Highland Hospital Honors Physician and Advanced Practice Provider of the Year

Highland Hospital honors Chin-Lin Ching, M.D, as Physician of the Year, and Rachel A. James, M.S., R.N., AGPCNP-BC as Advanced Practice Provider (APP) of the year. They were recognized during the Highland provider recognition event held in May at the Jackrabbit club.

Dr. Ching, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, serves as Medical Director of the Palliative Care Division at Highland Hospital. She recently stepped down as the chair of Highland’s Ethics Committee after five years of growing the committee. She has been a part of Highland since 2010 and has been a champion for palliative care throughout her career.

“It is always an honor to be nominated for this recognition; to be awarded leaves me speechless for once,” said Dr. Ching. “A person is only as good as her team, so I would like to recognize my palliative care team for always supporting me and lifting me up. I don’t think that I would be the physician I am today without the constant support and encouragement from the leadership at Highland. I’ve been thriving at Highland for almost 15 years, and it’s because I’ve been lucky enough to find amazing colleagues and inspiring mentors all along the way.”

Dr. Ching received nominations from numerous colleagues. “Chin-Lin Ching has been a driving force for offering the best care, education, and collaboration regarding Palliative Care Services at Highland Hospital,” said one colleague. “Under her stewardship our Palliative Care Service continues to grow tremendously while maintaining the highest quality of compassionate care,” said another.

Previous recipients of the award include: Tulsi Dass, M.B.B.S., Bilal Ahmed, M.D., Theodore Hirokawa, M.D., Jeffrey Harp, M.D., Daniel Mendelson, M.D., Alice Taylor, M.D., Joseph Nicholas, M.D., Melissa Schiff, M.D., David Holub, M.D., Youngrin Kim, M.D., Cynthia Angel, M.D., Ashish Boghani, M.D., FACP, Sunil Bansal, M.D., FACEP, Keely Dwyer-Matzky, M.D., M.S. and Dmitriy Migdalovich, M.D.

Rachel A. James, M.S., R.N., AGPCNP-BC serves as a Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Nephrology at Highland where she practices in Inpatient Nephrology Care and Adult Health. She has been part of Highland for 10 years and previously served as a charge nurse and preceptor in the Intensive Care Unit and was recognized with the Highland Hospital Nurse of Distinction Award in 2016. “Since learning I was going to receive the APP of the Year award, I feel surprised, humbled, and most of all - embraced by the community of amazing professionals I am privileged to work alongside,” said James.

James was also nominated by several colleagues for the award. “Rachel’s dedicated patient-centric care, her work ethic that constantly exceeds the call of duty and her positive spirit and team approach make her an ideal candidate for this award,” said one colleague. “Rachel’s blend of clinical excellence, compassion, and teamwork make her an exceptional medical team member,” said another colleague.

Previous recipients of the APP of the Year Award include: Abby McCarthy, RPA-C, Pamela Heiple, APRN-BC, NPP and Sheila Marcoccia, RPA-C, Jessica Mahoney, PA-C, Andrea Avidano, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, WHNP-BC, BC-ADM, Vehid Basic, AGACNP and Courtney Shores, PAC.