2025 Graduate Programs Commencement Awards

April 14, 2025

Recognizing Academic Excellence, Professional Leadership, and Service to the Community

Collage of headshots of featured students

Each year, the Tufts University School of Medicine Graduate Programs honor a select group of graduating students whose achievements reflect the highest standards of scholarship, leadership, and commitment to the greater good. These awards represent the dedication, perseverance, and impact these graduates have demonstrated throughout their academic and professional journeys.

View Full List of Awards & Descriptions

On behalf of our faculty, staff, and administration, we extend our sincere congratulations to the 2025 award recipients.

2025 Award Recipients

Below is a list of this year's recipients by program.

Public Health

MPH Academic Achievement Award

To the graduating student who, in the opinion of the faculty, has consistently demonstrated the highest level of academic achievement and who shows promise for making significant contributions to public health practice.

Jules Bertaut
Rosa Ximena Montes
Rudolph Neustadt

Outstanding MPH Applied Practice Experience Award

To the graduating student in the Master of Public Health Program who best demonstrates the ability to apply public health knowledge and skills to address a significant public health issue, who identified resources and overcame obstacles in the course of the work, and who demonstrated a commitment to the project and to the health of the public during the course of the project.

Bestine Cong
Madeline Kenyon
Rosa Ximena Montes
Christine Payne
James Vincent Robitaille
Alan Veloz

Tim Edgar, PhD Prize

To the graduating student who has demonstrated a commitment to health communication through their academic achievements, practice activities, comportment and reflects the characteristics that guided Tim’s life.

TBD

H. Jack Geiger Public Health Advocacy Award

To the graduating student in the Public Health Programs who has demonstrated a body of work contributing to advocacy for public health and social justice. This award recognizes the extraordinary contributions to public health and social justice made by former Tufts professor Dr. H. Jack Geiger and was made possible by a generous gift from Melanie Doupé Gaiser, MPH07.

Hannah Prinz

Delta Omega Honor Society Inductions

The purpose of the Delta Omega Society is to encourage excellence in public health scholarship and research and to recognize academic and professional achievement in the field of public health. The MPH program is the Alpha Omega Chapter of the Delta Omega and their inductees this year are being honored for their demonstration of real or potential qualities of leadership in public health in addition to academic excellence.

Adelaide Straub
Alan Veloz
Alexa Skrapits
Alexandra Jones
Alexandra Kaplan
Alexis Cole
Amanda Eng
Andrea Wei
Angela Bransfield
Arielle Levisohn
Beth Jonas
Zoë Beth Gilbard
Christine Payne
Christopher Andrews
Amy Elizabeth Eckland
Elizabeth Honigsberg
Ella Meyer
Emily Haynes
Emma Joyce
Erin Duncan
Helen Lam
Jacqueline Powers
Jared Ham
Jolie Stocki
Jules Bertaut
Lena Saeed Sharara
Rudolph Neustadt
Sarah Kaissa Daoudi
Victoria Zhang
Zara Ali

HIA Program

MS in Health Informatics and Analytics Academic Achievement Award

Anthony Chow

MS-Health Informatics and Analytics Capstone Award

To the graduating student in the MS-Health Informatics and Analytics Program who most fully identifies and addresses a health care need or problem using the methodologies learned in the HIA program, and who demonstrated a commitment to the project and to the health of the public during the course of the project.

Vyshnavi Kosuri

MBS Program

MS in Biomedical Sciences Academic Achievement and Professionalism Award

To graduating students who, in the opinion of the faculty, has consistently demonstrated the highest level of academic achievement and professional behavior.

Humza Mohammed Hashmi
Nathaniel Yake Johnson
Sydnie Tucker
Rachel Chen

MS in Biomedical Sciences Dr. Alvar Gustafson Award

This award was established by the MBS Program to honor its founding Director, Dr. Alvar Gustafson. It recognizes one MBS student for dedicated service and compassion while demonstrating the high level of social responsibility and civic engagement exemplified by Dr. Gustafson during his four decades at Tufts.

Christine Keysun Song

PA Program

Marsha Semuels Leadership Award

Nominated by their fellow students, the recipient of this award is recognized for having served as a student and community leader during their tenure here at Tufts. This individual epitomizes the best of the Tufts tradition: active citizenship, professional engagement, and student activism.

Laura Kostos

A. Wells Ziegra Compassionate Care Award

Nominated by the principal faculty, the recipient of this award is recognized for their passion and dedication to the physician assistant profession. This individual demonstrates a desire to help others and an eagerness to learn and share new knowledge.

Katherine McMurphy

Edward Charles Murphy Academic Excellence Award

This award is named in honor of the late Edward Charles Murphy, brother of our founding program director Richard Murphy. The recipient of this award is recognized for academic and clinical excellence. The award will be given to the graduating student with the highest academic achievement during their time here at Tufts University School of Medicine PA Program.

Kelsey Cox

Dual Degree Awards

MD/MPH Academic Achievement Award

Jolie Stocki
Zoe Beth Gilbard

Norman S. Stearns MD/MBA Leadership Award

This award is given annually to the student(s) in the combined MD/MBA program who, in the opinion of the faculty, consistently displayed excellence in leadership.

Abdallah Al-Obaidi
Krishna Mandalia

MD/MBA Jon Chilingerian Memorial Award for Academic Excellence

This award is presented annually to students in the MD/MBA program who exemplify the highest standards of academic excellence. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jon for his visionary contributions to the program and for his foundational role in its inception. Your exceptional dedication has significantly enriched the learning experience at Tufts.

Kimberly F. Schuster

Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Inductions

This award is given to the student(s) in the combined MD/MBA program who consistently demonstrated the highest level of outstanding academic performance in the MA Int'l Economics & Finance program.

Kimberly Schuster
Matthew Kanter
Arianna Zhang

Ian MacNeill, Ph.D.

To the graduating student who demonstrated an outstanding ability to analyze, interpret, display, and communicate critical information derived from research data. This award honors the work of Dr. Ian MacNeill, who through his academic career has set the standard for research and scholarship in applying analytical tools in public health sciences.

Outstanding MD/MPH and DVM/MPH Integrative Learning Experience Award

To the graduating student in the MD/MPH or DVM/MPH track who best demonstrates the ability to apply public health knowledge and skills to address a significant public health issue, who identified resources and overcame obstacles in the course of the work, and who demonstrated a commitment to the project and to the health of the public during the course of the project.

General Graduate Student Awards

Honos Civicus Society Class of 2025

This award celebrates and publicly recognizes graduating students who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to community service and civic engagement during their studies at Tufts.

Michelle Nivar - MBS
Veronica Eskander - MD/MPH
Lena Saeed Sharara - MPH
Dua Ashfaq - MBS
Angela Ting-Ting Lu - MPH
Liya Xu - MPH
Lucius L. Xuan - MBS
Ariella Levisohn - MD/MPH
Amanda Masse - MD/MPH

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