Class Notes and Alumni Updates
We are excited to celebrate and acknowledge these School of Medicine alumni on their professional and personal achievements. Alumni are listed alphabetically by last name.
To submit a class note or alumni update of your own, or on someone else's behalf, use our class note/update form.
Submit a class note/update form
Professional Updates and Awards
- Dr. Jennifer Bickel (BLA ‘00/M.D. ’01): Named MD Anderson Vice President and Chief Wellness Officer
- Dr. Alan Braverman (B.A. ‘84/M.D. ’85): Appointed the inaugural Head of the new section of General Cardiology at Washington University
- Dr. Sean Bonanni (M.D. ’18): Joined the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute as an orthopedic specialist
- Dr. Reginald Bulkley (B.A./M.D. ’83): Won a 2024 Outstanding Teacher Award at Washington University where he is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
- Dr. John Byrnes (B.A. ‘83/M.D. ’84): Named Chief Quality Officer for McLeod Health
- Dr. Penelope Duke (B.A. ‘87/M.D. ’88): Appointed to Texas Medical Board District Two Review Committee
- Dr. Roxana Fu (B.A. ‘10/M.D. ’11): Joined NYU Grossman School of Medicine as chief of oculoplastics
- Dr. Susan Graves (B.A. ‘93/M.D. ’94): Appointed as the first Primary Care Service Line Medical Director for CoxHealth in October 2022; also appointed to the CoxHealth Board of Directors in 2021
- Dr. Anna Grodzinsky (BLA ‘08/M.D. ‘09/M.S. ’15): Named to the Ingram’s Top Doctor list of 2024
- Dr. David Glover (B.A. ‘76/M.D. ’78): To be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
- Dr. Chelsea Hamill (B.A. ’15/M.D. ’16): Joined University of Nebraska Medical Center as assistant professor, UNMC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; otolaryngology-head and neck surgery physician, Nebraska Medicine
- Dr. Mark Molos (B.A. ‘80/M.D. ’81): Joined the medical staff at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital in West Palm Beach.
- Dr. Rmaah Memon (BLA ‘19/M.D. ’20): Current a Center for Global Health Scholar and Global EM Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
- Dr. Frankie Moisson (M.D. ’22): Announced as a 2026-27 Pediatric Chief Resident at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
- Dr. Amy Patel (BLA ‘10/M.D. ’11): Named to the Radiology Business Forty Under 40 Class of 2024
- Dr. Marion Pierson (B.A./M.D. ’93): Named the 2024 St. Teresa’s Academy Distinguished Alumna
- Dr. K. Gay Purcell (B.A. ‘95/M.D. ’96): Named Best Concierge Doctor in Best of KC 2024
- Dr. John Quinn (B.A. ‘80/M.D. ‘81): Named Best Plastic Surgeon in Best of KC 2024
- Dr. Lisa Schmaltz (B.A. ‘90/M.D. ’91): Retires after three decades with the University of Wisconsin Department of Radiology
- Dr. Karen Stadler (BLA ‘19/M.D. ’20): Joined Stormont Vail Dermatology team
- Dr. Kristen Strasser (BLA ‘09/M.D. ’10): Joined Bothwell Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center in Sedalia, MO
- Dr. Dana Thompson (B.A. ‘90/M.D. ’91): 2024 Living Legend Inductee to the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and Foundation (AAO-HNS/F) Hall of Distinction
- Dr. Debra Wekesa (BLA ‘20/M.D. ’21): Is a chief resident at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and will start a nephrology fellowship there this summer.
- Dr. Malissa Wood (B.A./M.D. ’87): Honored with Prestigious 2025 Bernadine Healy Leadership in Women’s Cardiovascular Disease Award from the American College of Cardiology
Scholarly Achievement and Publications
- Dr. Nikki Gill (BLA ‘23/M.D. ’24): Gill N, Singh A. Management of Visually Significant Vitreous Opacities. Mo Med. 2024 Sep-Oct;121(5):391-394. PMID: 39421475; PMCID: PMC11482840.
- Claire Houchen (M.S. ’23): Klar RM, Cox JC, Houchen CJ, Raja N, Bouloussa H and Lohfeld S (2024) The induction of bone formation by 3D-printed PLGA microsphere scaffolds in a calvarial orthotopic mouse model: a pilot study. Bioeng. Biotechnol.12:1425469. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1425469
- Dr. Fouad Jaber (M.S. ’24; Internal Medicine grad. ’24):
- Jaber, Fouad & Ayyad, Mohammed & Alsakarneh, Saqr & Jaber, Mohammad & Alselek, Anas & Adam, Mohammad & Gangwani, Manesh Kumar & Ali, Hassam & Dahiya, Dushyant. (2024). Efficacy and Safety of Latiglutenase in the Treatment of Celiac Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. American Journal of Therapeutics. 31. e614-e618. 10.1097/MJT.0000000000001755.
- Alsakarneh S, Ahmed M, Jaber F, Abuassi M, Mourad FH, Francis FF, Barada K, Tfayli R, Al-Bawardy B, Farraye FA, Hashash JG. Inflammatory bowel disease burden in the Middle East and North Africa Region: a comprehensive analysis of incidence, prevalence, and mortality from 1990-2019. Ann Gastroenterol. 2024 Sep-Oct;37(5):527-535. doi: 10.20524/aog.2024.0909. Epub 2024 Aug 19. PMID: 39238799; PMCID: PMC11372542.
- Dr. Kathryn Kyler (M.S. ’19): Goodwin EJ, Zaniletti I, Solano J, Bettenhausen JL, Coller RJ, Plencner LM, DePorre A, Gupta RC, Heller K, Jones L, Jones LN, Kyler KE, Larson IA, Queen M, Smith TK, Wright SM, Hall M, Colvin JD. Parental Health Literacy and Acute Care Utilization in Children With Medical Complexity. Hosp Pediatr. 2024 Oct 1;14(10):e426-e431. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007663. PMID: 39308304.
- Dr. Jessica Markham (M.S. ’17): Searns JB, Hall M, Birkholz M, Downes KJ, Hubbell BB, Kern-Goldberger AS, Markham JL, Newland JG, Rolsma SL, Wang ME, O'Leary ST, Dominguez SR, Parker SK, Kronman MP. Accuracy of pathogen diagnostic codes for acute hematogenous musculoskeletal infections in children. J Hosp Med. 2025 Jan 13. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13584. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39805809.
- Dr. Brevin Miller (BLA ’22/M.D. ’24): Nallani R, Miller BJ, Noel-MacDonnell JR, Tracy M, Brown JR, O'Brien JE, Jensen DR. Impact of Tracheostomy Status on Sternal Wound Infections in Children Following Median Sternotomy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Aug 10. doi: 10.1002/ohn.939. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39126285.
- Dr. Christy Nwankwo (BLA ’21/M.D. ’23): Nwankwo C, Livinski AA, Heath CR, Castelo-Soccio L. The reporting of social determinants of health in pediatric dermatology clinical trials: a systematic review. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2024 Aug 19;10(3):e173. doi: 10.1097/JW9.0000000000000173. PMID: 39161756; PMCID: PMC11332763
- Dr. Krishna Patel (BLA ‘13/M.D. ’14): Patel, Krishna & Peri-Okonny, Poghni & Giorgetti, Assuero & Shaw, Leslee & Gimelli, Alessia. (2024). Value of Ischemia and Coronary Anatomy in Prognosis and Guiding Revascularization Among Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease. Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging. 17. e016587. 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.123.016587.
- Dr. Jason Zweig (BLA ‘15/M.D. ’16): Zweig J, Gohar A, Bhat A. Insomnia in Adults in the Primary Care Clinic Setting. Mo Med. 2024 Sep-Oct;121(5):379-384. PMID: 39421467; PMCID: PMC11482854.
Media and News Features
- Dr. Adam Algren (B.A./M.D. ’01): Popular Science – “What causes positive drug tests? It’s not just drugs… or poppy seeds”
- Dr. Melanie Camejo (BLA ‘13/M.D. ’14): KSHB 41 Action News - Scrubs designed by Kansas City doctors helping address needs of expecting mothers
- Dr. Melody Lynd (B.A. ‘91/M.D. ’93): BizDailyOnline - Dr. Melody Lynd: A Dual-Specialty Surgeon Committed to Community Empowerment and Patient Confidence
- Dr. Shiraz Daud (B.A ‘98/M.D. ’99): Fox 2 St. Louis – 2024 State of the Air Report
- Dr. Sasha Hamdani (BLA ‘10/M.D. ’11): Cosmopolitan Magazine – Here’s the ADHD advice from TikTok that you can actually trust
- Dr. Richard Isaacson (BLA/M.D. ’01): Armchair Expert Podcast Guest
- Dr. Sheela Vivekanandan (BLA ‘12/M.D. ’13): “In their own words: UPMC doctors share their stories during Women in Medicine Month”
In Memoriam
- Dr. Leland Graves, III (B.A./M.D. ’83)
- Dr. Diane Voss (B.A. ‘88/M.D. ’89)
Residency/Fellowship Graduate Updates
- Dr. John Howington (Gen. Surgery ’94): Becomes the 87th President of the American College of Chest Physicians
All updates are from August 2024-present.