The UC Riverside School of Medicine formally kicked-off its end-of-the-year celebration with the annual School of Medicine Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The event, which was held on Zoom, included awards to more than 50 students, faculty, and staff in cerebration of their contributions and achievements.
The full list of recipients can be found below. A recording of the awards ceremony can be viewed here or at the bottom of this page.
Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the School of Medicine Deborah Deas, M.D., M.P.H., opened the event by thanking the students, faculty, and staff for their efforts over the last 12 months.
"This has been an extraordinary year for the medical school and we would not have achieved so much without each and every one of you," she said.
The event included the presentation of the Dean's Mission and Values Award and the Dean's Social Justice Award.
The Mission and Values Award, which is presented to a graduating medical student who embodies the school's mission and values was presented to Archana Reddy. Reddy served on multiple student organizations, was the class representative for two years, and was a student instructor in the medical simulation program. A passionate advocate for health equity, she also played a key role in communicating on concerns in curriculum and policy to her peers and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Reddy was also named an outstanding student in pediatrics.
The Social Justice Award, which is presented to a graduating fourth-year student who has exceptional character, leadership, and demonstrates a commitment to social justice while exemplifying the SOM values, was presented to Josue Reynaga. Reynaga was an advocate for LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities in several leadership roles and served as the community engagement representative. He volunteered at several student-led free clinics. He was also inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Two fourth-year students, Niresh Perera and Rebecca Ocher, were presented special awards by outside organizations.
Perera was recognized as a recipient of the 2021 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Physician Professional Advisory Committee. The award recognizes medical students across the United States who advance public health in their communities and exemplify the program's mission to protect, promote, and advance health and safety. and was presented by Dr. Naeemah Logan of the USPHS.
He also received the Thomas Haider Clinical Award of Excellence in recognition of his outstanding scholarship and clinical skills.
Perera helped develop and served as the first president of the UCR SOM Medical Student Council. He has made significant academic contributions as one of the developers of the case-based curriculum for the Longitudinal Emergency Medicine Experience as well as founding and designing the Tips and Tricks for Clinical Learning, Knowledge and Experience curriculum, which is designed to help assist the transition of students from the classroom to the clinical clerkship. He was also the first president of the UCR SOM Medical Student Council
Ocher was presented the American College of Physicians' Southern California Region 2 Governor’s Award in recognition of her work in internal medicine. She was also named outstanding student in internal Medicine.
The School of Medicine will host its Commencement and Hippocratic Oath Ceremony on Friday, June 4, 2021, at 6 p.m.
2021 School of Medicine Award Recipients
Listed in order of presentation.
Outstanding Support to Careers in Medicine
Dr. Parastou Farhadian
Associate Clinical Professor of Health Sciences in the Department of Family Medicine
Outstanding Longitudinal Ambulatory Care Experience (LACE) Students
Hanna Mandell, Class of 2024
Carina Bell, Class of 2023
Maria Macias, Class of 2022
Outstanding Longitudinal Ambulatory Care Experience (LACE) Faculty
Dr. Sunil K. Patel
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences in the Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Jean Russell
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences in the Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Moazzum Bajwa
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences in the Department of Family Medicine and LACE Director
Outstanding Practice Improvement Projects (PIP)
Alexa Pazos, Class of 2023
"COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Latino Farmworking Communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley, Riverside County”
Laurel Nelms, Class of 2022
“Increasing Pediatric Vaccine Compliance by Improving Identification of Parents’ Vaccine Misconceptions”
Maura Becerra & Michelle Smith, Class of 2021
“Motivational Interviewing to Increase Physical Activity in Patients with Cardiac Risk Factors"
Outstanding Pre-Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Zhenyun Yang
Lecturer in Internal Medicine for his instruction in the Gross Anatomy Lab
Outstanding Doctoring Instructors
Ruben Robles
Community-Based Clinical Faculty Member
Dr. Hina Mohsin
Community-Based Clinical Faculty Member
Outstanding Case-Based Learning Instructors
Dr. Rebeca Gavan
Co-Director of Clinical Skills, Director of Case-Based Learning and Faculty Director of the Standardized Patient Program
Ms. Jennifer Zamora
Community-Based Clinical Faculty
Outstanding Clinical Skills Instructors
Dr. Nathan McLaughlin
Associate Clinical Professor of Health Sciences in the Department of Family Medicine
Dr. William P. Hunt
Community-Based Clinical Faculty
Outstanding Standardized Patient
Ted Puffer
Outstanding Emergency Medicine Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Samuel Zidovetzki
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences
Outstanding Family Medicine Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Jin Seon Kim-Paglingayen
Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences
Outstanding Internal Medicine Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Scott Kubomoto
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences and Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency
Outstanding OB/GYN Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Mallory Stuparich
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences and OB/Gyn Clerkship Director
Outstanding Pediatrics Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Adwoa Osei
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences
Outstanding Psychiatry Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Roberto Castaños
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences
Outstanding Surgery Clerkship Instructor
Dr. Karl Schulz
Community-Based Clinical Faculty
Outstanding Block and Clerkship Directors
Dr. Chris Lytle
Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Meera Nair
Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Robby Gulati
Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education
Outstanding Public Health Faculty
Dr. Brandon Brown
Associate Professor, Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health and member of the Center for Healthy Communities
Outstanding Clerkship Students
Sana Hadyah, Class of 2022
Laurel Nelms, Class of 2022
Outstanding Pre-Clerkship Staff
Tracy Bereal
Associate Director, Educational Instruction
Outstanding Clerkship Staff
Kathleen Witty
Clerkship Program Coordinator
Outstanding Student Affairs Staff
Alejandra Torres
Academic Specialist
Outstanding General Staff Member
Ariel DeGuzman
Manager, Assessment & Evaluation Systems and Manager of the Gross Anatomy Lab
Outstanding Student in Psychiatry
Alfonso Vera, Class of 2021
Outstanding Student in Internal Medicine
Rebecca Ocher, Class of 2021
Outstanding Students in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jasmine Correa, Class of 2021
Anne Lyon, Class of 2021
Jordan Towne, Class of 2021
Outstanding Students in Pediatrics
Katherine Domenici, Class of 2021
Archana Reddy, Class of 2021
Outstanding Student in Family Medicine
Julia Devito, Class of 2021
Outstanding Student in Surgery
Troy Ruff, Class of 2021
Stewart and Elaine Shankel Award
Nikita Kadakia, Class of 2021
Thomas Haider Clinical Award of Excellence
Niresh Perera, Class of 2021
Dean’s Mission and Values Award
Archana Reddy, Class of 2021
Dean’s Social Justice Award
Josue Reynaga, Class of 2021
Golden Apple Award
Dr. Alexander Friedman
Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences
Golden Brain Award
Dr. Remus Popa
Clinical Professor of Health Sciences
Golden Lung Award
Chris Miller
Director of Operations - Medical Simulation and Research
Wesley Lockhart
Simulation Specialist and Clinical Faculty
Neal L. Schiller Award for Excellence in Compassionate Medical Education
Dr. Emma Simmons
Salma Haider Endowed Chair for the Thomas Haider Program, and Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Excellence in Public Health Award
Niresh Perera, Class of 2021
American College of Physicians Southern California Region 2 Governor’s Award
Rebecca Ocher, Class of 2021
