Mike Taigman Receives Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award for 2023 at UCSF

Mike Taigman, improvement guide at FirstWatch, has been recognized by the UCSF Associated Students of the Graduate Division as “a faulty member who not only instructs, but mentors, inspires, nurtures, and helps students to take the next step in their careers.”

In addition to his role at FirstWatch, Taigman is an assistant adjunct professor at UCSF, where he teaches in its Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership Program.

“He selflessly dedicated his time and energy so that we could accomplish our goals,” said Samai Ismail, MD, one of his students, in her presentation remarks. “I’m grateful to have you as my teacher and mentor. You were always excited to hear the progress of my project. Thank you for going above and beyond.”

Taigman “leads with compassion” said fellow graduate Kristen Thankachan, RN, whose capstone project sought to bring “kindness and compassion” to patients dying in the ICU, because, as she puts it, “people deserve kindness and compassion in life, and in death.”

“Mike said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

That will sound familiar to anyone who knows him, as well as those who have experience with FirstWatch products.

“Mike brings curiosity to all that he does,” says FirstWatch CEO and founder Todd Stout. “Where others might settle for status quo, Mike pushes the envelope, always encouraging our customers to think bigger. We exist to help emergency services agencies, and that’s a direct reflection of Mike’s passion and why he’s such a great fit at FirstWatch.”

Paying It Forward

For Taigman, mentorship comes full circle. “The people I’ve mentored are now mentoring me,” he says. In his acceptance speech he told attendees about his one of his first mentees, Dave Williams, PhD., who he met at Austin Travis-County EMS. Through joint scholarship, introductions, and advice, Taigman has watched Williams flourish in the field of healthcare improvement science in the subsequent 26 years.

“For the last 12 years, Dave has been my mentor in improvement science,” said Taigman in his acceptance. “We have a phone conversation every Friday morning at 6 o’clock for an hour on the vicissitudes of everything related to improvement science.”

To watch the award presentation, click here.