Twenty students from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine were inducted Tuesday into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

In a special ceremony held at Birmingham’s Community House, members of OUWB’s Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 became members of the prestigious organization.

AOA is an international society recognizing students, alumni, and faculty who dedicate themselves to the medical profession. About 3,500 people are inducted into this society annually.

Inductees like Nolan Shoukri, M4, joined the ranks of about 180 OUWB alumni who have been inducted into AOA since 2014. (See box for all of this year’s inductees. For a list of all previous OUWB inductees, click here.)

“The main thing it means to me is that it’s a really nice testament to all of the hard work that we’ve put in,” he said. “It shows that we really did go above and beyond and not just for grades. It shows we want to learn as much as possible and translate it to our future success as physicians.”

AOA has 135 chapters in medical schools throughout the U.S. and has inducted more than 200,000 members since its founding in 1902.

More than 50 Nobel Prize winners in physiology, medicine and chemistry have been AOA members. More than 30 of those were elected to AOA prior to winning the Nobel Prize.

The process of becoming inductees starts when students are invited to apply. Qualifying M4s must be in the top quartile of the class based on their first three years of medical school. For M3s, it’s the top 10% of the class and is based on the first two years of medical school. Quartiles are run in the beginning of August. (M3s who didn’t apply or weren’t accepted for induction in 2024 can still apply in their fourth year.)

For their applications, students are asked to list details about awards, leadership, community service, research publications and presentations, and involvement with professional organizations.

For 2024, a committee of 10 then reviewed applications. Any identifying information was removed from applications, so committee members didn’t know who they were reviewing.

Pamela Benitez, M.D., AOA Delta Chapter Councilor and Secretary, welcomed the inductees and their guests, presented each student with an AOA certificate and gold pin, and closed the evening with brief remarks.

“The practice of medicine isn’t an easy road,” she said.

“We honor all of you for what you have accomplished during your time at (OUWB).”

She also urged all the students to “continue your journey of learning, (and) contributing your talents and knowledge to the greater good.”

“Being selected into AOA speaks to your vision, your contributions to your community, as well as your academic achievements,” she said.

Berkley Browne, Ph.D., associate dean, Student Affairs, spoke and said she was representing school leadership “to honor the excellence of each and every one of the students in this room.”

“Of course, we are proud of each and every one of our students, but we are so proud of each and every one of the inductees,” she said.

Wise words from OUWB alum 

Keynote speaker for the event was Nate Loudon, M.D., OUWB ’20. (Loudon also was inducted into AOA in 2019.)

Currently, Loudon is a fourth-year resident in University of Michigan Medicine’s interventional radiology-integrated program. He’s set to be a chief resident next year and will graduate as a fellow in 2026, following his sixth and final year.

He talked about “three big lies” related to medical school and the field of medicine.

Loudon identified the first lie as “you are here because you’re better than everybody else and you’re smarter than everybody else.”

“The fact that you’re here is an incredible accomplishment but none of this happens in a vacuum,” he said before he urged the inductees to recognize those who “played a serious part in your journey to get here.”

The second lie identified by Loudon is “imposter syndrome means there’s something wrong with you.”

“I think it’s actually a physiologic response to being in an environment with people that you admire and respect,” he said. “I would encourage you to use your imposter syndrome to say, ‘I’m going to become those people around me that I want to be…people who are so inspired, smart, and competent.”

The last lie, he said, is that medical school graduates need to cram in as much medical knowledge as possible between commencement and starting residency.

“The reality is there’s nothing you can really do to prepare yourself for the quantum leap in responsibility and level of work that you’re about to encounter — other than what you’ve already gone through and has led to you being here tonight,” he said.

He closed by saying that he was “incredibly grateful to be able to share this evening” with the inductees.

“You guys are truly inspirational, and I can’t wait to see where you all match,” he said.

Inductees like Skylar Sundquist, M4, called the accomplishment and ceremony “an incredible honor.”

“We’ve all been through a lot of trials throughout the last four years and it’s really great to be here, reflect back on them, and say we made it through,” she said.

Similar feelings were expressed by fellow inductee, Kyu Min Kim, M4.

"Being selected for AOA felt both exciting and rewarding,” he said. “It’s nice to know that the hard work I've put in have made a positive impression. The induction event itself was a great chance to celebrate with mentors and friends who’ve encouraged me along the way. It reminded me how grateful I am to have that support."

For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior marketing specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].

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