Professional Recognition

UNM Physicians Join the Ranks of Albuquerque’s Top Docs

Every day, more than 1,000 talented University of New Mexico clinicians deliver more to New Mexico communities. This year, UNM Health is proud to recognize seven of its physicians, who have been honored by Albuquerque the Magazine as the 2023 top doctors in the 19^th annual “Top Docs of Albuquerque” issue.

Offering access to New Mexico’s only Level I trauma center, more area locations and more personalized services to help you reach a higher level of care, UNM Health is committed to delivering more.

Doctors’ Day, which falls annually at the end of March, is aimed at appreciating clinicians who help save lives every day. The holiday first started in 1933 in Winder, Ga., and has since been observed every year on March 30.

It’s a time to celebrate medical advances and thank all doctors everywhere who have spent their time and energy mastering their field of expertise.

 

Anesthesiology – Christopher Arndt, MD

Arndt, the chair of The UNM School of Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, is a double alumnus of UNM. He completed both his MD (’02) and residency (’06) at the UNM School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, he served as a U.S. Navy officer. This is Arndt’s third year in Albuquerque the Magazine’s Top Doc issue as the top anesthesiologist.

Cardiology – Mark W. Sheldon, MD

Sheldon is the Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship program director and a UNM School of Medicine associate professor. He has been a full-time faculty member at UNM since 2001. According to his entry in Albuquerque the Magazine, his most memorable medical situation was when he helped rescue a patient while on a boat on Lake Powell, Utah, who had sustained severe head trauma. Sheldon was able to organize a rescue effort that resulted in his being promptly airlifted to a trauma center.

Colon & Rectal Surgery – Rohini McKee, MD

McKee has been practicing in Albuquerque for 14 years at the UNM Center for Digestive Disease Clinic and the UNM Surgical Specialties Clinic. According to her magazine profile, she hopes the increased number in medical school applicants – perhaps spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic – will mean “a more diverse physician workforce where most patients can see a physician that they can relate to.”

Pathology – David Martin, MD

Martin received his bachelor’s degree in biology at UNM in 2007, and his medical degree from the UNM School of Medicine in 2011. For residency, he trained in anatomic and clinical pathology at Emory University, followed by a gastrointestinal fellowship, also at Emory, from 2011-2016. He has been an anatomic pathologist at UNM since 2016. In his magazine entry, he encouraged people in their 50s to keep up to date with their colonoscopies. “I would be happy to look at your polyps,” he said.

Pediatric Pulmonology – Laura F. Caffey, MD

Armed with more than 28 years of experience in the medical field and an MD from the UNM School of Medicine, Caffey was listed as the city’s top pediatric pulmonologist for 2023. She has been a clinician at UNM for more than a decade, and said she thinks health-related information on the internet is a double-edged sword. “I definitely recommend only using well-known, respected health care websites and discussing any questions or information with your medical provider,” she said.

Pediatric Specialist – Craig Wong, MD

In addition to being a pediatric nephrologist and a UNM School of Medicine professor, Wong is also very interested in research. His research has focused on the study of chronic kidney disease in children, and over the past 15 years, he has been part of the National Institute of Health-funded Prospective Study of Chronic Kidney Disease study. In his magazine profile, Wong said the most memorable medical situation was toward the end of his pediatric residency, when he was one of the island pediatricians in American Samoa.

Pediatric Surgery – David G. Lemon, MD

As the Division of Pediatric Surgery chief and a UNM School of Medicine professor, Lemon was also recognized as the pediatric surgery “Top Doc” by Albuquerque the Magazine in 2021. According to his profile, Lemon said he believes universal health care is long overdue. When asked to complete the old “an apple a day” adage, Lemon said, “An apple a day is a great source of fiber and keeps the apple growers in my hometown in business.”