Plastic surgery resident Dr. Shreyas Makwana receives the Friend of the Emergency Department Award from Children's of Alabama's Emergency Medicine team on June 5, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Marjorie White)

For his kindness and attention to patient care, Shreyas Makwana, M.D., was presented with the Friend of the Emergency Department Award from Children’s of Alabama Emergency Medicine last week. Makwana is one of the Plastic Surgery Residency Program's second-year rising chief residents.

Makwana, or “Dr. Mak,” as his patients call him, is the first resident at UAB to ever receive this award and has become known for regularly performing magic tricks or drawing pictures for his patients at Children’s.

"These kids are going through so much as it is," Makwana said. "It must be a scary situation for them, so if there is anything I can do to make it easier on them, I want to do it."

Demonstrating dedication to compassionate care, it is not uncommon for Makwana to leave personalized drawings for his patients to find after their surgeries. Often, before his patients fall asleep prior to surgery, Makwana asks them to describe to him what they like, so that, when they wake, they discover these illustrations of their favorite things, sometimes on their bandages or splints.

"I know I would feel better if I woke up with a dinosaur drawing on my dressing,” he said.