At the graduation dinner for the Class of 2017 members of the University of Arizona Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus, a number of awards were presented—some in recognition of the hard work of three year’s training, others in jest—reflecting the camaraderie developed in that time.
The annual event was hosted June 2 at the Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. St. Andrews Drive—with panoramic views of the city by day and night southward from the top of Swan Road.
For a photo gallery from the evening’s events, 
click here [PDF] or on the image at the left.
Among them, the honorees and their recognitions included:
Jawad Bilal, MBBS — Distinguished Research Award- Rilwan Balogun, MD — Distinguished Vignette Award
- Onyee Chan, MD — Program Director’s Outstanding Humanism & Professionalism Award*
- Tammer El Aini, MD — Outstanding Fellow Award*
- Tejo Vemulapalli, MD — Outstanding Attendee Award
- Hasan Ali, MD — Outstanding Intern Award
- Anthony Witten, DO — Outstanding Resident Award
- Kerith Lisa, Sr. Program Director, and Lori Najar-Young, Health Unit Coordinator (4W, Banner – University Medical Center Tucson) — Certificates of Appreciation
* These awards were announced at the 2017 UA Department of Medicine Annual Awards Assembly.
Additional recognitions were given to the outgoing Banner – UMC Tucson chief residents in internal medicine, Laith Ghazala, MD, Rorak Hooten, MD, Jennifer Sagar, MD, and Lindsey Trotter, MD. The incoming chief residents, who will start July 1, are: Dr. Bilal, Aakash Shah, MD, Kawanjit “Kuv” Surapur, MD, and Yunuen “Yuni” Valenzuela, MD—who emceed most of the evening.
And a number of 2017 Mock Awards were given out by the incoming chiefs with tongue-in-cheek themes honoring the “most likely” and “best” residents.
The dinner was wrapped up not by retired VA cardiologist and UA Sarver Heart Center member Steven Goldman, MD, as has been tradition (he announced his last "Goldman Rounds" speech last year), but by Meenakshi Dagar, MD, a general internal medicine physician who started as a UA faculty member when the graduating residents were interns. Her closing motherly advice: "Always remember to apply sunblock."
ALSO SEE:
"South Campus Residents Join at the Omni Resort for Grad Night Festivities" | Posted June 19, 2017
“Forty Honored at 2017 DOM Annual Awards at Arizona Inn” | Posted May 6, 2017
“DOM Program Directors Share Insights on Incoming Class of 2020 Interns, Residents” | Posted March 24, 2017
“See Where UA Med Students Will Do Their Residency Training per Match Day 2017” | Posted March 17, 2017
“Graduating Tucson Campus Internal Medicine Residents Celebrate with Banquet, Awards” | Posted June 7, 2016