Alumni Achievement Award
E. Christopher Ellison, MD, ’83 Res
E. Christopher Ellison, MD, ’83 Res, FACS, is the Robert M. Zollinger Professor of Surgery Emeritus at the Ohio State College of Medicine. He previously served as chair of Surgery from 2000 to 2013 and interim dean of the College of Medicine from 2014 to 2016. He spearheaded the academic foundation of the Department of Surgery and promoted establishing the departments of Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery and Urology. Recognized for his teaching, Ellison was named the College of Medicine Professor of the Year and Distinguished Professor. He received the Ohio State Distinguished Service Award in 2020 and the Distinguished Service Award from the MCW/Marquette Medical Alumni Association in 2021. His teams published more than 175 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and he served as editor of Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations and Fischer’s Mastery of Surgery.
A leader in American surgery, Ellison was at the forefront of laparoscopic surgery and has served in numerous leadership roles in the profession, including as president of the American College of Surgeons, the American Surgical Association and the Central Surgical Association, as well as chair of the American Board of Surgery.
He attributes success to his family and the opportunity to work with many exceptional people. We are proud to recognize Ellison’s dedication to the Ohio State College of Medicine and the house of surgery.
Richard D. Parker ’81 MD
Richard D. Parker ’81 MD is nationally and internationally known for his dedication to the field of orthopaedics and arthroscopic knee surgery. He retired in February 2025 from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) after 37 years of practice. Prior to joining the foundation, Parker trained and practiced at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He held many clinical and leadership positions at the foundation, including as president of CCF Hillcrest/Mentor Hospital and East Region Ohio Market. His other leadership positions include chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship and professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner College of Medicine.
He also served as the Cleveland Cavaliers head team physician from 2002 to 2017 and as a consultant to the Cleveland Browns and Indians (Guardians). A member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Parker has been awarded for his research on – and for the teaching and practice of – knee injury.
Parker has trained orthopaedic residents and sports medicine fellows to be excellent physicians. This award recognizes the impact his teaching and leadership will have for decades to come and to his sizeable contributions to the field.
Alumni Service Award
Charles L. Hamilton III, MD, ’08 Res
Charles L. Hamilton III, MD, ’08 Res, MBA, FASA, FASAM, is an anesthesiologist with more than 15 years of clinical expertise and experience in perioperative medicine, regional anesthesia and acute pain management. An associate clinical professor at Ohio State, Hamilton is the perioperative medical director at Ohio State East Hospital, where he spearheads initiatives that have dramatically improved operational efficiency, operating room utilization and patient safety. With dual board certifications in anesthesiology and addiction medicine, and an MBA, he blends his clinical acumen with strategic insight to drive impactful health care outcomes.
A notable lecturer, medical illustrator and author, with publications in books and peer-reviewed journals, Hamilton is a visionary leader for the multiple committees, institutional councils and multidisciplinary projects on which he serves. From designing operating room emergency preparedness simulations to optimizing billing for anesthesia services, Hamilton has received many recognitions, including the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Exceptional Physician Peer Award.
A leader in medical education, Hamilton has developed curricula, led cadaveric labs, is a longstanding member of the Ohio State College of Medicine Admissions Committee, and has contributed to the training of residents, fellows and students. This award recognizes his commitment to advancing anesthesiology and patient care at Ohio State, and his influence in shaping the next generation of physicians.
Community Practice Alumni Award
Sarah Sams ’91 MD
Sarah Sams ’91 MD, FAAFP, is a board-certified family physician, educator and advocate for family medicine at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, where she serves as associate director of the Family Medicine Residency Program. As full-time faculty, she taught the health systems’ management curriculum to her residents and developed a joint teaching program with Capital University Law School, pairing third-year family medicine residents with law students to participate in a mock deposition.
Sams has served in multiple roles in organized medicine. In 2010, she served as president of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. She has also served on the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Commission on Governmental Advocacy and Commission on Finance and Insurance, and was chair of each of those commissions. Currently an at-large board member on the AAFP Board of Directors, Sams also serves as a trustee on the AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees.
She has been a mentor for medical students and residents through the AAFP Foundation Emerging Leaders Scholars program, a highlight of which was when she traveled with her first mentee to Uganda to teach the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics course to Ugandan midwives. This award recognizes her experience in improving the care for her patients, educating the next generation of doctors, and improving the practice of medicine for her colleagues.
Early Career Achievement Award
Christopher Nau ’13 MD
Christopher Nau ’13 MD is an assistant professor in the Department of Reproductive Biology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and director of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program at University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland, Ohio. His work in maternal fetal medicine has transformed the teaching and practice of working with patients with high-risk pregnancies, exemplifying the ambition of the Ohio State College of Medicine, which is to transform the health of all communities through innovative education, discovery and care.
Under Nau’s leadership, health system policies now include awareness and teaching about managing patients with diabetes across the entire health system network. He has assisted with patient recruitment for numerous trials. He is the site principal investigator for the newest maternal-fetal medicine trial at UH, an initiative that makes Case Western a participating clinical center in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network.
He has also advised obstetric care guidelines throughout the health system, established a comprehensive diabetes pregnancy clinic within the resident clinic and is constantly seeking ways to educate residents and medical students about the latest evidence-based medicine while emphasizing the importance of treating patients of low socioeconomic status with equity-based care. This award recognizes Nau’s outstanding commitment to community care and his pursuit of scientific excellence in providing medical care.
Faculty Teaching Award
Philicia S. Duncan, MD
Philicia S. Duncan, MD, is an associate clinical professor of Internal Medicine at the Ohio State College of Medicine, where she is a dedicated hospitalist, educator and leader in quality improvement initiatives. Born in Jamaica, Duncan immigrated to the United States as a teenager with a dream of becoming a physician.
She is the medical school’s LSI Part One associate program director, an expert educator and a portfolio coach. In directing the Applied Health Systems Science course, her implementation of a curriculum in quality improvement and patient safety has led to numerous student-driven projects with measurable clinical impact. Duncan co-founded the Lead. Advocate. Engage. Deliver Program, which empowers trainees in advancing health care through advocacy and scholarship. She mentored 10 residents through a national leadership development collaborative sponsored by the American Medical Association and the University of Cincinnati, and has been recognized with multiple teaching awards. Additionally, she mentored medical students on research aimed at improving understanding of bias and medical misinformation, which has led to lasting curricular changes.
Duncan returns to Jamaica annually to participate in a global health mission at the Falmouth Clinic, providing no-cost medical care. This award recognizes her passion in delivering high-quality, equitable health care and guiding the next generation of physician-leaders to do the same.