Meet the NEOMED Alumni Association: Events, mentors and opportunities for students
If you’ve been to Backyard Bash, you’ve already experienced one of the traditions created by the NEOMED Alumni Association.
But the Alumni Association is about much more than hosting fun events — it’s a community of nearly 6,000 graduates who are here to support you during your time as a student and long after you graduate.
What is the Alumni Association?
The NEOMED Alumni Association exists to build lifelong connections, celebrate NEOMED pride, and support both alumni and students. That means you benefit now — through networking, mentorship, and professional opportunities—and in the future, when you join a strong alumni network advancing health care, research and community impact across the country.
How We Support Students
- NEOMED Connect: Our online platform makes it easy to connect with alumni mentors, get advice and build your professional network.
- Signature Events:
- Backyard Bash – the perfect way to kick off the year with classmates, faculty and alumni.
- Pub MED – a Match Day tradition at Panini’s in Kent featuring Northeast Ohio and medical-themed trivia. Alumni and students team up, enjoy free appetizers and celebrate together.
- Clinical Partner Networking Events – We organize opportunities for students and alumni to network at clinical partner sites, such as Mercy Health in Youngstown and Lorain, to strengthen professional relationships and community ties.
- Networking dinner during NEOvations: Bench to Bedside: We ask alumni to return to campus to serve as judges and share their expertise during a networking dinner with students.
- Student Organization Support: We help connect student organizations with alumni guest speakers, mentors, and panelists who can bring real-world experience into your meetings and events.
- Celebrate Legacy Families: NEOMED is proud of the families who pass their connection to the University from one generation to the next. We celebrate these legacy families at milestone events, such as White Coat, Match Day, and Commencement.
Legacy student, Christian Victor (M1) with his family during the College of Medicine White Coat Legacy Family Breakfast.
Meet the New Alumni Leadership
Matt A. Smith, M.S., (’14), Ph.D. (’17), currently serves as the NEOMED Alumni Association President. Most likely he is a familiar face as he is an Assistant Professor in the College of Graduate Studies and Co-Director of the Basic and Translational Biomedicine Graduate Program at NEOMED.
“It’s a true honor to be the new president of the NEOMED Alumni Association,” Smith shared. “We want your connection to NEOMED to continue growing and evolving, just as the University itself continues to grow in bold and exciting ways.”
Along with Dr. Smith, we’re excited to welcome two new Alumni Relations staff members dedicated to supporting alumni and students:
Carrie Circosta – Senior Director of Alumni Relations & Major Gifts. Carrie brings over a decade of experience in alumni engagement, fundraising and digital marketing. Email is ccircosta@neomed.edu
Laura De’Armond Szucs – Director of Alumni and Donor Engagement. Laura has more than 15 years of experience in alumni relations, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership. Email is ldearmondszucs@neomed.edu
Why It Matters for You
The Alumni Association can help you build your professional network, find mentors and explore residency or career opportunities. Even more, it’s a way to feel connected to a larger community of people who share your NEOMED experience. And you don’t have to wait until graduation to benefit — these opportunities are available to you now.
Get Involved
- Sign up for NEOMED Connect.
- Attend alumni-supported events like Pub MED, Backyard Bash, and NEOvations Bench to Bedside.
- Contact our staff if you’d like to invite alumni to speak with your student organization.
- Volunteer to connect with alumni when they visit campus.
Contact Us!
If you’d like to volunteer, connect with alumni, or have questions in general, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Alumni Relations staff. We look forward to seeing you around campus!