NEOMED to celebrate alumni achievements at 2026 Alumni Awards Dinner
The NEOMED Alumni Association will recognize outstanding alumni and leaders at the 2026 Alumni Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18.
The annual event brings together the NEOMED community to celebrate individuals whose careers, service and leadership reflect the University’s mission and impact.
This year’s honorees represent excellence across medicine, pharmacy, research, education and service, with achievements that span local communities and national influence.
The event will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the awards presentation at 7:15 p.m. Alumni, faculty, staff and students are all welcome to attend by registering here.
The 2026 Alumni Awards Dinner is made possible through the generous support of our presenting sponsor, Mercy Health.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to our additional sponsors, including Clearstead; Matt Smith, M.S. ’14, Ph.D. ’17; Hal White, M.D. ’84; Kathleen S. Padgitt, M.D. ’89, and Charles T. George; and Drs. James Boex and Denise Gibson, for their support of this year’s event.
The Alumni Awards Dinner is a meaningful opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of NEOMED graduates while strengthening connections across the University community. We look forward to celebrating this year’s recipients and the continued impact of NEOMED alumni!
Meet the 2026 Alumni Award Recipients
Distinguished Alumni Award: Amol Soin, M.D. (’02), M.B.A
Amol Soin, M.D. ('02) is a full-time interventional pain management physician and the founder of Ohio Pain Clinic, a freestanding, multidisciplinary pain management center he established in 2007 in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Soin completed his residency in anesthesiology at Rush University and his fellowship in pain management at the Cleveland Clinic. He also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee and master's degrees in science from both Brown University and Dartmouth College.
Driven by a belief that pain management had gone largely unchanged for decades, Dr. Soin built his practice around integrated, holistic care — combining interventional techniques with psychological therapy, nutrition, and other non-opioid approaches. That same curiosity propelled him into the world of medical innovation. He holds several dozen worldwide patents, has founded multiple biotech startups in the neuromodulation and drug development space, and has led ventures that have exited in transactions valued at over $1 billion, making him one of the most successful physician entrepreneurs in his field.
Dr. Soin has served in numerous national leadership roles, including as president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and president of the Society of Interventional Pain Management Surgery Centers. He has been appointed to the State Medical Board of Ohio by Governors Kasich and DeWine and has served on the Ohio Medical Marijuana Commission. Dr. Soin has also been selected to serve as NEOMED’s 2026 Commencement speaker to inspire the newest group of healthcare leaders.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Tom Vo, M.D. (’96)
Tom Vo, M.D. ('96) is the founder and CEO of Nutex Health, a publicly traded company and pioneer in the micro-hospital model of emergency care. A native of Stow, Ohio, Dr. Vo earned his medical degree from NEOMED in 1996, completed his emergency medicine residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and later earned an M.B.A. from Rice University in 2004. His wife, Kim Vo, M.D., is also a NEOMED graduate ('97).
After spending nearly a decade working in busy hospitals and emergency centers throughout Texas, Dr. Vo opened his first freestanding emergency center in Houston in 2009, driven by a desire to improve the experience of both patients and providers. That single facility grew into Nutex Health, a company that offers physicians a turnkey model — from real estate and facility development to staffing and operations — built around the idea that concierge-level emergency care could be delivered in smaller, community-based settings. Dr. Vo has been instrumental in the launch and management of more than 30 specialty hospitals and emergency centers across the United States.
Nutex Health went public on NASDAQ in 2022. Dr. Vo has been recognized as one of the pioneers and leaders in his field, receiving the EY Entrepreneur of the Year® award in 2020 and advancing to the national finals. In 2025, he was named Most Admired CEO by the Houston Business Journal.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Crystal L. Mackall, M.D. (’84), FAACR, FAAP
Crystal L. Mackall, M.D. ('84) is the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she serves as the founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford, and co-leader of the Stanford Cancer Immunotherapy Program. Over a career spanning more than three decades, she has built an internationally recognized research program focused on developing immune-based therapies for children's cancers.
After graduating from NEOMED, Dr. Mackall joined the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, where she spent 27 years rising to chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch before joining Stanford in 2016. Her research has been credited with pioneering the use of CAR T-cell therapies in pediatric cancers, including being among the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of CD19-CAR therapy in children with leukemia — work that contributed to the first cell therapy approved for the treatment of cancer in a child. Her lab has also produced landmark findings on T cell exhaustion, resistance to immunotherapy, and promising early results for CAR T-cell treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, one of the deadliest pediatric brain tumors.
Dr. Mackall has published more than 300 manuscripts and co-founded three biotech companies — Lyell Immunopharma, CARGO Therapeutics, and Link Cell Therapies — as well as ACCESSforKIDS, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to cell therapies for children with cancer. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the recipient of numerous honors, including the Lloyd Old Award from the Cancer Research Institute in 2025. She previously received NEOMED's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004, and has credited her time at NEOMED with instilling the patient-centered values that have guided her career.
NEOMED Alumni Association Appreciation Award: Rajiv Lapasia, M.D. (’00)
Rajiv Lapasia, M.D., CFA ('00) is the managing partner of RBL Investments, LP, a Princeton-based investment partnership focused on long-term returns in small and mid-cap equities. He earned his medical degree from NEOMED and completed a neurosurgery residency at Temple University Hospital before transitioning to a career in finance. He spent nearly 11 years at BlackRock managing global healthcare, real estate, and special situation investments across small and mid-cap equity mutual funds with assets under management exceeding $3.5 billion, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Dr. Lapasia has been a dedicated servant leader to NEOMED for more than a decade. Since joining the Alumni Association Board in 2015, he held the leadership position of president for several years, helping strengthen alumni engagement, advance governance, and foster a culture of accountability and strategic innovation. He currently serves on the NEOMED Foundation Board, where he chairs the Development Committee and has served on both the Executive and Finance Committees, bringing his financial expertise to bear in support of the University's long-term growth. He regularly travels from New Jersey to NEOMED's Rootstown campus to engage directly with faculty, staff, and university leadership.
A loyal supporter for more than 12 years, Dr. Lapasia has been a consistent advocate for unrestricted giving and the flexibility it provides to address NEOMED's highest priorities.
Distinguished Service Award: M. Frank Beck, D.D.S, FAAHD, MAGD, FICOI, DSCDA
M. Frank Beck, D.D.S. is the dean emeritus and founding dean of the Bitonte College of Dentistry at NEOMED, and has served as program director of the General Practice Residency at Bon Secours Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital since 2008. A 1981 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Dr. Beck completed his dental residency at Mercy Health and has been part of that program's faculty for more than 40 years — first as attending faculty, then as associate program director, and ultimately as program director. He also maintains a private practice, The Center for Oral-Systemic Health, in Boardman, Ohio.
In 2021, Dr. Beck was invited by NEOMED President John Langell to lead an external advisory group exploring the feasibility of a dental school at NEOMED. When the Board of Trustees approved the Bitonte College of Dentistry in 2022, he was appointed its founding dean. Over the next 34 months, he led every phase of the college's creation — recruiting faculty, overseeing construction of state-of-the-art facilities, and navigating accreditation by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the Higher Learning Commission, and the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The inaugural class of 52 students was selected from more than 1,800 applicants.
Upon his retirement in August 2025, the NEOMED Board of Trustees bestowed upon him the title of Dean Emeritus — an honor reserved for those who have provided distinguished service and made exceptional contributions to the University.
Distinguished Service Award: Mehool A. Patel, M.D. (’98), FACP, M.B.A.
Mehool A. Patel, M.D. ('98) is a clinical professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at NEOMED and associate chief medical officer within IBM's HOPE (Health Officers Pursuing Excellence & Evidence) team. He earned his medical degree from NEOMED and an M.B.A. in Healthcare Finance from Auburn University, and maintains board certifications in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He currently practices as a hematologist/medical oncologist at Aultman Hospital and previously spent 15 years in practice at Summa Health System.
Since graduating from NEOMED, Dr. Patel has given back continuously to his alma mater across teaching, administration, and governance. He has served as a course director or co-director for several College of Medicine and Graduate Studies courses, including Foundations of Disease and Treatment and Clinical Informatics and Technology, and is a member of NEOMED's Master Teacher Guild. He chairs the Institutional Review Board and serves on the College of Medicine Admissions Committee and has previously served on both the NEOMED Foundation Board and Alumni Association Board. He has also delivered keynote addresses at national and international conferences on artificial intelligence and its applications in healthcare.
His commitment to NEOMED extends to physical spaces as well— he and his sister, Alpana Patel Grover, M.D. ('94), funded the alumni directory touchscreen near NEOMED's main entrance, where visitors can explore the university's alumni community and discover ways to stay connected.
Emerging Leader Award: Daniel Jones, Pharm.D., (’14)
Daniel Jones, Pharm.D. ('14) is a co-owner of Elite Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy group he co-founded in 2022 with a mission to serve communities across Northeast Ohio that have lost access to local pharmacy services. A first-in-class graduate of NEOMED's College of Pharmacy, Dr. Jones began his career as a staff pharmacist and advanced into market-level leadership before being recruited to serve as vice president of pharmacy operations for an independent pharmacy organization — a role created specifically in recognition of his strategic insight and record of business growth.
That experience became the foundation for Elite Pharmacy, which now operates five locations in Canfield, Garrettsville, New Philadelphia, East Palestine, and Ravenna. Each site was chosen deliberately — targeting communities where major pharmacy chains had closed or access had never existed. The East Palestine location, which opened in October 2025, serves as the only pharmacy in the area, with the next closest option nearly ten miles away. In addition to standard prescription services, Elite Pharmacy offers free delivery, vaccinations, compounding, and customized medication packaging to ensure that geography and mobility are never barriers to care.
Emerging Leader Award: Casondra Siebert, Pharm.D. (‘17), BCGP, FASCP
Casondra Seibert, Pharm.D. ('17) is a board-certified geriatric pharmacist and the owner of Rx Architects, a multi-state consulting pharmacy group focused on supporting post-acute and long-term care facilities in the care of medically complex residents. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from NEOMED in 2017 and completed a PGY1 residency in geriatrics and underserved populations at the University of Cincinnati.
Through Rx Architects, Dr. Seibert has built a practice centered on improving medication safety and clinical decision-making in highly regulated care environments. Her expertise includes deprescribing, opioid and psychotropic stewardship, fall risk reduction, and survey-sensitive medication practices. By translating complex pharmacologic concepts into practical guidance, she helps interdisciplinary teams reduce medication-related risk while improving resident safety and quality of care.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Seibert is a dedicated educator and leader in her field. She serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy, where she precepts students, mentors residents, and lectures on geriatric pharmacy topics. Her contributions to education and practice have been recognized nationally, including being named the 2023 American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Educator of the Year. She has also held leadership roles with ASCP at both the state and national levels, further advancing quality and safety initiatives in senior care pharmacy.
Emerging Leader Award: Jacob Sweet, Pharm.D. (’22)
Jacob Sweet, Pharm.D. ('22) is a co-owner of Elite Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy group he co-founded in 2022 with a mission to bring essential pharmacy services to underserved communities across Northeast Ohio. Even before graduating from NEOMED, Dr. Sweet demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit that set him apart — participating in NEOMED's REDIzone summer internship, where he gained hands-on experience in the full lifecycle of a startup, and advancing to the finals of the Citizens Make Change: Accelerate 2021 business pitch competition alongside his co-founder.
Those experiences translated directly into action. Elite Pharmacy now operates five strategic locations in Canfield, Garrettsville, New Philadelphia, East Palestine, and Ravenna — each one planted intentionally in a community where pharmacy access had disappeared or never existed. As Ohio faced a pharmacy crisis in which 223 locations closed statewide in a single year, Dr. Sweet and his partners were opening doors. Beyond filling prescriptions, Elite Pharmacy offers free delivery, vaccinations, compounding, and customized medication packaging, ensuring that patients of all ages and circumstances have access to the care they need.
Dr. Sweet also continues to give back to NEOMED as a member of the Alumni Association Board, supporting alumni engagement and the University's mission.
Questions? Please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@neomed.edu