Pulmonary medicine has never been so critical than during a pandemic caused by a respiratory virus. Dr. Angelica Honsberg has played a central role in coordinating and providing care for many of the most critically ill COVID-19 patients in UMC’s Intensive Care Unit. She is also taking her first-hand experience and using it to further the knowledge and treatment of patients across the country.
Dr. Honsberg and her team at UMC have been sharing important data with researchers at Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic for one of the earliest clinical studies of COVID-19 patients in the United States. The studies seek to reveal the best treatment regimens for critically ill patients.
Constantly staying abreast of clinical trials for medications that may be used to fight COVID-19, Dr. Honsberg seeks to provide the best treatment for those fighting to survive. She is a dedicated physician who works to educate the Las Vegas community about smoking cessation, lung cancer screening, air quality, managing chronic lung problems and the importance of vaccinations for both influenza and COVID-19. She is active in UNLV medical student education and clinical teaching for the UNLV internal medicine residents and the pulmonary/critical care fellows, while always emphasizing compassionate patient care.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Honsberg has served as director for the Southern Nevada Cystic Fibrosis Center Adult Clinic. While COVID-19 has required much of her recent attention, she has never lost focus of her patients who have cystic fibrosis. When a new class of medications was released, resulting in improvements in the health of 90% of patients with the disease, Dr. Honsberg proactively sought to ensure all eligible patients would have access to this life-changing medication.
Dr. Honsberg may wear many hats—physician, educator and researcher—but regardless of the role, she never considers it work.
Physician Runner-up
Helga F. Pizio, MD, FACS Ophthalmologist/Eye Surgeon, New Eyes