On Monday Aug. 6, five fourth-year medical students and one clinical faculty member were inducted into NEOMED’s chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). The new GHHS student members are Robert Becker, Kristen Cannon, Haley Coleman, Gretchen Ferber and Lillian Hetson. The 2018 faculty member inductee is Dr. Susan Nofziger, clinical associate professor of pediatrics and pediatric hospitalist at Akron Children’s Hospital. Humanism is a quality expected of every graduating medical student and physician, but these students and clinical faculty member have been identified as exemplars in their humanistic behaviors, their commitment to service, and their attitude towards others.
The student inductees are nominated by their peers and the final selection process is through the NEOMED GHHS advisory committee. The advisory committee is made up of Dr. Austin Fredrickson, Dr. Julie Aultman, Dr. Sandra Emerick, Dr. Doug Moses, Dr. Starla Martinez, Anita Pokorny, Margaret Sanders, and Delese Wear. Both Anita Pokorny and Dr. Fredrickson serve as GHHS advisors.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation initiated the development of GHHS in 2001 as a means of recognizing medical students who have demonstrated exemplary attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the most humanistic physicians. As of today, 157 GHHS chapters have been created and supported by the Gold Foundation in medical schools throughout the country and abroad. NEOMED held its first GHHS induction ceremony in 2004 by recognizing four members of the NEOMED class of 2005. With the induction of this year’s class, the NEOMED chapter now includes 78 students and alumni members and 11 clinical faculty members.
- Submitted by Bethani Burkhart