Gabriela M. Maradiaga Panayotti, MD, FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Primary Care Pediatrics, has received the 2021 John A. Feagin Alumni Network Award. The mission of the Feagin Leadership Program is to provide a transformational learning experience that develops effective, ethical leaders who positively influence healthcare. Selected by the alumni award committee, her nomination included the following statement, “Dr. Panayotti is a wonderful pediatrician. She is a co-founder of LATIN-19 (Latinx Advocacy Team & Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19) in North Carolina and has been instrumental in bringing pandemic information to Latinx families in the Triangle. She has been critical to serving this population in the most authentic and empowering way. She is well deserving of this award.”
Panayotti was born in Honduras and raised in Central America and the Caribbean. She received her undergraduate degree in biology from Yale University and then took a gap year to work as a public school teacher in Brooklyn, NY. She then received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and did her pediatric residency at the University of California San Francisco. While at Duke she has served in many different capacities including being medical director of both the Duke and Duke Regional well-baby nurseries, medical director of the Pediatric Healthy Lifestyles clinic (pediatric obesity), and physician lead for the Breastfeeding Task Force at Duke Children’s Primary Care. She sees patients in both the primary care and obesity clinics and is interested in advocacy work, breastfeeding, nutrition, and communication with the public through writing and other media (#tweetiatrician!).
Panayotti accepted the award during the Feagin Forum on Friday, May 14.
About the Feagin Leadership Program
The Feagin Leadership Program was created to honor of John A. Feagin, Jr, MD, Duke University Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Feagin's dedication to developing ethical leaders of character is the inspiration for this effort. The program benefits leadership education within the Duke medical community. The Feagin Leadership Program engages Duke medical school students, residents, and fellows in their own leadership journeys. The program includes five leadership sessions, individual coaching, monthly team meetings, attendance at the Feagin Forum, and the creation of a leadership project focused on leadership development in medicine. Since its inception in 2008, the Feagin Leadership Program has continued to grow and evolve through its purpose to improve leadership training within medical education.