More than 130 UMKC School of Medicine celebrated receiving their doctor of medicine and graduate degrees at the 2019 commencement ceremony on May 20 at Kansas City’ Kauffman Center for the Preforming Arts.
This year’s class included 95 doctor of medicine graduates and 41 students who earned their master’s degrees in the anesthesia assistant, bioinformatics, health professions education and physician assistant programs.
Reminded that they have become part of a rich legacy and long-standing tradition of outstanding alumni of the School of Medicine, the graduates heard from two of those alumni.
Interim Dean Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., a 1978 graduate, told the graduates to view what they do in patient care as both an honor and a privilege.
“Be passionate and persistent,” she said. “And work for the greater good of your patients.”
Arif Kamal, M.D., ’05, MBA, MHS, winner of the 2019 E. Grey Dimond, M.D., Take Wing Award, encouraged the graduates that more than care providers they will also be clinicians, healers and compassionate.
The quality and outcomes officer for the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina, Kamal gave the graduates one final charge.
“Stop asking people what’s the matter with them,” Kamal said. “And start asking what matters to them.”
2019 Senior Awards
Master of Science in Anesthesia
Kayla Hickey – Student Ambassador Award
Hector Sierra Escobedo – Student Ambassador Award
Master of Science Bioinformatics
Frances Grimstad, M.D. – Dean of Students Honor Recipient Award
Doctor of Medicine
Naman Agrawal – Friends of UMKC School of Medicine Basic Science Award
Joseph Bennett – UMKC School of Medicine Alumni Award Association Outstanding Senior Partner
Deven Bhatia – Richardson K. Noback Founders’ Award for Clinical Excellence; Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Award
Lauren Bulgarelli – Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Citation
Taylor Carter – Dean of Students Honor Recipient Award
Ahmed Elbermawy – Merck Manual for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Education
Ella Glaser – Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Citation; Malhotra Family Scholarship for Academic and Clinical Excellence
Jonah Graves – Missouri State Medical Association Honors Graduate
Luke He – Missouri State Medical Association Honors Graduate; Richardson K. Noback Founders’ Award for Clinical Excellence
Cindy Jiang – Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Citation
Christian Lamb – Merck Manual for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Education
Megan Lilley – James F. Stanford, M.D. Patient Advocate Scholarship
John Logan – Malhotra Family Scholarship for Academic and Clinical Excellence
Haley Mayenkar – Missouri State Medical Association Honors Graduate
Niraj Madhani – Bette Hamilton, M.D. Memorial Award for Excellence in Immunology; Thomas R. Hamilton, M.D. Award for Excellence in Pathology
Raksha Madhavan – Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Citation
Rebecca Maltsev – J. Michael de Ungria, M.D. Humanitarian Award
Imran Nizamuddin – Lee Langley Award; Thomas R. Hamilton, M.D. Award for Excellence in Microbiology; ACP Senior Student Book Award; Dean of Students Honor Recipient Award
Carlee Oakley – Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Citation; UMKC School of Medicine Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Medical Education; Friends of UMKC School of Medicine Award for Research
Sarah Pourakbar – Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Citation
Grace Rector – Friends of UMKC Harry S. Jonas, M.D. Award; Laura L. Backus, M.D. Award for Excellence in Pediatrics
Mitchell Solano – Pat. D. Do, M.D., Matching Scholarship in Orthopaedics
