Alumni Association Awards Dinner
NEOMED alumni gathered with colleagues, family and friends to recognize outstanding alumni and major contributors at the annual Alumni Association Awards Dinner on April 5.
Award recipients, who were selected by the Alumni Association Awards Committee chaired by Jeffrey Monteith, M.D. (’06), include:
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
MAGDI H. AWAD, Pharm.D., M.S. ('17), director of pharmacy, AxessPointe Community Health Center, and associate professor of Pharmacy Practice, NEOMED College of Pharmacy.
In a congratulatory video, E. Demond Scott, M.D., medical director for AxessPointe said, “I think the thing that makes Dr. Awad such a great healthcare professional is what makes him a great person. He’s very goal oriented; he is driven; he is tenacious; he’s passionate. I think anyone who meets him will probably come up with these same words.”
JAMES R. BORCHERS, M.D. ('00), president, CEO and co-founder, U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, and professor of Clinical Family Medicine/Sports Medicine, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine.
Chad Asplund, M.D., sports medicine physician, Georgetown University, noted, “He has dedicated his life to college athletics and along the way has seen areas in need of innovation.
KIM L. STEARNS, M.D. ('85), chairman, Department of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital, and Cleveland Guardians team orthopaedic physician.
Don Malone, M.D. (’84), retired president of Cleveland Clinic Ohio Hospitals and Family Medical Centers, shared, “Kim is one of the busiest surgeons in Northeast Ohio and clearly one of the best. His outcomes are just impactful. But I think from an education standpoint is where he has made a true impact.”
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
JOSEPH C. BERNARD, retired faculty, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, NEOMED
James Kravec, M.D. (’02), market chief clinic officer, Mercy Health Lorain and Mercy Health Youngstown, said, “I would venture to say if you asked every graduate of NEOUCOM, and now NEOMED, for the tenure that Joe was there, ‘who was the most impactful faculty member?’ I would guess more than half the students – now alumni – would say Joe Bernard.”
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
JAMES R. BOEX, Ph.D., retired professor and administrator, NEOMED College of Medicine
Nominator Bryan Hecht, M.D. (’81), director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, MetroHealth Medical Center, shared, “ As a very small charter class, Dr. Boex knew each of us on a very personal level and cultivated those relationships to ensure that we thrived both emotionally and academically… He clearly deserves substantial credit for the success of the first several classes of graduates.”
EMERGING LEADER AWARD
JACLYN A. BOYLE, Pharm.D. ('12), associate professor of Pharmacy Practice and assistant dean of Student Success, NEOMED College of Pharmacy
Paul Lungu, Pharm.D. (’23), NEOMED Alumni Association Board Member and pharmacist, Akron Children’s Hospital, said, “Dr. Boyle encouraged me to be courageous and contribute to the patient care team by interacting with the medicine faculty and offering my input on treatment recommendations. She served with wisdom and compassion, and all of my interactions with our fellow colleagues were nothing short of extraordinary.”
RAHUL C. DAMANIA, M.D. ('16), pediatric critical care physician, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Mehool Patel, M.D. (’98), M.B.A., chair, NEOMED Department of Internal Medicine, shared, “Dr. Damania exemplifies the NEOMED values with his medical education leadership and advocacy, and he strives to help others including providing service to our own underrepresented students and more. In his young career, he has an impressive track record of educational leadership and services, administrative responsibilities, all while serving as a critical care physician for children.”
Congratulations to all the award recipients!
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