Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine paid tribute to the outstanding achievements of faculty, staff, and medical students during the 2022 OUWB Honors Convocation held Thursday.
For the first time since 2019, the event took place in person at Oakland University’s Oakland Center. Traditionally, the event is held on the eve of OUWB’s commencement.
Duane Mezwa, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, OUWB, welcomed about 200 attendees and served as host.
Among those recognized were student members of three prominent honor societies: Gold Humanism Honor Society, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and the Association of Pathology Chair’s Honor Society.
Additional recognition awards were given for outstanding student achievements, awards of distinction, and outstanding faculty achievements. (The list of awards is below.)
The student achievements included clerkship awards for M3 and M4 years.
Benjamin Travers received the award for outstanding performance in the M4 emergency medicine clerkship. Travers, also recognized for induction into Alpha Omega Alpha, said the event “felt surreal” and he credited others for helping him along his journey, including his classmates that he called “fantastic future doctors.”
“Everything is done with the help of others,” he said. “It was really nice to be here with my friends, family, and colleagues.”
Antonio Dekhou received the award for outstanding performance in the M3 obstetrics and gynecology clerkship. He said he didn’t aim for an award, but always aimed for giving 100%.
“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I’m very excited and it makes you feel like all of our hard work has paid off.”
The event also included a military promotion ceremony. Daniel Ludema was promoted to lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and Michael Sun was promoted to captain in the U.S. Army. Rachel Connell, who will be promoted to captain in the U.S. Air Force unfortunately was not able to attend the ceremony.
“(The ceremony) marks the start of transitioning from individual ready reserve to active duty and owning all of the skills that I’ve learned in the last four years,” said Sun. “Having my classmates here to join me in this promotion…means a lot.”
The 2022 U.S. Excellence in Public Health Award was given to Anisah Hashmi, who, throughout her years at OUWB, used her many talents to tackle the serious inequities and identified disparities for historically marginalized communities.
Steven Joseph, M.D., assistant professor and career advising coordinator, Department of Emergency, and OUWB student Maidah Raja were each honored with the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award — the first two to receive the recognition at OUWB.
 |
| Dean Duane Mezwa, M.D., congratulates Paul Misch, M.D., on being recognized for his distinguished service. |
Three Beaumont physicians were recognized for their distinguished service as department chairs with OUWB Jeffrey Devries, M.D., for being the founding associate dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Designated Institutional Official & Vice President for Graduate Medical Education at Beaumont; Paul Misch, M.D., former chair and professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; and Ronald Taylor, M.D., former chair and professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
“I’ve spent my who life being a doctor and loved it and appreciated it, and to have it recognized is very, very special,” said Taylor.
Several awards were given to faculty, including the Clinical Excellence in Service recognition that went to Brian Felice, M.D, assistant professor, Department of Emergency Medicine. He said it was “great to be recognized by the students and faculty at OUWB.”
“It’s been wonderful to be able to give back and serve the community,” he said. “It’s nice to be recognized for the service that’s being done, but great to be able to do it with all of the staff and students here at OU.”
The event also included recognition of the seven PRISM mentors for the Class of 2022. PRISM provides a multi-layered system of support, along with a four-year curriculum that focuses on personal growth, wellness, and career development. Monthly sessions create opportunities for reflections and small group discussion. PRISM mentors for the graduating class were Sulaiman Bharwani, M.D., Abdulrahman Effendi, M.D., Varsha Karamchandani, M.D., Julie Price, M.D., Rachel Rohde, M.D., Anthony Stallion, M.D., and Molly Austin, M.D.
“This is really emotional for me,” said Austin. “I remember meeting them, putting their white coats on them at their matriculation ceremony…and now to see them move off and fly away. It’s so gratifying. It also was a lot of fun.”
In addition to the honors noted above, the following awards and recipients were recognized.
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Class of 2022 M1 Award for Outstanding Academic Performance
Recipients: Jackson Harley, Grace Peterson, Jamie Simpson
Class of 2022 M2 Award for Outstanding Academic Performance
Recipients: Aimee Hite, Grace Peterson, Zachary Rollins
Class of 2022 M3 Clerkship Awards
Award for Outstanding Performance in Family Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Kelly Fahey
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Internal Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Kenneth Barker
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Neurology Clerkship
Recipient: Nina Diklich
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Pediatrics Clerkship
Recipient: Benjamin Malamet
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Psychiatry Clerkship
Recipient: Alyssa Heintschel
Award for Outstanding Performance in the Surgery Clerkship
Recipient: Grace Peterson
Class of 2022 M4 Clerkship Awards
Award for Outstanding Performance in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Edward Ford
Award for Outstanding Performance in Diagnostic Medicine Clerkship
Recipient: Mariam Aoun
Class of 2022 AMWA Awards
Glasgow-Rubin Certificate of Commendation for Academic Achievement
Recipients: Mariam Aoun, Maya Desai, Rachel Harvey, Aimee Hite, Kassy Kneen, and Grace Peterson
Embark Competitive Scholarship Award Recipients
2021 Kenneth J. Matzick Embark Program Competitive Scholarship, Manuscript of the Year
Recipient: Linzi Hobbs
Pregnancy Increases Platelet Reactivity and Induces a Thrombogenic Platelet Transcriptome in Mice
Mentor: Randal Westrick, Ph.D.
2021 Ann V. Nicholson Embark Program Competitive Scholarship, Manuscript of the Year 1st Runner-Up
Recipient: Rachel Harvey
Physician Directed vs. Self-Directed Activity Restrictions in Children After Routine Pediatric Surgery: A Prospective Study
Mentors: Pavan Brahmandam, M.D., and Begum Akay, M.D.
2021 Kenneth J. Matzick Embark Program Competitive Scholarship, Manuscript of the Year 2nd Runner-Up
Recipient: Alexander Balinski
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Temporal Trends: Procedural Volume Impact on Length of Stay and Readmissions
Mentor: Patrick Karabon
Newman Family Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Collin Walentine
Impact of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on Cardiovascular Disease in Obese Female Youth
Mentors: Kristen Nadeau, M.D., and Michael Brennan, D.O.
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship, Manuscript of the Year Honorable Mention
Recipient: Amy Cox
The Impact of Previous Healthcare Experience on the Practice of Medicine
Mentor: Stephen Loftus, Ph.D.
Ravitz Foundation Embark Program Competitive Scholarship Award
Recipient: Aimee Hite
Reporting of Concussion Symptoms in High School Aged Athletes
Mentor: Neal Alpiner, M.D.
Recipient: Anet Szatkowski
Relatedness of Urinary Escherichia Coli Strains and Connection Between Strain Type and Clinical Presentation
Mentor: Matthew Sims, M.D., Ph.D.
Recipient: Benjamin Malamet
The Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria in the Pediatric Patient Population by Age and Sex
Mentors: Matthew Sims, M.D., Ph.D.
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Diversity & Inclusion Student Excellence Award
Recipient: Eric James, Class of 2023
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Staff Award
Recipient: Deirdre Pitts, Ph.D., associate dean, Academic Affairs & Faculty Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Faculty Award
Recipient: Rebecca Pratt, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS
Foundational Medical Studies Educator of the Year
Awarded to: Stefanie Attardi, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Science Educator of the Year
Awarded to: Jaime Hope, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Research Award
Awarded to: Luca Cucullo, Ph.D., professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Foundational Studies Excellence in Research Award
Awarded to: Amit Bahl, M.D., associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Service
Awarded to: Kara Sawarynski, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Golden Apple Awards
M1 Foundational Medical Studies Faculty Award
Awarded to: Stefanie Attardi, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
M1 Clinical Faculty Award
Awarded to: Majid Khan, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology
M2 Foundational Medical Studies Faculty Award
Awarded to: Changiz Mohiyeddini, Ph.D., professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
M2 Clinical Faculty Award
Awarded to: Daniel Menkes, M.D., chair and professor, Department of Neurology
M3 Teaching Resident/Fellow Award
Awarded to: Jessica Tennant, M.D., resident, Department of Pediatrics
M3 Clinical Faculty Award
Awarded to: Kongkrit Chaiyasate, M.D., associate professor, Department of Plastic Surgery
M4 Teaching Resident/Fellow Award
Awarded to: Michael Sobin, M.D., resident, Department of Emergency Medicine
M4 Teaching Clinical Faculty Award
Awarded to: Danielle Turner-Lawrence, M.D., associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
AWARD of HONOR
Michele D. Raible Award
Recipients: Stephen Greenwell, Class of 2024
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, marketing writer, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
NOTICE: Except where otherwise noted, all articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. You are free to copy, distribute, adapt, transmit, or make commercial use of this work as long as you attribute Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine as the original creator and include a link to this article.
