Alpha Omega Alpha Inducts Feinberg Students, Residents, Faculty and Alumni
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John Flaherty, MD, councilor of the AOA Illinois Gamma Chapter, and Sandra Sanguino, MD, MPH, associate dean for student programs and career development, congratulate new AOA inductee Melissa Chen (center). |
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) recently welcomed its newest members at a ceremony hosted by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The medical honor society inductees included undergraduate students, resident physicians, faculty members and alumni— each selected based on academic achievements and significant contributions to medicine.
John P. Flaherty, MD, councilor of the AOA Illinois Gamma Chapter, professor of medicine in the Feinberg School, and associate chief of the Department of Medicine Division of Infectious Disease, says election into AOA signifies a lasting commitment to scholarship, leadership, professionalism and service.
“Membership in the society is a lifelong honor that confers recognition for a physician’s dedication to the profession and the art of healing,” Flaherty said. “For medical students, this award can also positively impact their residency training applications.”
Jessica Newman, a fourth year medical student, is currently applying for urology residency programs, and says she is excited about the opportunity to serve others as a physician.
“My association with Alpha Omega Alpha strengthens my conviction to become a doctor,” Newman said. “It was truly an honor to be inducted into this prestigious club.”
Along with Newman, the following 25 undergraduate students were inducted into AOA: Praveen Anchala, Beau Brinckerhoff, Melissa Chen, Benjamin Currie, David DiBardino, Leo Han, Nikolas Kazmers, Melissa Keene, Thomas Klumpner, Andrew Kott, Christine Lin, Matthew Lipton, Jeremy Markowitz, Sarah Novis, Jason Oppenheimer, Senad Osmanovic, Matthew Patton, Martin Pham, Rachel Phelan, Amanda Redig, Tamika Smith, Paul Speicher, David Vermylen, Diego Villacis and Whitney Zirkle.
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| Feinberg faculty members Robert Listernick, MD, professor of pediatrics, (left) and Stanford Shulman, MD, Virginia H. Rogers Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease, were both inducted into AOA. |
Three residents — Katherine Connor, MD, William Bulsiewicz, MD, and Laleh Melstrom, MD — were also inducted, along with two faculty members, Stanford Shulman, MD, Virginia H. Rogers Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Feinberg and chief in the Division of Infectious Disease at Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Robert Listernick, MD, professor of pediatrics and attending physician in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics at Children’s.
Listernick says his reward as a faculty member includes his daily interactions with bright, inquisitive medical students and pediatric residents.
“I was an average student during my first two years of medical school, and it wasn’t until my pediatrics rotation that I developed a true passion for children and the art and science of pediatrics,” Listernick said. “My induction into AOA was a testament to this love of pediatrics and a tribute to my mentors and teachers who guided my career over the years.”
The final two inductees, James Hill, MD ’74, professor in the Feinberg Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Karen Sheehan, MD ’89, associate professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine at Feinberg, are both alumni of the medical school.
Sheehan is proud of her Northwestern education and says the medical school prepared her for a career in medicine by exposing her to outstanding clinicians, researchers and educators.
“I have been fortunate to do a little bit of everything — care for patients, teach, perform research, and advocate for children’s health and well being — with my Doctor of Medicine degree,” Sheehan said. “It was very much an honor to be inducted into AOA, and I am so appreciative of my chair who wrote the letter of support for my work.”