Partin and Espinosa Marazita recognized for Exceptional Moments in Teaching
Michael Partin, MD, faculty member, and Sofia Espinosa Marazita, MD, resident, were recognized through the “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program for the month of March.
Dr. Partin is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and he also serves as program director for the Family and Community Medicine Residency at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
“Dr. Partin was a wonderful preceptor who I was fortunate to work with extensively during my Family Medicine Acting Internship. He is incredibly knowledgeable and does a fantastic job of teaching what he knows and also challenging me to think through differentials and give clinical reasoning for my decisions,” one student said. “He was kind, gave constant feedback, and was a fantastic example of what it means to be a caring family medicine physician. I greatly enjoyed my rotation in large part because of the work I did with him.”
Dr. Partin is a husband and father of four who enjoys playing racket sports and serving at his church. He completed medical school at the College of Medicine and a residency in family medicine at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He has a passion for medical education and its intersection with health systems and innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence.
The resident awardee, Dr. Espinosa Marazita, is a first-year obstetrics and gynecology resident in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“Dr. Espinosa Marazita has the rare ability to simultaneously give clear outlines of what is expected, support me in whatever ways I need, and trust me to do what I am confident in,” said a student. “She is an exceptional teacher, and made me feel like a useful and welcome part of the team. I would be so happy to work with her again in any capacity, and am so glad that other students will be able to benefit from her teaching and support.”
Dr. Espinosa Marazita was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and is of Cuban and Ecuadorean descent. She completed medical school at the Jacob’s School of Medicine in Buffalo, New York, where she started Buffalo’s chapter of the Latino Medical Student Association and facilitated starting a medical Spanish track. She is passionate about women’s and LGBTQ+ health, medical education and providing language-concordant care. Dr. Espinosa Marazita’s future goals lie in academic medicine, where she hopes to continue teaching medical students. In her limited free time, she enjoys hanging out with her co-residents, visiting family and friends, traveling, listening to audiobooks, baking, wine tasting and watching Broadway shows.
Penn State College of Medicine’s Office for a Respectful Learning Environment recognizes exceptional faculty, residents and fellows with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. One faculty member and one resident/fellow are highlighted each month for their contributions. College of Medicine students are invited to submit narratives about faculty members, residents, nurses or any other educators who challenge them and provide an exceptional learning experience using the online nomination form.
The Office for a Respectful Learning Environment fosters an educational community at Penn State College of Medicine in which all learners and educators feel supported, challenged, valued and respected. It serves all learners at the College of Medicine: medical students, graduate students, physician assistant students, residents and fellows.
See previous faculty and resident/fellow honorees here.
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