Many use the end of the calendar year to look back on the previous 12 months and once again, OUWB is joining in on such reflection.
Using analytics tools, we have compiled a list of the top 10 news stories that were published during 2024.
The appointment of Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, was among the top stories.
“As we prepare for winter break, I want to extend my gratitude for your support as the new OUWB Stephan Sharf Dean,” he said. “It has been a busy four months, and I couldn’t be more excited about this responsibility, especially at this time in our school’s history.”
Carpenter also took time to wish everyone “a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season” while already looking ahead to next year.
“I believe with certainty that we will accomplish our goals in 2025, and we will be stronger for doing so as a community,” he said.
Before that, however, here are the school’s top 10 most read news stories for 2024, in order:
OUWB’s Match Day coverage annually tops the list of stories for the year and that’s no different in 2024. On March 15, the OUWB Class of 2024 joined nearly 45,000 of their peers across the U.S. to participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the annual event that reveals where most graduating medical students have been accepted for residency training.
The soon-to-be physicians gathered at Oakland University’s Oakland Center, where they learned they would be going to places like Mayo Clinic, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, and Brown University. There were plenty of smiles, hugs, cheers, and even fireworks.
“This is a day that will rank as one of the most memorable days in a physician's life,” said Carpenter. “Ask any physician in this room…Match Day is the one day they have never forgotten.”
When Alison Thomas, M.D., talked right after Thanksgiving 2023 with fellow OUWB Class of 2020 alumnus Erfan Faridmoayer, M.D., she never imagined it would be for the last time.
After all, he had so much going for him — two successful years of residency in New York under his belt, in the middle of a prestigious fellowship, and perhaps most importantly, constantly represented “all that is good and kind in this world.”
Faridmoayer died of cardiac arrest on Dec. 7, 2023.
To cope with such feelings of loss, Faridmoayer’s classmates banded together to create an OUWB endowment in his honor.
On Feb. 6, four members of the OUWB Class of 2024 matched early in ophthalmology, landing highly coveted spots at top institutions across the country.
Early matches apply to specialties not affiliated with the NRMP, which annually holds its Match Day in March. Military and urology programs (see below) also have early matches.
Seventeen third-year medical students from OUWB were inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) on March 7.
GHHS is a community of medical students, resident physicians, and faculty who practice compassionate patient care and who have been recognized as role models, mentors, and leaders in medicine.
The induction of the OUWB students took place at the 10th Annual Faircloth Evening of Medical Humanism, which was attended by more than 100.
Twenty students from OUWB were inducted Oct. 22 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.
The OUWB Class of 2028 White Coat Ceremony was held Aug. 9 — a day full of excitement that centered on welcoming 129 new future physicians to the field of medicine.
The ceremony was held on the campus of Oakland University and attended by nearly 1,000.
“Let the journey begin,” Carpenter said at the end of the ceremony to the sound of cheers.
Two members of the OUWB Class of 2024 successfully matched Feb. 1 in the highly competitive specialty of urology — joining 25 alumni from the school to have done so since 2015.
Prasun Sharma matched at University of Pennsylvania and Moe Hijazi at University of Illinois.
They were among the 500 medical trainees competing for 394 positions in 148 urology residency training programs nationwide, according to the Society of Academic Urologists (SAU) and the American Urological Association (AUA).
After 15 months of construction, the $9.7 million renovation and addition at Oakland University’s O’Dowd Hall came down to a simple countdown July 11.
Led by Carpenter, a group of Oakland University and OUWB dignitaries — and others involved in the project — cut a ceremonial ribbon to officially reopen the building.
“This is a huge step forward for OUWB,” he said. “Recognizing how our students learn was key to how this project was planned out. It’s going to be an environment that allows our students to be that much more successful.”
It was announced on July 11 that Carpenter had been appointed as the third Stephan Sharf Dean of OUWB. The dean will also serve on the executive leadership team of Corewell Health - Southeast Michigan. The appointment was effective July 15.
Eight medical students at OUWB each recently received an Outstanding Student Award for 2023-24.
The cohort consisted of four students who are now M2s and four current M3s.
The Outstanding Student Awards began in 2012 as course awards and have evolved to what it is today.
The Student Awards Committee uses a rubric to identify recipients. The committee gathers and reviews data obtained from the student nominees related to academic excellence, service, leadership, and activities related to DEI and scholarship.
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior marketing specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
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