Outstanding achievements by faculty, staff, and medical students at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine were celebrated Thursday, on the eve of the Class of 2021’s Commencement.
OUWB Honors Convocation 2021 was held online in a virtual environment as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Among those recognized were student members of three prominent honor societies: Association of Pathology Chair's Honor Society, Gold Humanism Society, and Alpha Omega Honor Medical Society.
Additional recognition awards were given for outstanding student achievements, awards of distinction, and outstanding faculty achievements. The event also included a military promotion ceremony.
“Take a moment to appreciate your accomplishments because the road ahead will require more of what you have already shown to possess in abundance – great effort, discipline, and rigorous study," said Oakland University President Ora Pescovitz, M.D. “These are nothing less than the essential qualities of success."
“As representatives of the best of the best of OUWB, each of you have set the bar of excellence by your passion to serve, and your dedication to the principles and practice of medicine.”
Britt Rios-Ellis, Ph.D., executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, Oakland University, commended award recipients for being “scholars of the highest quality.”
“Your ambition, dedication and hard work has earned you a very valuable opportunity – an opportunity to impact the world around you in remarkable ways,” she said. “In my estimation, there is no better measure for the success of one’s career than the degree to which that individual changes lives for the better, as well as improves the quality of life in a community, or a country, or the world.”
Mezwa |
Duane Mezwa, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean of OUWB, led the Honors Convocation event while congratulating the students for their excellence in academic achievements and praising the faculty for their "steadfast commitment to teaching (OUWB) medical students, connecting with them, and making a difference in their lives."
Mezwa concluded the evening by extending “my sincere congratulations for the achievements awarded to you during this ceremony.”.
The list of awards and recipients are as follows:
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Class of 2021 M1 Award for Outstanding Academic Performance
Recipients: Jessica Barnes, Nikhil Mankuzhy and Michael Maywood
Class of 2021 M2 Award for Outstanding Academic Performance
Recipients: Megan McCrohan, Manraj Sekhon and Aryana Sharrak
Class of 2021 M3 Clerkship Awards
Award for Outstanding Performance in Family Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Jessica Barnes
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Internal Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Aviv Spillinger
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Neurology Clerkship
Recipient: Danielle Reynolds
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship
Recipient: Andrea Hess
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Pediatrics Clerkship
Recipient: Yvonne Lee
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Psychiatry Clerkship
Recipient: Mustafa Polat
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Surgery Clerkship
Recipient: Aryana Sharrak
Class of 2021 M4 Clerkship Awards
Award for Outstanding Performance in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Oluwatoyin Ibironke
Award for Outstanding Performance in Diagnostic Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Megan McCrohan
Award for Outstanding Performance in Emergency Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Linnea Nierenberg
Embark Competitive Scholarship Award Recipients
Ann V. Nicholson Embark Program Manuscript of the Year Award
Recipient: David Lee
Assessing the Impact of Resuscitation Residents on the Treatment of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Patients
Mentor: Michael Burla, D.O.
Newman Family Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Nikta Rezakahn Khajeh
Assessing the Prevalence of Sport-Induced Urinary Incontinence and its Emotional Impact on Female Gymnasts
Mentor: Kenneth Peters, M.D.
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship, Manuscript of the Year Runner-Up
Recipient: Nikhil Mankuzhy
Prognostic Significance of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Prostate Adenocarcinoma in Patients with Metastatic Disease
Mentor: Daniel Krauss, M.D.
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Patricia Fuentes
Hippocampus Segmentation on Non-Contrast CT using Deep Learning
Mentor: Thomas Guerrero, M.D., Ph.D.
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Nahrain Putris
The p38-MAPK Inhibitor SB203580 is a Potent Activator of ERK1/2 (MAPK) in Primary Human Retinal Microvascular Endothelial Cells
Mentor: Kenneth Mitton, Ph.D., FARVO
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Daniel Schoenherr
Online Integrative Histology Module Improves Pathology Self-Efficacy for Medical Students with Lower Course Performance
Mentors: Stephanie Attardi, Ph.D., Mary Dereski, Ph.D.
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Christos Sarantopoulos
The Role of Human Macrophage Histone Deacetylases in Inflammation and Disease: A Systematic Review
Mentors: Qing-Sheng Mi, M.D., Ph.D., Stephanie Swanberg, MSI, AHIP
Embark Presentation Dean’s Award Recipients – Funded by OU Credit Union
Embark Program Oral Presentation Dean’s Choice Award 1st Place
Recipient: Nikta Rezakahn Khajeh
Assessing the Prevalence of Acute Urinary Incontinence (UI) in Young Female Gymnasts
Mentor: Kenneth Peters, M.D.
Embark Program Oral Presentation Dean’s Choice Award 2nd Place
Recipient: Jessica Barnes
Difference in Emergency Department Infection Between Homeless and Non-Homeless Populations
Mentor: Tracey Taylor, Ph.D.
Embark Program Oral Presentation Dean’s Choice Award 3rd Place (Tie)
Recipient: Aryana Sharrak
Faith Based Counseling as a Tool to Prevent Opioid Addiction in the Chaldean Community
Mentor: Stephanie Lerchenfeldt, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP
Recipient: Bhavneet Singh
Assessing Mako Robotic Assisted Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty's Clinical and Economic Outcomes Compared to Conventional Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty's Outcomes
Mentor: Inaya Hajj Hussein, Ph.D.
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Diversity & Inclusion Student Excellence Award
Recipients: Cheyenna Espinoza, Class of 2021, Abiba Salahou, Class of 2023
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Staff Award
Awarded to: Robin Rivest, M.Ed., MBA, director of Curriculum Data Management
Glasgow-Rubin Certificate of Commendation for Academic Achievement
Recipients: Jessica Barnes, Michelle Fedorowicz, Sara Grant, Kristin LeMarbe, Linnea Nierenberg and Aryana Sharrak
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS
Foundational Medical Studies Educator of the Year
Awarded to: Varna Taranikanti, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Science Educator of the Year
Awarded to: Sangeeta Kaur, M.D., associate professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Excellence in Research Award
Awarded to: Matthew Sims, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, FIDSA, professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Excellence in Service Award
Awarded to: Laura Ortiz, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Golden Apple Awards
(Selected by students in the 2020-2021 Academic Year)
M1 Foundational Medical Studies Faculty Award (Class of 2023)
Awarded to: Judith Venuti, Ph.D., professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
M1 Clinical Faculty Award (Class of 2023)
Awarded to: Bhavinkumar Dalal, M.D., associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine
M2 Foundational Medical Studies Faculty Award (Class of 2022)
Awarded to: Rebecca Pratt, Ph.D., professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
M2 Clinical Faculty Award (Class of 2022)
Awarded to: Sangeeta Kaur, M.D., associate professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
M3 Teaching Resident/Fellow Award (Class of 2021)
Awarded to: Samuel Osei, M.D., resident, Department of General Surgery
M3 Teaching Attending Award (Class of 2021)
Awarded to: Erwin Patalinghug, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Family Medicine
M4 Teaching Resident/Fellow Award (Class of 2021)
Awarded to: Matthew Drogowski, M.D., resident, Department of Emergency Medicine
M4 Teaching Attending Award (Class of 2021)
Awarded to: Steven Joseph, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
AWARD of HONOR
Michele D. Raible Award
Recipients: Brett Friedman, Class of 2022, Kaitlin Pataroque, Class of 2023
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, marketing writer, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
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