Honors and Awards Ceremony 2019 | School of Medicine

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - Graduate Studies award winners — Mollie Marr, M.D./Ph.D. student in the Behavioral Neuroscience Graduate Program (far right), soaks up the moment with her Ph.D. student peers Jimi Rosenkrantz (left), and Taylor Mighell, both in the Neuroscience Graduate Program, who received National Research Service Awards.

School of Medicine gathers to recognize the excellence that defines us

June 2, 2019

The OHSU School of Medicine came together Sunday afternoon, June 2 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of students and faculty that define the highest striving of our school.

The 2019 Undergraduate Medical Education and Graduate Studies Honors and Awards Ceremony drew nearly 200 honorees and guests to the Robertson Life Sciences Building Atrium for an afternoon of celebration.

“In the OHSU School of Medicine, excellence is a team effort,” said Dean Sharon Anderson. "The faculty receiving awards today model the exemplary service that fuels academic medicine. Our students, meanwhile, challenge our faculty and our profession not only to advance but to grow. It is my privilege today to join in recognizing you.”

With grace and warmth, Tracy Bumsted, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for undergraduate medical education, presented the M.D. Program awards, and Allison Fryer, Ph.D., associate dean for graduate studies, presented the Graduate Studies awards. Each shared compelling personal comments about the awardees written by their nominators.

Watch the event video

Congratulations to this year's award winners and honorees. The list below represents just a portion of them.

View the event program for the full list

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SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - group photo of award winners with honor cords — Tracy Bumsted, M.D., associate dean for undergraduate medical education, proudly joins M.D. students graduating with honors this year.

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - Dr. Gary Westbrook and Dr. Allison Fryer — Allison Fryer, Ph.D., associate dean for graduate studies, presented Gary Westbrook, M.D., professor and senior scientist at the Vollum Institute, with the prestigious John A. Resko Faculty Excellence in Research and Mentoring Award, among the top faculty awards given in the OHSU School of Medicine Graduate Studies Program.

Award winners

Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards

Graduate Studies Faculty Awards

Excellence in Teaching

Thomas Griglock, Ph.D., DABR, Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Joyanna Hansen, Ph.D., RD, LD, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics
Kyle Gallagher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Medicine

Excellence in Education

Stefanie Kaech Petrie, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
Amanda McCullough, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics
James McCormick, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine

M.D. Program Faculty Awards

Excellence in Teaching

Philip Copenhaver, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Cell Developmental and Cancer Biology
Tonja Dirkx, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Peter Sullivan, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Delaram Safarpour, M.D., MSCE, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology

Excellence in Education

Jeff Kraakevik, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
Christina Milano, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Graduate Studies Faculty and Student Achievement Awards

Graduate Student Organization Awards

Exemplary Future Scientist

Alexandra Quackenbush Bartlett, Cancer Biology Graduate Program

Leadership in Service

Daelyn Richards, Molecular and Medical Genetics Graduate Program

Student Engagement

Marc Meadows, Neuroscience Graduate Program

Student Mentor

Celeste Leary, Radiation Medicine Graduate Program

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership

Antoinette Foster, Neuroscience Graduate Program

John A. Resko Outstanding Research Achievement Awards

The awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to biomedical research in the OHSU School of Medicine, are made in honor of John A. Resko, Ph.D., chairman and professor emeritus of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, for over 30 years of excellence in research, mentoring and dedicated leadership of the basic science graduate studies program.

Jevgenia Zilberman-Rudenko, received the John A. Resko Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award for her dissertation titled "Blood reaction dynamics under shear flow."
Gary Westbrook, M.D., Professor and Senior Scientist at the Vollum Institute, received the John A. Resko Faculty Excellence in Research and Mentoring Award.

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

Sunil Joshi, M.D./Ph.D. Program, pursuing his thesis research in the Druker lab, studying intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of drug resistance in leukemia.

Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award

Raja Cholan (pictured below, with his parents), Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, “Assessing the benefits and challenges of Clinical Quality Language (CQL) – a HL7 specification for representing logic criteria for clinical quality measures and clinical decision support.”

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - Raja Cholan of Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE) with Dr. Allison Fryer — Raja Cholan (left) won Outstanding Master’s Thesis for seeing the need and successfully assessing the reliability of the new computer language that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will soon use to measure the quality of patient care in hospitals across the nation. His award was presented by Dr. Allison Fryer.

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - parents of Raja Cholan, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE) — Honors and Awards celebrates honorees and the people who supported them along the way. Here, Raja Cholan's parents watch their son's award from the audience.

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - Raja Cholan, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE), with his mother — Raja Cholan (right) rejoins his parents in the audience after receiving his award from Dr. Allison Fryer.

M.D. Program Faculty and Student Achievement Awards

The Edward J. Keenan Teaching Award was created to memorialize Dr. Edward J. Keenan's legacy as a celebrated teacher, scientist, mentor and colleague, and to honor Dr. Keenan's passion for teaching and for teachers. This year the award went to Erin Bonura, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine.
The Community Preceptor Award recognizes a physician or physician group that has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the education of medical students. This year the award goes to Clea Lopez, M.D., Adjunct Instructor, Department of Family Medicine, and Timothy Beard, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery.
The Faculty Mentor Award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding skill and dedication to advising and mentoring medical students. This year, the award went to Sheevaun Khaki, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics.
The Dean's Award for Exemplary Contributions to the M.D. Program went to Deepthika Ennamuri and Alexandra Hernandez.
The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation is given to a graduating medical student and to a physician faculty member who are judged by their peers to best exemplify the humanistic qualities of a physician and their consistent expression of compassion, empathy, respect and sensitivity toward their patients and colleagues, while maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards and devoting themselves to the welfare of our citizens who are most vulnerable and in need of their care.
Peter Sullivan, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, received the faculty award and Omar Fares (pictured with his family) received the student award.
The Edward S. Hayes Gold-Headed Cane Award is presented annually to a member of the graduating medical school class selected by his or her peers and teachers. The award recognizes the compassionate devotion and effective service to the sick, with the conviction that its holder will forever epitomize and uphold the traditions of the true physician. This year this prestigious award went to Nicholas West.

George Mejicano, M.D., senior associate dean for education, OHSU School of Medicine, framed the day’s celebration with his pride in the “breathtaking achievement of our students” and educational programs “second to none in preparing our learners to confidently enter the workforce and advance in their field of study.”

He also emphasized the work ahead.

“I want to challenge every student and faculty honoree that more work needs to be done,” Dr. Mejicano said. “We must strive to improve the student experience, reduce costs, enhance diversity and even further develop the teaching skills of our faculty and even better manage our resources to ensure a bright future for generations to come.”

He ended the ceremony with gratitude and recognition for the friends and family attending the celebration and watching the live stream from home.

“In so many ways,” he said, “the honor is yours to share because none of us stand alone.”

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - Dr. Tracy Bumsted with Dr. Megan Furnari — Dr. Tracy Bumsted congratulates Megan Furnari, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics and director of medical student wellness and leadership, for earning the David W.E. Baird Award, one of many outstanding M.D. faculty recognized at the ceremony.

SOM Honors and Awards 2019 - Dr. Tracy Bumsted with Delaram Safarpour, M.D., assistant professor of neurology — Dr. Bumsted awarded Delaram Safarpour, M.D., assistant professor of neurology, with one of four Excellence in Teaching Awards. While early in her faculty career, Dr. Bumsted said, she is already demonstrating her outstanding commitment to teaching medical students.