Tufts University School of Medicine

2024 Graduate Programs Commencement Awards

Congratulations to this year's outstanding graduates!
Collage of headshots of featured students

Each year, Tufts University School of Medicine Graduate Programs nominate students for various awards to recognize high academic achievement, outstanding dedication to their professional fields, and remarkable dedication to the community.

View Full List of Awards & Descriptions

On behalf of our faculty, staff, and administration, congratulations 2024 award recipients!

2024 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.

  • Grace Legris
  • Julia Loughman
  • Isabella F. Preneta

Outstanding MPH Applied Learning 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.

  • TBA

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.

  • Kenya Velez
  • Grace Legris

H. Jack Geiger Public Health Advocacy Award

To the graduating student in the Public Health program who has demonstrated a body of work contributing to advocacy for public health and social justice. 

  • Anna K. Daoud

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.

  • Barbara Choe
  • Grace Legris
  • Anna K. Daoud
  • Julia Loughman
  • Lucy Ann Morrison
  • Takkyung Oh
  • Lilian C Okoye
  • Zoe Alexandra Parisian-Jeppesen
  • James Edward Patino
  • Isabella F. Preneta
  • Westley F. Weiss
  • Shiyu Zhang

Morton A. Madoff Public Health Fellowship Award

The Morton A. Madoff Fellowship is a career development award that is given to a promising student to support their participation in an activity or project that is expected to contribute to or enhance their career in public health, public policy or health care management.

  • Laura Lodolo

HIA Program 

MS in Health Informatics and Analytics 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 the field of health informatics.

  • Janna Kramer 

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.

  • TBA

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.

  • Reena Jessica Olsen
  • Celeste Ng
  • Lonny C. Dym 
  • Ryan Peters 
  • Brian Ramsey Lawson 

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.

  • Asher Jeremy Bean

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.

  • Renata DeLury

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.

  • Kush Ghanshyam Patel

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.

  • Tosh Campbell

DPT-Boston Program

ACAPT National Physical Therapy Society Recognition

National Physical Therapy Student Honor Society recognizes Doctor of Physical Therapist students demonstrating academic achievement, integrity, leadership.

  • Kasey Evans
  • Megan O’Neal
  • Owen Nemitz
  • Kellen Cantrell
  • Zoe Sheitman

Tufts DPT Core Value Award: Excellence in Academics

This award recognizes students whose dedication to their DPT studies rises above and beyond what is expected individually and collaboratively with their peers. It is given to those who demonstrate excellence in academics cultivate a spirit of inquiry and creativity and positively contribute to the Tufts DPT learning community.

  • Kasey Evans

Tufts DPT Core Value Award: Excellence in Clinical Education

This award recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding clinical behaviors, including professionalism, integrity, and exceptional attention to patient-centered care.

  • Dylan Hall

Tufts DPT Core Value Award: Professionalism

This award recognizes students who demonstrate exemplary professionalism in their contributions to the program, the University, and the physical therapy profession. Students demonstrating excellence in professionalism act with the highest integrity and are personally accountable.

  • Frankee Cooper    

Tufts DPT Core Value Award: Humanism

This award recognizes the impact one individual can have on the well-being of the cohort and whose contributions to support, care, feel compassion, and respect fostered a positive cohort culture.

  • Marin Mills

Tufts DPT Core Value Award: Social Responsibility

This recognizes outstanding dedication to civic duty, service, and advocacy, especially for underserved and vulnerable populations. This award is given to those who demonstrated excellence in social responsibility and service to others or the profession, awareness of social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, and stewardship of resources.

  • Francesca Lingat

Tufts DPT Jumbo Award: Leadership

This recognizes students who have led by example and demonstrate the highest level of collaborative teamwork and can produce positive outcomes, even in challenging situations.

  • Morgan Heller

Dual Degree Awards

MD/MPH and DVM/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.

  • Alexandra Dibrindisi
  • Anna K. Daoud

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.

  • David Posawatz
  • Kali Jessica Sullivan 

 MD/MBA Academic Achievement Award

This award is given annually to the student(s) in the combined MD/MBA program who consistently demonstrated the highest level of academic achievement.

  • Delaney Kathryn Johnson 

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.

  • Delaney Kathryn Johnson
  • Christianne Marie Gonzalez Davidson
  • Gabriel Gerard Shlager
  • Caroline Liang
  • Kali Jessica Sullivan

General Graduate Student Awards

Honos Civicus Society Class of 2024

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.

  • Jenane Arian
  • Camille Beckett
  • Shaun Erik Garcia
  • Jules Benjamin Greenfield
  • Celeste Ng
  • Christine Xuan Quynh Pham
  • Jyothi N. Polackal
  • Elana Rosina Sanford
  • Anna D. Daoud
  • Laura Lodolo 
  • Kavita Prasad 
  • Elana Sanford
  • Aashka Shah 

Tags:

Awards & Honors ,  MS in Biomedical Sciences ,  Physical Therapy ,  Physician Assistant ,  Public Health ,  Stories ,  Students