The UC Riverside School of Medicine presented its annual Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards at a dinner on Thursday, March 24, 2025 at the UCR Alumni and Visitors Center.
Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education Pablo Joo, MD, was the host of the event. Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the School of Medicine Deborah Deas, MD, MPH, provided the welcome address.
"I extend my congratulations to all the award recipients. Your dedication, passion, and excellence inspire us all. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to the UCR School of Medicine and to the communities we serve," Deas said in her remarks.
In addition to Joo, presenters included:
- Daniel Teraguchi, EdD, Executive Associate Dean of Student Affairs and the Salma Haider Endowed Chair for the Thomas Haider Program
- Carrie Smith, Associate Director of HR and Shared Services
See photos from the event by Carrie Rosema here.
The award recipients were:
Outstanding 1st Year Instructor
Iryna Ethell, PhD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Outstanding 2nd Year Instructor
Emad Ibrahim, MD, Associate Clinical Professor
Outstanding 3rd Year Instructor
Brenda Ross, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Health Sciences OBGYN department
Outstanding 4th Year Specialty Instructor
Nathaniel Fung, Division of Acute Care Surgery at RUHS
Outstanding LACE Doctor Year 1
Roopa Viraraghavan, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Pediatrics Department
Outstanding LACE Doctor Year 2
Henry Pham, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor Volunteer Faculty, Family Medicine
Outstanding LACE Doctor Year 3
Letty Emery, MD, Family Medicine, Kaiser Murrieta
Alumni Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching
Lucas Friedman, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Family Medicine and Director of Ultrasound Education Program
The Neal L. Schiller Award for Excellence in Compassionate Medical Education
Lien-Khuong Tran, MD
Clinical Service
Brenda Ross, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Sciences, Department of OBGYN
Award for Healthcare Innovation
Scott Zeller, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Professionalism Award
Harry Dao, MD, Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Outstanding Community Service Award
Brenda Ross, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor Health Sciences, Department of OBGYN
The School of Medicine DEI Award
Adwoa Osei, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics
Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award
Daniel Novak, PhD, Director of Student Scholarly Activities
Research Achievement Award in Biomedical or Basic Science
Nicholas DiPatrizio, PhD, Professor in the Division of Biomedical Sciences
Research Achievement Award in Clinical Science
Lisa Fortuna, MD, Chair and Professor in the Department Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Research Achievement Award for Population Health Research
Andrew Subica, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health
Basic Science Educator of the Year
Declan McCole, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Community Educator of the Year
Alina Popa, MD, Health Sciences Clinical Professor, Program Director of Riverside Community Hospital/UCR Internal Medicine Residency Program
Lifetime Achievement Award in Education
Adolfo Aguilera, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Family Medicine
Distinguished School of Medicine Service to UCR Cross-Campus Community Award
Declan McCole, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Distinguished School of Medicine Service Award – Junior Faculty Member
Toshia Yamaguchi, MD, Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Neuroscience Department
The Cancer Research Scholars Award from the SOM/City of Hope U54 Team
Allen Seylani, Class of 2025
Outstanding LACE Students
Jonpaul Urias, Class of 2028
Benjamin Corbett, Class of 2027
Isuru Karunatillaka, Class of 2026
Outstanding Clerkship Students
Nolan Langford, Class of 2026
Sophia Potalivo, Class of 2026
Allen Seylani, Class of 2025
Meghna Patel, Class of 2025
Thomas Haider Clinical Award of Excellence
Marina Joseph, Class of 2025
Stewart and Elaine Shankel Award
Chris Mehdizadeh, Class of 2025
Dean’s Mission and Values Award
Madelin Andrade, Class of 2025
Dean’s Social Justice Award
Xaida Wright, Class of 2025
Outstanding Graduating Students Award - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Prashila Amatya, Class of 2025
Outstanding Graduating Students Award - Department of Pediatrics
Aya Shokair, Class of 2025
Reysha Patel, Class of 2025
Staff Community Service Award
Stephanie Sandoval, Health Educator in the Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health
School of Medicine DEI Award
Stephanie Ochoa, Academic Achievement Coordinator, Pathway Programs
Education CARE Award
Pamela Hunter, Director of Medical Education in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education
Amanda Limon, Community Health Education Program Coordinator Office of Student Affairs
Clinical CARE Award
Nancy Elizando, UCR Health
Maria De La Cruz, UCR Health
Administrative CARE Award
Andrea Ortiz, Development Coordinator
Maria Isabel Guzman, Financial Analyst, Business Operations
Research CARE Award
Jo Gerrard, Grant Writer, Sponsored Research & Programs
Hermila Torres, Biomedical Sciences Advisor, Graduate Student Services Advisor
