Feinberg’s chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society welcomed 41 new members during a ceremony on March 3, recognizing outstanding educational achievements and contributions to medicine.
“Today, we induct the 123rd class of Alpha Omega Alpha here at Northwestern and honor students, faculty and house staff for their outstanding achievements in their educational and professional journeys,” said Shilajit Kundu, MD, ’07 GME, chief of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology and AOA councilor for Feinberg, who welcomed guests to this year’s ceremony.
Kundu introduced Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, the Edward G. Elcock Professor of Surgical Research and director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center, who delivered this year’s keynote lecture prior to the induction ceremony.
During his lecture, Nadig discussed the evolution of the eras of transplantation science and how chronic rejection — progressive organ transplant failure driven by the immune system targeting and attacking the graft — is being addressed by the development of novel organ preservation interventions in the field.
“Pre-treatment strategies can abrogate vasculopathy in models of transplantation and nanotechnological advances may pave the way for future trials in donor organ pretreatment,” Nadig said.
One of these therapies includes the Targeted Rapamycin Micelles (TRaM) nanoparticle, which Nadig developed as an addition to standard-of-care for pre-transplantation that targets endothelial cells and has been shown to downregulate immune responses that drive chronic rejection, thereby promoting allograft longevity.
“My dream is that we do organ-recipient matching, that we can pick an organ that’s treated in a particular way for that patient, whether it’s genetically edited, whether it’s given nanotherapy or whether it’s given immunometabolic therapy. We can actually tailor the organ for the patient, and this is going to happen,” Nadig said.
This year’s house staff inductees were announced by Joshua Goldstein, MD, senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education, and professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neurology and Epilepsy. Marianne Green, MD, vice dean for Education and the Raymond H. Curry, MD, Professor of Medical Education, welcomed faculty inductees to the medical honor society.
“Being a member of AOA represents a meaningful honor in my medical training. To me, it reflects not only my academic dedication, but also my commitment to leadership, service, professionalism and patient care. Election to AOA affirms the values I strive to uphold — integrity, excellence and lifelong learning — and motivates me to continue serving my patients and colleagues with humility and purpose,” said Flynn Chen, a fourth-year medical student who was inducted into this year’s AOA class.
Eli Zimmerman, MD, associate dean for Student Affairs, introduced the 32 new student members of the AOA.
“Being inducted into AOA feels like one of the highest honors of my training thus far. This recognition celebrates the values that have guided my journey in medicine — showing up for patients and communities with integrity and compassion, leading through service, and investing in mentorship,” said Jethel Hernandez, a fourth-year medical student who was inducted into this year’s AOA class.
“Being inducted into the AOA honors society is an incredible privilege that I don’t take lightly. I’m deeply grateful to my mentors and fellow inductees whose guidance and support have shaped me into the physician I’m becoming. This recognition fuels my commitment to my patients and scholarship and inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of academic medicine as I embark on my career,” said Harris Avgousti, a fourth-year medical student who was inducted into this year’s AOA class.
