Each year, UW Health recognizes its most skilled and dedicated physicians with its Physician Excellence Awards. These prestigious awards recognize individuals who demonstrate exceptional skills in clinical practice, education, and leadership, as well as a commitment to the mission, vision, and values of UW Health.
Two Department of Pediatrics faculty members were among the awardees who were honored in a May 20 ceremony at Blackhawk Country Club. Read about the honorees and summaries of their work compiled by UW Health.
Laura Chen, MD, assistant professor, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, received a Rising Star Clinical Educator Award. This award recognizes an outstanding educator working with residents, medical students, as well as other interdisciplinary team members, patients, and families. Recipients must demonstrate exceptional and measurable contributions to clinical practice and education at UW Health.
Chen is a pediatric hospitalist at American Family Children’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital who joined UW Health in 2022 and quickly became a standout educator. Learners praise her approachable style, clear explanations, and skill at building clinical reasoning and confidence. One student recently shared, “Dr. Chen is incredible and such a joy to work with! I hope one day to be as good as Dr. Chen!”
She has earned multiple teaching awards, including the Todd Varness Outstanding Clinical Teaching Award and two consecutive Clinical Teacher Awards. She also serves as a CORE Mentor and is the director of the Pediatrics Acting Internship.
Beyond the bedside, Chen leads UW Health’s involvement in a national American Academy of Pediatrics project on improving care for newborn jaundice. “Her contributions to clinical guidelines, publications, and presentations reflect her commitment to research, teamwork, and equity.”
John Hokanson, MD, professor, Division of Cardiology, received the Clinical Educator Award. Recipients of this award are outstanding educators who teach residents, medical students, interdisciplinary team members, and patients and families.
For more than 25 years, pediatric cardiologist John Hokanson has been a cornerstone of UW Health’s congenital heart program and an exceptional educator. As one of only 10 board-certified Adult Congenital Heart Disease specialists in Wisconsin, he brings rare expertise to training future physicians. His gift for making research accessible has helped numerous trainees produce award-winning work presented at local and national meetings. He has mentored more than 20 students and residents — four have pursued pursued pediatric cardiology, including two now serving as UW faculty members.
He defines excellence in clinical education through sustained commitment and tangible outcomes: participation in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Phase 1 preceptorship since its inception, annual mentorship of UW Undergraduate Research Scholars, and senior authorship on 20 publications over the past decade. He has delivered more than 100 regional lectures, extending his educational impact into the broader medical community. In addition, he supports sonography students during their clinical rotations.
A lifelong student, Hokanson serves as an invaluable scholarly resource for the entire program. As one colleague shared, “John teaches the way most of us breathe — intuitively, naturally, and continuously.”
