The UC Davis House Staff Professionalism Award was created in 2002 by the School of Medicine Alumni Association to recognize and honor a resident identified by his/her 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, Drs. Jeff Southard, cardiology, and Mojca Konia, anesthesiology and pain medicine, were honored at the Senior Faculty Awards Banquet on June 8.

JEFF SOUTHARD, M.D.
Cardiology

I was born in Concord, Calif., the second oldest of four boys. I graduated from De La Salle High School and attended UC Davis, graduating in 1995. I attended Georgetown University School of Medicine and stayed on to complete my internal medicine residency as well as a chief medical resident year. I married my high school sweetheart, Jennifer, in 1997 and we have two amazing girls; Maddie, 6 and Molly, 4. They are truly the soul of my being. While I used to enjoy all sports and barbequing, now I enjoy Barbies, Dora the Explorer and playing princess. I completed my cardiology fellowship here at UC Davis this June and will stay on for another year of training in interventional cardiology under the direction of Dr. Reginald Low. If I don't stop going to school after that, my wife will disown me! I look forward to being a happily married lifelong learner.

MOJCA KONIA, M.D.
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

"If medicine was like algebra, it would be boring, but because it is also like art and poetry, it is fascinating." I graduated from medical school in Slovenia and started my residency in internal medicine with the aim of becoming a cardiology fellow and a Ph.D. in cardiology. With support of a scholarship from the Slovenian government I was able to join Dr. Cercek at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a one-year research project during my residency. Besides finishing a research project that was the basis of my Ph.D., I also met my future husband. Tom and I married in 2001 and at that time I interrupted my residency in Slovenia and moved to Sacramento. Unfortunately, I had to leave California during my internship, but was luckily able to return to Sacramento in 2003 to start my anesthesiology training at UC Davis Medical Center. Besides improving my clinical skills, I also worked with Dr. H. Liu in his research laboratory. In the future I will be staying at UC Davis for a cardiothoracic anesthesiology Fellowship. Besides all the science and medicine, however, I would also like to find the time to explore, what my grandfather used to call "the most important thing we ever do" — raising children.