SARAH PIRIO RICHARDSON, M.D., UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER , '04

The UC Davis Housestaff Professionalism Award was created in 2002 by the School of Medicine Alumni Association to recognize and honor a resident identified by co-workers and ancillary staff for exemplifying the attributes of professionalism. The American Board of Internal Medicine defines professionalism as one who "aspires to altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, service, honor, integrity and respect for others." Due to overwhelming support, neurology resident Sarah Pirio Richardson received the Housestaff Professionalism Award at the Senior Faculty Awards Banquet on June 9th, 2004.

Dr. Pirio Richardson left for Bethesda, Maryland at the end of June to begin a two-year fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. She will be doing a fellowship in human motor control and clinical movement disorders within the medical neurology branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The director of the program is Dr. Mark Hallett. She will be using transcranial magnetic stimulation as a tool to understand more about motor physiology in dystonia, cerebellar disorders and Parkinson's disease as well as exploring the potential therapeutic effects of this technique. Dr. Pirio Richardson hopes to enter into an academic neurology career after that fellowship. On a personal note, she is an avid knitter and crocheter. The Alumni Association is proud to acknowledge and honor Dr. Pirio Richardson for her contributions to the medical profession.