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building academic programs and streamlining protocols.
His fellowship led directly to the most recent chapter in Dr. Tabaac’s fast-moving career: in August 2019, he began a new position as director of Renown Health’s award-winning Stroke Center, in Reno. As director, he alternates between ad- ministrative and clinical responsibilities at the center and his faculty role as a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of Nevada at Reno, Nevada, Renown affiliate.
A Passion for Teaching and Patient Care
Dr. Tabaac found the residency program at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to be an excellent fit not only for his intense interest
in vascular neurology but also for his passion for teaching and patient care. Attending physicians in the program were struck by Dr. Tabaac’s “fiery energy and infectious enthusiasm” for the field of stroke, says Igor Rybinnik, MD, associate profes- sor of neurology and director, Neurology Clerkship.
Medical students appreciated Dr. Tabaac’s excep- tional dedication to teaching, while patients and their families were deeply touched by his support. In the final year of his residency, Dr. Tabaac was among the house staff nominated by medical students to be inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. In addition, Dr. Tabaac received the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award. And he received it three times, every
year of his residency—a school record. Third-year medical students provide nominations for the award, which recognizes exceptional teaching skills and commitment
to the compassionate treat- ment of patients and families, students, and colleagues.
Reno: Another Frontier
Dr. Tabaac and his wife, Vanessa Tabaac, MD, a family medicine physician with Renown Health, met as medical students in an
anatomy lab at the American University of the Caribbean. The two doctors Tabaac came to
New Jersey for their residencies, his at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and hers in family medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, an affiliate of the RWJBarnabas Health system.
Along with their daughter, Sage Violet, the Tabaacs are enjoying their new life in Reno.
Dr. Vanessa Tabaac has a strong interest in preventive medicine, nutrition, and multidiscipli- nary care that complements Burton’s subspecialty in stroke neurology, ranging from prevention to post-stroke care: the fields inform each other, they find, and can suggest new approaches
to patient care. M
“Dr.Tabaac found the residency program at
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to be an excellent fit not only for his intense interest in vascular neurology but also for his passion for teaching and patient care.”
Robert Wood Johnson | MEDICINE 41
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BURTON J. TABAAC, MD