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On Saturday, May 12, the School of Medicine commencement ceremony took place at Memorial Hall, with 165 new Doctors of Medicine joining the ranks of School of Medicine alumni.


The Class of 2012 chose Cheryl McNeil, MD as a commencement speaker. Drs. Anthony Charles and Edward Kernick hooded the graduates.

About the Class of 2012:

  • 90 percent of the class did community service while in medical school.
  • 73 percent of the class conducted research as medical students.
  • Collectively, this class can communicate in 22 languages from Arabic to Urdu and including Cantonese, Mandarin, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Igbo, and Swahili.
  • One third of the class can communicate with patients in Spanish.
  • As medical students, they have volunteered or conducted research in over 27 different countries.
  • Class of 2012 boasts mascots from three local teams: the Duke Blue Devil; the North Carolina State University Wolf; and Durham Bulls’ mascot, Wool E. Bull. In addition, one student proudly competed in the North American Wife Carrying Competition.

Doctors of Medicine with Distinction

The following twenty-four students received the degree Doctor of Medicine with Distinction on the basis of having earned a cumulative year-end grade of Honors for all years of medical school in which the grade of Honors was an option.

Kelly Salter Acharya

Andrew Jeremy Davidiuk

Sarah Jane Knish

Faisal Iftikhar Ahmad Micjael Kevin Dougherty Rita Marie Lahlou
Kristin McKenzie Alves Joshua B. Holt Yee Lam
Elizabeth Page Bridges Victoria Paige Rollins Hudspeth
Brice Nielson Lefler
Andrew Thomas Blackburne
Stephen Byron Perry Huff Althea Maria Mascarenhas
Elizabeth Hollin Calloway Anna Blair Johnson Nathaniel Adam Sowa
Joseph M. Caster Soren Morgan Johnson William Sprunt Stoudemire
Thomas Clay Crouch Kathryn Jordan Kemere Elizabeth Chandler Henshaw Upton

Departmental Awards:

  • Family Medicine Student Award – Rita Marie Lahlou
  • George C. Thrasher Award (Department of Psychiatry) – Emily Gifford Holmes
  • Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award – Elizabeth Page Bridges
  • Paul F. Lachiewicz Award for Orthopaedics – Joshua B. Holt
  • George F. Sheldon, MD Award (Department of Surgery) – Mamie Catherine Groomes and Richard Sean McNally
  • Cecil G. Sheps Award (Department of Social Medicine) – Cara K. Berkowitz and Amy Eleanor Marietta
  • American Society of Neurology’s Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology – Cintasha T’rena Frazier

Awards for Scholarship:

  • The Glasgow-Rubin Commendation for Academic Achievement – Kelly Salter Acharya; Anna Blair Johnson; Yee Lam; Kristin McKenzie Alves; Kathryn Jordan Kemere; Brice Nielsen Lefler; Elizabeth Page Bridges; Sarah Jane Knish; Althea Maria Mascarenhas; Elizabeth Hollin Calloway; Rita Marie Lahlou; Victoria Paige Rollins; Elizabeth Chandler Henshaw Upton
  • The Deborah C. Leary Award – Elizabeth Hollin Calloway
  • The Isaac Hall Manning Award – Adam Jordan Kimple

Leadership and Contributions to the School of Medicine:

  • The Christopher C. Fordham III Award – Megan Jordan Kirkley, G. William Stone, and Sally Dowd Wood
  • The James Bell Bullitt Award – Sophia Dominique Delpe
  • The Merck Manual Award – Ross Mathew Boyce, Mark Allen Clapp, and Kristen Marie Rake

Public Service

  • The Terri Brenneman Award – Bryson West Finklea Greenwood
  • The J. Rush Shull, M.D. Scholarship – Latoya Cherry Patterson and Meredith Key Soles

Humanism in Medicine

  • The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation – Amy Eleanor Marietta
  • The Daniel T. Young Peace and Social Justice Award – Benjamin Grant Kirkley and James Phillip Lefler
  • The Gilbert J. Cuthbertson, M.D. and Megan C. Danton, M.D. Memorial Award – Shruti Nagaraj

Faculty and House Staff Awards

  • The Henry C. Fordham Award – Loren Robinson, M.D., UNC Hospitals Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program
  • The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Faculty Award presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation – Erin Malloy, M.D., Department of Psychiatry
  • The Professor Award – Awarded posthumously to Alan W. Cross, M.D., Department of Social Medicine and Department of Pediatrics, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Maternal and Child Health; accepted by Mrs. Mimi Cross


Click here to see the program.

Description of awards:

Departmental awards:
The Family Medicine Student Award
– Each year, the Department of Family Medicine presents an award to a medical student in recognition of his or her accomplishments and dedication to the ideals of family medicine. The recipient is chosen on the basis of his or her embodiment of the principles of family medicine, service, intention of practicing family medicine, and overall scholarship.

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award – The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine makes available the Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award for a student who has been outstanding in the specialty. The recipient is selected by the Department of Emergency Medicine.

The Paul F. Lachiewicz Award for Orthopaedics – The Paul F. Lachiewicz Award for Orthopaedics recognizes clinical or research achievement and is awarded to a student who has matched into an orthopaedic residency program.

The American Academy of Neurology’s Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology – The American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology recognizes graduating medical students for excellence in clinical neurology. The UNC recipient is selected by faculty in the Department of Neurology.

The Best Physiatrist Award – The Best Student Physiatrist Award was created by Dr. Michael Y. Lee in honor of his parents, Drs. Michael M. and Shine G. Lee, to recognize and honor the senior medical student who demonstrates the exemplary qualities necessary to care for persons with physical disabilities. An exemplary physiatrist is caring, compassionate, and has a genuine interest in improving each patient’s quality of life and function. The recipient is selected by faculty and residents of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The George F. Sheldon, MD, Award – The Department of Surgery established the George F. Sheldon, M.D. Award to honor a member of the graduating class who demonstrated excellence in surgery. This award is named for George F. Sheldon, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery from 1984-2001.

The Cecil G. Sheps Award – The Cecil G. Sheps Award was established in 1987 in honor of Dr. Sheps, former Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Department of Social Medicine. The award recognizes a fourth-year medical student selected by the Department of Social Medicine who demonstrates academic excellence and practical commitment to the principles of Social Medicine.

The Thrasher Award – The George C. Thrasher Jr. Award was established in 1965 by the Department of Psychiatry in honor of the memory of Dr. Thrasher, a faculty member in Psychiatry who played a major role in teaching medical students. The award is given to that member of the graduating class who, during his or her medical school experience, showed the most outstanding performance and ability in Psychiatry.

Awards for scholarship:
The Glasgow-Rubin Commendation for Academic Achievement
– The Glasgow-Rubin Academic Achievement Award and Citations are presented by the American Medical Women’s Association to recognize women graduates who have excelled academically throughout medical school.

The Deborah C. Leary Award – Established in 1958, the award honors Deborah Cushing Leary, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UNC School of Medicine from 1952 to 1957. The Leary Award is presented to a fourth-year student whose research paper is judged by a faculty committee to be the best paper submitted.

The Isaac Hall Manning Award – In 1954, an anonymous donor established a fund to provide an annual award in honor of Isaac Hall Manning, M.D., Class of 1895, who served the School of Medicine from 1905 to 1933 as a professor of Physiology and Dean. Members of the graduating class are nominated by faculty for the Isaac Hall Manning Award on the basis of scholarship, character, leadership, initiative, and original investigative work.

Leadership and contributions to the School:
The Christopher C. Fordham III Award – The Christopher C. Fordham III Award was established in honor of Dr. Fordham for his outstanding and creative leadership in medical and higher education. He was a former dean of the medical school, vice chancellor for Health Affairs, and a chancellor of the University. This award recognizes graduating students for outstanding and creative leadership at the medical school. Nominations for this award were solicited from the chairs of the departments based on their faculty’s recommendations, from members of the senior class, and from senior class advisors.

The James Bell Bullitt Award – The James Bell Bullitt Award, given for the first time in 1962, honors Dr. Bullitt, formerly a professor of Pathology, who was a member of the faculty of the School of Medicine from 1913 to 1947. Consistent with Dr. Bullitt’s contributions to the School of Medicine, this award provides an opportunity for recognizing unusual achievements or contributions to the medical school community by a member of the senior class. Seniors nominate their classmates for this award.

The Merck Manual Award – Each year, the Merck Publishing Group offers the Merck Manual Award to outstanding medical students. The qualifications for the award are at the discretion of the School of Medicine. At UNC, the award is given to graduating students based on contributions to the medical school community. The staff members in the Office of Student Affairs and the Admissions Office select the recipients.

Public Service award:
Terri Brenneman Award – The Terri Brenneman Award was established in memory of a member of the Class of 1984 who died in her third year. This award recognizes a graduating senior who has demonstrated a commitment to serve the underserved. Members of the senior class nominate classmates for this award and the recipient selects a charitable cause to receive a donation in his or her name from the Terri Brenneman Memorial Fund.

Humanism in Medicine:
The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation – The Arnold P. Gold Foundation makes it possible for an award to be presented to one graduating senior and one medical school faculty member who integrate humanism into the delivery of care to patients and their families. The recipients consistently demonstrate compassion and empathy in the delivery of care, show respect for all, demonstrate cultural sensitivity, display effective communication and listening skills, adhere to professional ethical standards, understand a patient’s need for interpretation of complex medical diagnosis while showing respect for a patient’s viewpoint, pay attention to patients’ psychological well-being, engender trust and confidence, and remain personally committed to self-evaluation. The student recipient has helped others and accepted help from others when necessary, engaged in volunteer activities showing concern for the welfare of the community, and sought and accepted criticism for improvement of performance. Students are nominated by faculty members and classmates.

The Daniel T. Young Peace and Social Justice Award – The Daniel T. Young Peace and Social Justice Award goes to the graduating student who, in the opinion of his or her classmates, has demonstrated—through extracurricular activities—the most steadfast dedication to the advancement of peace and social justice. Students are nominated by their classmates.

The Gilbert J. Cuthbertson, M.D. and Megan C. Danton, M.D. Memorial Award – The Class of 1983 established the Gilbert J. Cuthbertson, M.D. and Megan C. Danton, M.D. Memorial Award to honor two physicians, husband and wife, who died in a plane crash in 1988. Graduating students nominate classmates who exhibit the personal qualities of these two doctors, including caring for others; an ability to make people smile; joy in living; and, in particular, a quiet compassion for all humankind.

Faculty and House Staff Awards:
The Henry C. Fordham Award – With this award, the Class of 2012 recognizes a member of the house staff for the qualities of patients, humility, and devotion to medicine.

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Faculty Award presented by the Arthur P. Gold Foundation – The Arnold P. Gold Foundation makes it possible for the Class of 2012 to select a faculty member who consistently demonstrates compassion, empathy, respect, cultural sensitivity, effective communication and listening skills, and professional ethical standards in the delivery of care. The recipient understands a patient’s need for interpretation of complex medical diagnosis while showing respect for a patient’s viewpoint, pays attention to patients’ psychological well-being, engenders trust and confidence, and remains personally committed to self-evaluation. In addition, the faculty recipient serves as a role model and mentor, is approachable and accessible to students, and exhibits enthusiasm in interactions with students.

The Professor Award – The recipient is a faculty member selected by the senior class who, by his or her willingness, understanding, and ability, has contributed most to the students’ medical education.