Twenty-three share in honors at 2024 Department of Medicine Awards Ceremony

[Cover of program for 2024 University of Arizona Department of Medicine Awards Ceremony (click to view).]University of Arizona Department of Medicine faculty, fellows, residents and students gathered for the department’s 2024 Annual Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, in a return to the Arizona Inn for the event.

Of 25 awards presented, two students won dual honors in separate categories. Lupita Molina (Class of 2024) took top recognition for a outstanding student in nephrology and endocrinology. And Michael Haekwang Kim [Group photo of DOM Annual Awards Ceremony winners with faculty and collage (at bottom) of shots of Arizona Inn; Drs. Jim Liao, Sarah Upson and Laura Meinke; and Drs. Jim Knepler, Liz Connick and Alex Perry]took similar awards for top student in infectious diseases and rheumatology. 

At right, a cover image of the program for the 2024 Awards Ceremony of the University of Arizona Department of Medicine. Click image for the full program.

See below for this year’s presenters, award recipients & (coming soon) a mini-photo gallery:

 

Cardiology

Presenter: Elizabeth Juneman, MD, associate professor and interim chief, Division of Cardiology, and interim director, Sarver Heart Center

Zenas B. Noon, MD, Award for Excellence in Cardiology

Presenter: Elizabeth Juneman, MD, associate professor and interim chief, Division of Cardiology, interim director, Sarver Heart Center
Recipients: 

  • Julia Alvarenga Fagundes Couto
  • Abhimanyu Chadha

Charles W. Hall, Jr., & Virginia C. Hall Memorial Award for Outstanding House Officer in the Coronary Care Unit

Presenter: Olivia Hung, MD, PhD, clinical assistant professor and program director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, Division of Cardiology; and member, Sarver Heart Center
Recipient: Matthew Arnel Ibarrola Mendoza, MD

Dermatology

Presenter: Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, professor, residency program director and chief, Division of Dermatology; co-director, UArizona Skin Cancer Institute; interim research director, UArizona Cancer Center; and the Alan and Janice Levin Family Endowed Chair for Excellence in Cancer Research, UArizona

Outstanding Medical Student in Dermatology

Recipient: Sri Sai Swetha Atluri

Endocrinology

Presenter: Sarah Penquite, MD, clinical assistant professor and assistant director, Endocrinology Fellowship, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Outstanding Medical Student in Endocrinology

Recipient: Lupita Molina

Outstanding Resident in Endocrinology

Recipient: Paulina Ashley Kuzmin, DO

Gastroenterology

Presenters: Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, Regents Professor and chief, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology; and member, Cancer Biology Research Program, and interim director, UArizona Cancer Center; and Avin Aggarwal, MBBS, clinical assistant professor, medical director, South Campus Endoscopy Services, and associate program director, GI Fellowship Program

Outstanding Medical Student in Gastroenterology

Recipient: Benjamin Francis Nichols

Outstanding Resident in Gastroenterology

Recipient: Brandon Witten, MD

General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine

Presenter: Amy Klein, MD, clinical assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine; director, Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship; and medical director, Palliative Medicine, Banner – University Medicine Tucson

John T. Boyer Award: Outstanding Medical Student in Geriatrics

Recipient: Hannah Rosch Newton

Outstanding Resident in Palliative Medicine

Recipient: Madhulika Banerjee, MD

Lois Estok Award: Outstanding Resident in General Internal Medicine

Recipient: Natalie Davis, MD

Hematology & Oncology

Presenters: Rachna Shroff, MD, MS, FASCO, associate professor and chief, Division of Hematology & Oncology; associate director, Clinical Investigations, UArizona Cancer Center; and associate dean, Clinical and Translational Research, College of Medicine – Tucson; and Akshay Amaraneni, MD, assistant professor and associate fellowship program director, Division of Hematology & Oncology, and UArizona Cancer Center member

Outstanding Medical Student in Hematology/Oncology

Recipient: Nicole Kummet

Outstanding Resident in Hematology/Oncology

Recipient: Aaron Bertolo, MD

Infectious Diseases

Outstanding Medical Student in Infectious Diseases

Presenter: Elizabeth Connick, MD, professor, fellowship director and chief, Division of Infectious Diseases
Recipient: Michael Haekwang Kim

Outstanding Resident in Infectious Diseases

Presenter: Tirdad Zangeneh, DO, MA, professor, Division of Infectious Diseases; associate director, Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus; and medical director, Infectious Diseases Transplant Program, Banner – University Medicine Tucson
Recipient: Skyler Trieu, MD

Nephrology

Presenters: Bekir Tanriover, MD, MPH, MBA, professor and chief, Division of Nephrology; and Amy Sussman, MD, professor and fellowship director, Division of Nephrology, and director, Internal Medicine Clerkship, and vice chair for Education, Department of Medicine

Outstanding Medical Student in Nephrology

Recipients:

  • Lupita Molina
  • Ziad Hindosh

Outstanding Resident in Nephrology

Recipient: Biagio James Collura, MD

Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine

Presenter: Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, professor and chief, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine; director, Center for Sleep, Circadian and Neuroscience Research; and medical director, Center for Sleep Disorders, Banner – University Medicine Tucson (Dr. Laura Meinke, see below, stood in for Dr. Parthasarathy in his absence.)

Outstanding Medical Student in PACCS

Recipient: Diego Blew

Outstanding Resident in PACCS

Recipient: Rebecca Wig, MBBS

Rheumatology

Presenter: C. Kent Kwoh, MD, professor and chief, Division of Rheumatology; director, UArizona Arthritis Center; and the Charles A.L. and Suzanne M. Stephens Endowed Chair in Rheumatology at UArizona

Outstanding Medical Student in Rheumatology

Recipient: Michael Haekwang Kim

Outstanding Resident in Rheumatology

Recipient: Reynaldo Gomez Escalona, MD

Internal Medicine Residency

Presenter: Laura Meinke, MD, associate professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, and assistant vice chaair, education, and director, Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus, Department of Medicine

Director’s Award for Outstanding Humanism & Professionalism

Recipient: Daniel Brown, MD

Outstanding Medicine Fellow

Recipient: Sarah Upson, MD | Chief Fellow, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Undergraduate Medical Education

Presenter: Amy Sussman, MD, associate professor and fellowship director, Division of Nephrology, and director, Internal Medicine Clerkship, and vice chair for Education, Department of Medicine

J.W. Smith Award - Outstanding Medical Student

Recipient: Lauren Murphy

MINI-PHOTO GALLERY *

Winners of University of Arizona Department of Medicine 2024 Awards at April 30 at the Arizona Inn. * Click on images to enlarge. Rollover image with mouse for captions.

[Department of Medicine award winners for the 2024 Awards Ceremony hosted at the Arizona Inn on April 30]

[A meet-and-greet before the 2024 DOM Awards Ceremony in the Arizona Inn's central courtyard, with Drs. Anthony Witten (behind far left), Kevin Moynahan, awardee Madhulika Banerjee (and guest), Amy Klein and Erick Brucks.] [Dr. J.P. Ferreira takes a photo of fellow faculty and staff for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, including Julie Forte, Dr. Laura Meinke (white blouse), Dr. Erick Brucks, Dr. Anthony Witten, Mary Gosciminski and Monica Jimenez.] [Presented with a Zenas B. Noon MD Award of Excellence in Cardiology is student Julia Alvarenga Fagunes Couto (center), with DOM chair Drs. James Liao and Elizabeth Juneman, interim Cardiology chief and interim Sarver Heart Center director.] [Winner of a Zenas B. Noon MD Award of Excellence in Cardiology is student Abhimanyu Chadha (center), with DOM chair Drs. James Liao and Elizabeth Juneman, interim Cardiology chief and interim Sarver Heart Center director.]

[Matthew Arnel Ibarrola Mendoza, MD (center), winner of the Charles W. Hall Jr. & Virginia C. Hall Memorial Award for Outstanding House Officer on the Coronary Care Unit, with DOM chair Drs. James Liao and Elizabeth Juneman, interim Cardiology chief and interim Sarver Heart Center director.] [Lupita Molina (center), winner of the Outstanding Medical Student in Endocrinology Award, presented by Endocrinology fellowship associate program director Dr. Sara Penquite (right) and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Paulina Ashley Kuzmin, DO (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident in Endocrinology Award, presented by Endocrinology fellowship associate program director Dr. Sara Penquite (right) and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Benjamin Nichols (center), Outstanding Student in Gastroenterology and Hepatology Award winner, with the GI division chief Drs. Juanita Merchant and Avin Aggarwal, who are GI fellowship director and associate program director (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).]

[Brandon Witten, MD (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident in Gastroenterology and Hepatology Award, with the GI division chief Drs. Juanita Merchant and Avin Aggarwal, who are GI fellowship director and associate program director (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Winner of the John T. Boyer Award Outstanding Medical Student in Geriatrics, Hannah Rosch Newton (center), with DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left) and Dr. Amy Klein (right), Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship director in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.] [Madhulika Banerjee, MD (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident in Palliative Medicine Award from the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, with presenters, Dr. Amy Klein (right), Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship director, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Winner of the Lois Estok Award Outstanding Resident in General Internal Medicine, Natalie Davis, MD (center), with DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left), and presenters (on right) Dr. Amy Klein, Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship director, and Dr. Julia Jernberg, director, Health & Societies Thread, DOM.]

[Nicole Kummet (center), winner of the Outstanding Student in Hematology & Oncology Award, with presenters (on right) Dr. Akshay Amaraneni, Hem-Onc fellowship associate program director, and Hem-Onc division chief Dr. Rachna Shroff, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Winner of the Outstanding Resident in Hematology & Oncology Award, Aaron Bertolo, MD, with presenter (on right) Hem-Onc division chief Dr. Rachna Shroff, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Outstanding Medical Student in Infectious Diseases Award winner Michael Haekwang Kim (center), with presenter and Infectious Diseases division chief Liz Connick, MD (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Skyler Trieu, MD (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident in Infectious Diseases Award, with presenter and Infectious Diseases division chief Liz Connick, MD (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).]

Ziad Hindosh (center), first winner of the Outstanding Medical Student in Nephrology, with presenters (on right) Drs. Ryan Wong and Amy Sussman, Nephrology division faculty and DOM internal medicine sub-internship and clerkship directors, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left). [Second winner of the Outstanding Medical Student in Nephrology, Lupita Molina (center) with presenters (on right) Drs. Ryan Wong and Amy Sussman, Nephrology division faculty and DOM internal medicine sub-internship and clerkship directors, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Biagio James Collura, MD (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident in Nephrology Award, with presenter Dr. Ryan Wong (right), Nephrology division faculty member and DOM internal medicine sub-internship director, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Winner of the Outstanding Medical Student Award for the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Diego Blew (center) with presenter Dr. Laura Meinke (right), a critical care specialist in the division, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).]

[Rebecca Wig, MBBS (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident Award for the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, with presenter Dr. Laura Meinke (right), a critical care specialist in the division, and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Winner of the Outstanding Medical Student in Rheumatology Award, Michael Haekwang Kim (center), with Rheumatology division chief and UArizona Arthritis Center director Dr. C. Kent Kwoh (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Reynaldo Gomez Escalona, MD (center), winner of the Outstanding Resident in Rheumatology Award, with Rheumatology division chief and UArizona Arthritis Center director Dr. C. Kent Kwoh (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Winner of the Internal Medicine Residency Program Directors Award for Outstanding Humanism & Professionalism, Daniel Brown, MD (center), with presenter and IMRP – Tucson Campus director Dr. Laura Meinke (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).]

[Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Chief Fellow Sarah Upson, MD (center)—winner of the Outstanding Medicine Fellow Award—with Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus director Dr. Laura Meinke (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Lauren Murphy (center), winner of the J.W. Smith, MD, Outstanding Student of Medicine Award from the Vice Chair of Education Office, presented by Dr. Amy Sussman (right), and DOM Chair Dr. James Liao (left).] [Applause for everyone at the end of the ceremony] [A few DOM faculty, including Drs. Sarah Penquite, Olivia Hung, Laura Meinke and Amy Klein (on left) and Dr. Amy Sussman and Chair Dr. James Liao (3rd from right and far right), with 2024 DOM Awardees winners.]

NOTE: Dermatology award winner and presenter were not present. (Photos courtesy of David Mogollon)

For the full photo album of coverage from the Department of Medicine 2024 Annual Awards Ceremony, see this link to the department's flickr webpage.

ALSO SEE:
“Twenty-three Split Honors at 2023 DOM Awards Ceremony” | Posted May 2, 2023
“Thirty-three Students, Physicians Recognized at 2019 DOM Awards Assembly” | Posted April 30, 2019
“Honors Come Early for Those Recognized at 2018 DOM Annual Awards Assembly” | Posted April 12, 2018
“Forty Honored at 2017 DOM Annual Awards at Arizona Inn” | Posted May 6, 2017
“DOM Annual Awards Honor Forty at Arizona Inn” | Posted May 18, 2016

Release Date: 
04/30/2024 - 3:30pm
Media Contact: 
David Mogollon | Communications Manager, University of Arizona Department of Medicine