mentees,” said Cheng. “Furthermore, without her administrative prowess, we would not have been able to execute the dozens of successful mentorship matches that were pivotal in the growth of underrepresented urology applicants."
Kirstie also received the UCSF Staff Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) Spot Award in Aug 2020 and was awarded a cash prize of $1,000.00. This award recognizes significant employee achievements and contributions for a specific project or task over a relatively short period of time. She received this award for her collaborative efforts with the implementation of the COViD and PedsUroFLO lecture series, the UReTER Mentorship Program and her implementation of the COViD YouTube Channel and the COViD podcast during the pandemic.
“Kirstie goes above and beyond her job duties and is dedicated to the well-being of residents and the mission of educating the future leaders in Urology,” said Katherine Jung, Director for Educational Programs. “She is truly an asset to the department and her award is very well deserved.”