Here are five notable achievements by physicians in clinical care, research, leadership and more as reported by Becker’s since Jan. 1, 2026:
If you would like to nominate a physician please email fmathewes@beckershealthcare.com.
1. G. Burkhard Mackensen, MD, PhD, professor and chair of University of Washington School of Medicine’s department of anesthesiology and pain medicine, was selected as The American Society of Echocardiography’s 2026 recipient of its Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Echocardiography Award.
2. Paul Sorajja, MD, is associate director of the Phoenix-based Banner Heart Institute and Lentsch Family Endowed Chair for the Service Line for Valvular Heart Disease at Banner Health. He also serves as director of interventional cardiology and structural heart disease. Dr. Sorajja performed the first implantation in the U.S. of Valcare’s Amend ring for transcatheter mitral valve repair.
3. Sharonne Hayes, MD, is a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and founder of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic. She directs the clinic’s Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Clinic and has been a national leader in advancing sex- and gender-based cardiology, patient education and diversity in cardiovascular research. Dr. Hayes will receive the American Medical Women’s Association’s Lila A. Wallis Women’s Health Award for lifetime achievement in women’s health education, research and advocacy in March.
4. Laurence Epstein, MD, is system director of electrophysiology at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y. He led a cardiology team at North Shore University Hospital’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., in becoming the first in the world to implant the industry’s smallest defibrillation lead, the FDA-approved Medtronic OmniaSecure. The device is designed for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death, including adults and children as young as 12 years old.
5. Nicolas Mouawad, MD, is chair of the department of surgery at McLaren Bay Region in Bay City, Mich., where he also serves as chief of vascular and endovascular surgery and medical director of the noninvasive vascular laboratory. Dr. Mouawad became the first physician in the U.S. to use the SEISMIQ intravascular lithotripsy system to treat peripheral artery disease, employing laser-generated acoustic pressure waves to break down calcified plaque and improve blood flow through a minimally invasive approach.
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