Award Results - 2025

Congratulations to our 2024–2025 academic year award recipients. Your hard work, dedication, and excellence reflect what makes SHSU-COM an exceptional institution and a respected name in medical education.

OMS I-III Awards

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  • Outstanding First-Year Student Leader: Tai Phan
  • Outstanding Second-Year Student Leader: Wyatt Mayer
  • Outstanding Third-Year Student Leader: Stephen Alvarado
  • Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Leader: Svetlana Gezalov
  • Excellence in Research: Danyal Tahseen
  • Outstanding Leadership and Service: Yasmin Obeidi
  • Clerkship Awards:
    • Adult Medicine I & II: Idayri Flores
    • Emergency Medicine: Joshua Rasco
    • Family Medicine: Richard Lee
    • Longitudinal OMM: Amber Adamcik
    • OB-GYN: Cayla Wagstaff
    • Pediatrics: Kevin Alford
    • Psychiatry: Rikki Ray
    • Rural: Molly Anthony
    • Surgery: Rylie Wackerly
  • Excellence in Service:  
    • Clinical Anatomy: Yashna Thakker
    • Molecular & Cellular Biology: Jeremiah Fenocchi
    • Osteopathic Principles & Practices: Cody Dean
    • Physiology & Pharmacology: Caroline Podvin
    • Primary Care & Clinical Medicine: Anuja Jayachandran
  • COMmunity Award: SHSU-COM Ultrasound Club
  • COMmitted Organization: COM Ambassadors
  • Outstanding Collaboration: Disaster Bus Training

Graduating Student Awards

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  • Excellence in Research Award: Laura Knittig
  • Clinical Acumen Award: Antonio Pontifes
  • Medical Education Award: Austin Sekula
  • Charles E. Henley Award: Wenqing Zhuo
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Leader Award: Brooke Birks
  • Dana G. Hoyt "The Measure of a Life is its Service" Award: Gabriel Hapenciuc
  • Dean's Award: Luis Banuelos

Faculty & Staff Awards

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  • Outstanding COM Staff Member Award: Kendal Krumes, MBA
  • Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award: Yuan Zhao, PhD
  • Excellence in Research Award: Paul Zarutskie, MD
  • Outstanding Leadership and Service Award: Jame Hinojosa, MD
  • Excellence in Teaching Award: Candace Walkley, MD
  • Preceptor of the Year Award: Mary Hebert, MD