Penn State College of Medicine presents Commencement 2024 Awards
As part of its Commencement 2024 celebration, Penn State College of Medicine recognizes several graduates from the medical student, physician assistant, MD/PhD and graduate programs who did outstanding work in their academic and clinical careers.
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Message from the Dean
To our honorees,
Congratulations on the remarkable success you have had as students at Penn State College of Medicine. Your pursuit of knowledge, empathy in patient care and unwavering support of your peers will, without a doubt, make a difference in your field.
This celebratory weekend marks the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and perseverance. As you step into the next chapter of your life, continue to dream big, follow your passion, be courageous and always trust your abilities, because the entire Penn State College of Medicine faculty and staff believe in you.
Remember, as newly minted alumnae, you will always be cherished members of the Penn State College of Medicine community – one filled with lifelong mentors, colleagues and friends. Congratulations again on your tremendous accomplishments – WE ARE proud of you!
Warm regards,
Karen Kim, MD, MS
2024 Commencement Awards
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) is the first and most recognized medical honor society in the world. Its purpose is to recognize and perpetuate excellence in the medical profession. The letters Alpha-Omega-Alpha are derived from the Greek form of the society’s motto: “Be Worthy to Serve the Suffering.” AOA was founded in 1902 by William Webster Root and five other medical students in Chicago and now has 125 chapters.
Alpha Omega Alpha is a nonprofit organization whose mission statement embodies “the belief that in the profession of medicine we will improve care for all patients by recognizing high educational achievement, honoring gifted teaching, encouraging the development of leaders in academia and the community, supporting the ideals of humanism, and promoting service to others.”
AOA’s programs are available to all medical students and physicians, and they include visiting professorships, support of student research projects, funding of service activities, recognition of resident physician excellence, and national awards for both professionalism and gifted teaching. AOA publishes The Pharos, a quarterly compilation of essays, poetry, photography and other works related to humanistic medicine.
Class of 2024 members of Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society, Pennsylvania Eta Chapter
Debarati Bhanja
Rucha Borkhetaria
Robert Bower
Justin Ceasar
Annika Daya
Lauren Dennis
Kelly Dopke
Caroline Eisele
Jacob Feiertag
Adam Finkelstein
Nicole Fye
Kira Garry
Destin Groff
Chachrit Khunsriraksakul
Hailey Kindt
Madison Kist
Marc Levine
Kristen Manto
Lauren Mazur
Ryan Murphy
Krishna Patel
Lauren Pomerantz
Deniz Siso
Sarah Strausser
Mara Trifoi
Tuan Vu
Ernest Wang
Amy Zheng
The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is dedicated to recognizing medical and nursing students who are “role models of the human connection in health care.” Established by pediatrician Dr. Arnold Gold in 2002, GHHS now has more than 180 chapters in medical schools and residency programs nationwide and is expanding to reach a global audience of health care providers. Each year, rising third-year medical students nominate their peers to GHHS based on clinical and classroom interactions with patients, staff and each other. The top 10% of those nominees are inducted into the cohort.
At Penn State, the home for GHHS is the Department of Humanities, whose motto is “Advancing humanism in medicine and society.” Fourth-year medical students work with a humanities faculty advisor to carry out activities during their final year of medical school, including Thank a Resident Day, Solidarity Day/Week, and a capstone service project. Penn State College of Medicine also has a thriving residency chapter that engages in humanistic outreach each year.
Members of the Gold Humanism Honor Society
Samual Ajamu
Zachary Corey
Gianna Dafflisio
Alaina Demalis
Caroline Eisele
Kira Garry
Tilicea Henry
Zachary High
Sweta Joshi
Hailey Kindt
Kristen Manto
Madeline Mattzelle-Zybicki
Kyle Mausteller
Clevel Nguyen
Cecelia Richardson
Hannah Spotts
Debarati Bhanja
Juliet Chung
Kelly Dopke
Natalia Eichner
Lucy Emery
Krista Hartmann
Gavin Jones
Sweta Joshi
Madison Kist
Christina La Gamma
Ryan Murphy
Hannah Nam
Krishna Patel
Lauren Pomerantz
Cecilia Richardsen
Anna Skakodub
Tuan Vu
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