The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2023 held their graduation ceremony at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts May 11.

Cheers and tears of joy filled the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa as students of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2023, along with their families and friends, brought a four-year medical school journey to an end during a commencement ceremony May 11.

The 179 senior medical students of the Class of 2023 represented a transitional period for the Morsani College of Medicine. The group was the last to begin medical school at the USF Health main campus location in north Tampa. They finished medical school in the new Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa. Additionally, they were one of few graduating classes to experience medical school before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rhea Law, JD, president of the University of South Florida. 

Kicking off the ceremony was Rhea Law, JD, president of the University of South Florida and an alumna of USF. In her address to the students, she urged the students to be in a state of constant reflection and display perseverance as they work toward their goals in health care.

“Before you walk across the stage, I encourage you to reflect on your ‘why?’ Why did you choose the University of South Florida for your medical education? Why did you choose to become a health care professional?” said Law.  “I urge you to keep pursuing your goals and never underestimate yourselves. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to.”

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. 

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, next addressed the students. He complimented the class on their perseverance and their unique perspective on how crucial patient-centered health care is during and after a pandemic.

“You had front-row seats to observe that those who practice medicine are vital to preserving our society.  Your own education was disrupted, access to research impaired, and despite the demands of learning your craft, you volunteered countless hours at COVID test sites and clinics,” Dr. Lockwood said. “You’ve arrived here today because your sustained commitment to the noble goal of becoming a physician and your resilience has paid off. I speak for all of USF Health when I say we could not be prouder of you.”

Stephen Liggett, MD, vice dean of research for the Morsani College of Medicine and associate vice president for research at USF Health, was designated a Distinguished Professor by Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. 

Read Dr. Lockwood’s complete remarks here. 

Following his remarks, Dr. Lockwood named Stephen Liggett, MD, a USF Health Distinguished Professor.  He is the vice dean of research for the Morsani College of Medicine and  associate vice president for research at USF Health.  The designation is given to senior staff and faculty who have distinguished themselves within and outside of USF Health.  Dr. Lockwood said Dr. Liggett exemplifies all three of USF Health’s missions: research, clinical care, and education.

Jane Castor, mayor of the City of Tampa, received the 2023 Dean’s Award from Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. 

Dr. Lockwood also presented Jane Castor, mayor of the City of Tampa, with the 2023 Dean’s Award for her swift actions taken to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Tampa.  Additionally, Dr. Lockwood commended her for her “sure and steady hand” as he described her leadership through other public health crises including access to vaccinations, and actions taken before, during and after Hurricane Ian.

“Never become complacent. Always stay curious. Treat every one of your patients as if they were a family member. Wherever your life’s journey takes you, remember you always have a home here in the city of Tampa,” Castor said in her address to the students. “No one arrives in the position you’re in without the assistance of others and that rings true for the Dean’s Award as well. I accept that with a great deal of gratitude. But also with the understanding of all of the hands that went into our community and region being able to navigate the pandemic as successfully as we did.”

Following Mayor Castor’s remarks, Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, vice dean for educational affairs at the Morsani College of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medical Education, welcomed the newest member of the MCOM Academy of Distinguished Educators, Vinita Kiluk, MD. Dr. Kiluk has distinguished herself as both a clinician and educator.  She is a pediatrician and co-course director for Doctoring 3.

Bri Anne McKeon, MD, FACOG, assistant dean for clinical curriculum at the Morsani College of Medicine, led the students in the Oath of Hippocrates. USF President Rhea Law conferred the Doctor of Medicine degree to the class, signifying their official transition from medical student to doctor.

One by one, students came center stage to be presented their academic hoods by Milind Kothari, DO, FAAN, and Marna Greenberg, DO, MPH.

After all students received their hoods, a special group of students took center stage for a different type of ceremony; a military commissioned officer promotion ceremony. Air Force Capts. Ana Capati-Fernandez, MD, Tyler Palbicke, MD, Emma Weiland, MD, and Army Capt. Erik Este, MD, were welcomed by a thunderous ovation from the crowd in recognition of their commitment as doctors and as military officers. After reciting the Oath of Office, family members came on stage to pin their new rank on their shoulders.

Left to right: Air Force Capt. Ana Capati-Fernandez, MD, Army Capt. Erik Este, MD, Air Force Capts. Tyler Palbicke, MD, and Emma Weiland, MD, recite the Oath of Commissioning prior to being promoted.

Paige DeBlieux, MD, co-president of the Class of 2023, was voted on by her classmates to deliver the farewell speech. Her message was one of hope and comradery. “Cling to your principles and ideals. Seek contentedness where you are. When others are choosing the route of selfishness, I hope that you cling to what is right. Meet failure and disappointment with courage. Failure and disappointment are necessary to experience success and fulfillment.”

Deborah DeWaay, MD, FACP, associate dean of undergraduate medical education for the Morsani College of Medicine, delivered the charge speech to the students. “It doesn’t matter what culture you’re from, what religion or lack thereof you practice, what part of the world you live, wherever you live, life and balance have never gone together. Life is messy, and fantastic,” she said to the class.

The new doctors will take the next step in their careers when they begin their residencies July 1.

More photos from the ceremony:

Story and photos by Freddie Coleman, video by Allison Long, USF Health Office of Communications.

The Class of 2023 Gold Humanism Honor Society Inductees at CAMLS May 9.

Students, staff, faculty and their families gathered at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation to honor the newest inductees of the Barness-Behnke Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.  27 students, 7 residents and 4 faculty members earned their place in this prestigious group.

The Gold Humanism Honor Society is a community of medical students, physicians, and other leaders who have been selected by their peers for their compassionate care.  It reinforces and supports the importance of the human connection in healthcare, which is essential for the health of patients and clinicians.

“The Gold Humanism Honor Society signifies an adherence to the shared belief that we must strive for excellence in both compassionate, humane care, and scientific rigor to be our best in this most noble of professions.  Today, we celebrate your collective passion for such excellence which bodes well for you and for the future of medicine,” said Kira Zwygart, MD, MCOM Office of Student Affairs associate dean.

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and MCOM dean was also in attendance to welcome the new inductees as well.

“Compassion and empathy for our patients are the heart and soul of medicine.  They should be at the core of being a physician and the faster medical technology evolves, the tighter should be our hold on humanity.  That is what we celebrate tonight,” said Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and MCOM dean.

The class of 2024 Gold Humanism Honor Society inductees at CAMLS May 9.

Before the induction ceremony, one senior medical student and one faculty member received a Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.  This award is given annually to those who:

• Demonstrate compassion and empathy in the delivery of care to patients and illustrated professional behavior by example.
• Are approachable and accessible.
• Welcome opportunities for teaching and one-on-one mentorships.
• Exhibit enthusiasm and skill in professional and personal interactions, show respect for everyone with whom they came in contact, and demonstrated cultural sensitivity in working with patients and family members.
• Understand the patients’ needs for interpretation of complex medical diagnoses and treatments.
• Make an effort to ensure patient comprehension and showed respect for the patient’s viewpoint.
• Remain personally committed to reflection and objective self-evaluation of their own skills.
• Display competence in scientific endeavors.

This year’s Tow Humanism recipients were:

• Jennifer Costa, MD, USF Health Department of Family Medicine associate professor
• Cathy Garcia Torres, MCOM class of 2023

One-by-one, student and faculty inductees were called to the front to acknowledge their induction.  Inductees from the class of 2023 received their medallions they will wear at graduation. Class of 2024 inductees received lapel pins.  SELECT inductees joined the festivities virtually from their new event room at the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

The class of 2023 will complete their medical school journey May 11 at their graduation ceremony.

Faculty Inductees:

Amy Brown, MD

Milind Kothari, DO

Abby Letcher, MD – Lehigh Valley Health Network

Fred Slone, MD

Resident Inductees:

Priyanka Atit, DO

Alisa Chanchenchop, DO – Lehigh Valley Health Network

Sukjoo Cho, MD

Anthony DeSantis, MD

Heather Galon, MD

Jean-Claude Guidi, DO

Jennifer Heibig, DO – Lehigh Valley Health Network

Class of 2023 Inductees (inducted junior year):

Alex Adams, Lara Alexander, Sheon Baby, Alec Bigness, Noureddeen Bitar, Ana Capati-Fernandez, Reinaldo Claudio; Paige DeBlieux, Lucas Djavaherian, Jeffrey Farooq, Cathy Garcia-Torres, Hannah Goldman-Daleo, Arianna Gutierrez, Emma Hale, Ahmad Harb, Hannah Hedriana, Madeline Hooper, Caitlyn Johnson, Michelle Karn, Dao Le, Lauren Linkowski, Sylea Lowery, Megumi Mori, You Jeong Park, Aisha Remy, Divya Sirdeshpande, Grace Wei, Emma Weiland, Demi Zhu

Class of 2024 Inductees:

Iman Awan, Sabrina Awshah, Vayda Barker, Karina Bowers, Jessica Cobb, Sarah Cool, Beatriz Dunoyer De Segonzac, Zeegan George, Monique Girgis, Andrew Grover, Lila Gutstein, Bailey Hamner, McKenzi Heide, Anna Hemminger, Sejal Jain, Grace Johnson, Rosalie Mattiola, Doniya Milani, Irene Nguyen, Kedar Patel, Apoorva Ravichandran, Amornrat “Joy” Swangkum, Monica Stevens, Suzana Tom, Alexandra Varnum, Carrie Wang, Berwin Yuan

More photos from the event:

]]> /blog/2023/04/26/mcom-welcomes-newest-rghs-members/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 13:41:25 +0000 /?p=37899 The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Research Innovation and Scholarly Endeavors (RISE) inducted the newest members of the Robert A. Good Honor Society (RGHS).  The […]

]]>

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Research Innovation and Scholarly Endeavors (RISE) inducted the newest members of the Robert A. Good Honor Society (RGHS).  The April 25 ceremony honored all of the class of 2023 medical students and newest faculty inductees.

RGHS membership is open to junior and senior medical students who demonstrate excellence in scholarly endeavors.  Applicants must be in good academic and professional standing reflecting in the highest ideals of the profession of medicine.  No more than 20% of any graduating class are inducted into the RGHS.  It was established at MCOM in 2017 to recognize and honor medical students, faculty, and alumni who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to improve health outcomes through research, innovation and scholarly endeavors.

The goal of RGHS is to:

• Establish a community for the exchange of ideas and opportunities for continued scholarly growth.
• Foster a spirit of lifelong scholarly approach to the practice of medicine.
• Support the USF system goal regarding excellence in research and national prominence.
• Commit to model, support, and advocate scholarly activities MCOM.

Left to right: Hanna Zeurcher; Daniela Moino; Nam Tran, MD, PhD, FAANS; Matthew Mifsud, MD, FACS; John Meisenheimer; Taha Huda. All represent the newest inductees of the Robert A. Good Honor Society.

In addition to the newest inductees, the Steven Specter Award for Outstanding Contribution in Scholarly Achievement of Medicine, and the Martin and Ruth Silbiger Research Award were also presented.

The Steven Specter Award recognizes an medical student and RGHS member who has demonstrated exemplary research achievements in any field of medicine.  This year’s recipient is Jeffrey Farooq.  Farooq is a SELECT student who matched general surgery at the University of Washington.

The Silbiger Award recognizes a graduating senior medical student who has contributed most to the efforts at MCOM.  This year’s recipient was Grace Wei.  Wei is a SELECT student who matched dermatology at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Who was Robert A. Good?

Robert A Good, MD, PhD, DSc, FACP, was the true definition of a physician-scientist.  He was internationally known as the “father of modern immunology.” His understanding of the basic sciences facilitated his work in transplantation, where he performed the first successful human bone marrow graft between an immunocompromised five-month old boy and his eight-year-old sister in 1968.  He was an active leader in the MCOM Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief at All Children’s Hospital from 1985-2001.

Class of 2023 Medical Student Inductees:

Fenil Bhatt – Inducted as a junior

Alec Bigness – Inducted as a junior

Aaron Brad Hall – Inducted as a junior

Jeffrey Farooq (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Madeline Hooper (SELECT) – Inducted as a senior

Taha Huda – Inducted as a junior

Mallorie Huff (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Sydney Korsunsky – Inducted as a senior

Presmai Kumar – Inducted as a junior

Lauren Linkowski (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

John Meisenheimer – Inducted as a senior

Daniela Moiño – Inducted as a junior

Robert Monsour – Inducted as a junior

Joseph Tang (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Christopher Wang (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Grace Wei (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Gary Wong (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Hannah Zeurcher – Inducted as a junior

Faculty Inductees:

Matthew J. Mifsud, MD, FACS, MCOM Department of Otolaryngology assistant professor.

Nam D. Tran, MD, PhD, FAANS, MCOM associate professor of oncology and neurosurgery.

More photos from the event:

For senior medical students at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, it’s the day they’ve been waiting four years to celebrate.  One by one, the class of 2023 opened envelopes that told their futures during Match Day 2023.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2023.

MCOM has proven time and time again there is no medical school in the country that celebrates Match Day like MCOM.  Friends, families, husbands, wives, and even a few pets gather at Ulele, a popular restaurant on the Hillsborough River.  This year’s theme was “Luck of the Match,” a perfect theme considering the day.

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean, kicked off the event by telling the families and friends the importance of the day. “This is an incredibly important moment for them.  It sets the stage for the next stage of their career, and they’ve worked incredibly hard to get here.”

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean.

At MCOM, it pays to be last place.  The long-standing tradition is that every student who gets called to the stage has to donate one dollar to a pot of money.   The last student to be called to read their match will go home with the pot of money.  This year’s lucky winner was Lauren Linkowski, who is headed to the University of Pennsylvania for residency.

Lauren Linkowski.

The national match process is handled through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).  Students apply and interview for residencies with institutions across the country, then rank their preferences.  Match Day is when students learn which residency programs chose them and where they will train for the next three to seven years.

Match Day is held simultaneously at all medical schools across the country to reveal where senior medical students will spend their residency years, the first stop in their journey as doctors.

Nationally, 42,952 certified applicants applied for 40,375 residency positions. More information about national statistics can be found at https://www.nrmp.org/match-data-analytics/residency-data-reports/

MCOM Match Day by the numbers: http://bit.ly/3ZV91gD

• 180 students graduating.
• 44% will participate in residency programs in Florida.
• 36 will participate in residency program at MCOM.
• 34% entering a primary care residency.
• 7 will participate in residency programs Lehigh Valley Health Network.
• 3 will graduate to become military doctors.

The class of 2023 will complete their medical school journey at their graduation ceremony May 11 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

More images from Match Day 2023:

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s newest students donned their first white coats Aug. 29 during a ceremony at the Tampa Convention Center.  The college and other USF Health leaders officially welcomed the 182 students who will be among the first to occupy the college’s new building when it officially opens in late 2019.

The MCOM Class of 2023 is one of the most competitive in the college’s history.  With more than 5,500 applications, students had less than a 4 percent chance of getting in.  This class attained an average MCAT score of 515, putting them in the 93^rd percentile nationally with an average GPA of 3.76.  Students have a variety of experiences and come from a wide array of backgrounds including the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, black belts in Tae Kwon Do, certified SCUBA divers, a folk and ballet dancer, and college athletes in rugby, tennis, lacrosse and volleyball.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health executive vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean.

“We are beyond thrilled to have assembled such a distinguished group of brilliant future doctors,” said Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “We are impressed by your academic achievements and look forward to seeing you leverage this talent for the betterment of humanity.”

Following his remarks, Dr. Lockwood introduced Sally Houston, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Tampa General Hospital, who offered her welcome on behalf of hospital chief executive officer, John Couris.

Sally Houston, MD, Tampa General Hospital executive vice president and chief medical officer.

“This is such an exciting evening. There’s so much energy in this room and you all are starting the next leg of a journey that started a long time ago,” Dr. Houston said. “The work you do with your classmates, the time you spend with them, you’ll make life-long friends during this time.”

The ceremony featured remarks from the MCOM student council president and faculty speakers, and culminated with the class of 2023 reciting the Oath of Commitment, a promise they make as medical students to the health care profession and their patients.

The white coat represents four main ideas for those who wear them: Commitment to scientific inquiry, empirical research and the pursuit of the truth; a commitment to compassion and concern for every patient no matter how difficult or challenging they may be; a commitment to grit and lifelong learning; a commitment to community and giving back.

“You are going to be part of a transformational year. We are working hard to build you a first-class experience in our new Morsani College of Medicine on Water Street.”
– Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, MCOM chief academic officer, vice dean of the Office of Educational Affairs.

“The next four years will be both exhilarating and exhausting. You will be challenged mentally, physically and emotionally in ways that you’ve never been challenged before. It is an honor and a privilege to care for people as a physician does.”
– Amy Weiss, MD, MPH, MCOM associate professor of pediatrics.

“Today, as you receive your white coat, I want you all to remember why you chose to pursue a career in medicine. Regardless of the reason, hold on them tight and be sure to reflect back on them during your time in medical school.”
– Amy Mickelson, fourth-year medical student, MCOM Student Council president.

Story and photos by Freddie Coleman.  Video by Allison Long