Medical School Spring Awards Ceremony

The UConn School of Medicine held its annual Spring Awards Night ceremony last Friday. The awards recognize faculty, staff and students in the first through third years of medical school.

Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus won this year's Loeser Award during the School of Medicine's Spring Awards Night ceremony April 25, 2016. (Photo by Carolyn Pennington)

Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus won this year's Loeser Award during the School of Medicine's Spring Awards Night ceremony April 25, 2016. (Photo by Carolyn Pennington)

The UConn School of Medicine held its annual Spring Awards Night ceremony on Monday, April 25. The awards recognize faculty, staff and students in the first through third years of medical school. Fourth-year students will be honored at the Senior Awards luncheon on May 6.

Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, received this year’s Loeser Award. The Loeser award is given to the faculty member who has the ability to evoke in students an enthusiasm for learning, a desire to emulate their own attributes of scholarly curiosity, and to give wholeheartedly to advance the welfare and education of their students. The award is named after Charles N. Loeser, one of the medical school’s most popular and respected first faculty members.

The Committee Award for Meritorious Educational Leadership (CAMEL) was given to the Division of Infectious Diseases. The CAMEL is given to the subject committee that “promotes a stimulating learning experience and, in its organization, presentation of material and overall level of teaching, has afforded the students an invaluable opportunity to learn and understand basic medical sciences.”

Here is a complete list of award winners:

Undergraduate Medical Education Student Awards

Community Service Award
Abigail Doelger, Meredith Milligan, Sarah Fortin

Student Leadership Award
Brittany Flemming, Eric Sassu, Kristen Russomanno

Outstanding Service to Fellow Students
Emily Wilkins, Jelena MacLeod, Lauren Ambler

Outstanding Student Teaching Award
Samantha Lee

Art of Medicine Award
Thomas Atwood

Renaissance Award
Sonny Caplash

Inspiration Award
Himanayani Mamillapalli

Outstanding Research
Justin Kirkham

School of Medicine Staff Awards

Professionalism Award
Teresa Sapieha-Yanchak

Staff Star
Suzanne Tate

Leadership Team Staff Award
Amy Chmielewski

CME Appreciation Award
Amy King

CME Leadership Award
Christine McNally

Leadership Award of Exceptional Volunteerism
Kelly Hookstadt

Leadership Award of Appreciation for Outstanding Support
Jonathan Dixon, MD; Susan Huntington, Esq

School of Medicine Faculty Awards

MDSG Appreciation Award
Laurie Caines, MD; John Harrison, PhD; James Watras, PhD

Outstanding Inpatient Clinical Preceptor
Nana Addo-Tabiri, MD

Outstanding Outpatient Clinical Preceptor
Aruna Ramanan, MD

First Year Teaching Award
Drs. Yvonne Grimm-Jorgenson, John Harrison, Thomas Manger, Jason Ryan, and James Watras

C.A.M.E.L
Division of Infectious Diseases

Charles N. Loeser
Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus
Loeser Award Runners-Up:
Drs. Raymond Foley, Easwar Natarajan, and Jason Ryan

MD/PhD Program Awards

MD/PhD Appreciation Award
Tracy Dieli

MD/PhD Leadership Award
Sonali Bracken, Jared Woods

Graduate Medical Education Awards

Outstanding Resident
Ekaterina Bakradze, MD; Megan Griffiths, MD; Julianna Marwell, MD; James Naples, MD; Bhaskar Roy, MD; Jessica Shui, MD; Breton Yates, MD

Outstanding Staff
Melissa Demetro, Mary Peach

Outstanding Faculty
Brian Shames, MD

Senior Associate Dean Awards

Team Award
Tom Trutter, Jo Cohen, Richard Carey, Richard Spash, David O’Conner, Chad Floyd, Aaron Trahan, George Karsanow

Individual Award
Roger Thrall, PhD

Student Appreciation Awards
Samantha Lee, Fludiona Naka, Eric Sassu, Ethan Talbot

Art and Humanities Recognition
Matthew Lewin, Granger Marsden, Patience Meo Burt, Emaly Piecuch, Kimberly Rebello