DR. MALLORY STRICKLAND CIUKSZA (36)
Internist, St. Clair Health System

Dr. Mallory Strickland Ciuksza has rarely faced a problem that she didn’t try to solve.

Whether it’s developing a policy to promote responsible opiate prescribing practices, which is now in place throughout the St. Clair Health System, working to reduce burnout among physicians or coming up with a sustainable funding stream to fight food insecurity among those visiting the Bellevue Farmers Market, Ciuksza tackles problems head-on.

As a doctor, she sees how food insecurity can affect a patient’s whole life. “If they can’t feed themselves, they won’t care much about their high blood pressure,” she says. “It’s all intimately connected.”

Her colleague, Dr. Antonio Riccelli, who nominated her for this honor, wrote: “Dr. Ciuksza is a shining example of what the standard for today’s physician should reflect: compassion, humility, dedication, resilience and empathy.”