17th Annual Student Awards Ceremony Recognizes Top UMSOM Medical Graduates

On May 17, 2023, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) held its 17th annual Student Awards Ceremony & Dinner at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards. Fourth-year medical students in the Class of 2023 were recognized for their superior academic performance and modeling extraordinary humanism, compassion, and integrity over their four-year tenure in medical school. The event, sponsored by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, also publicly recognized generous donors, many being alumni, faculty, and friends, whose financial support afforded students with the various awards.

Donna L. Parker, MD, FACP, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at UMSOM, served as mistress of ceremonies. “Tonight, we gather to recognize the most accomplished students in the 214th graduating class of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and to also celebrate the generosity of our many donors who make these student honors possible,” she said as she welcomed distinguished guests, donors, faculty, students, and their families. “These students have worked hard to be where they are today; they earned academic, personal, and professional successes and are among the best and brightest of their class.”

Awards were presented from nearly every School of Medicine department, with many of the awards named in honor of influential department founders, former chairs, or faculty members, or in recognition of those who had made generous contributions to the departments.

“We celebrate the accomplishments of this academic community -- students who excelled throughout the course of their medical education, and faculty members who exceptionally mentored and trained future generations of physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals," said UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. “Thank you to our generous donors. Many of the awards presented are made possible through generous contributions from donors, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends.” 

Among the evening’s awardees was Olivia Uddin, MD ’23, PhD ’21, who received the Balder Scholarship Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. This award is given to the graduating senior with the highest academic record throughout the four-year medical school program.

“I am so thankful to have trained at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. From day one, I saw that community members genuinely prioritized fostering an environment of collaboration, communication, and kindness,” she said. “I am so honored to receive the Balder Scholarship Award.” Ms. Uddin will be completing a residency in Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine.  

Dean Gladwin, alongside Dr. Parker, recognized this year’s recipients of awards from generous School of Medicine alumni donors, the late Dr. Richard M. Susel and Dr. Carolyn J. Pass.  

Grace Lee, MD ’23, received the Carolyn J. Pass, MD ’66 and Richard M. Susel, MD ’66 Academy Student Teaching Fellows Award. Jacqueline Hwang, MD ’23, received the Carolyn J. Pass, MD ’66 Award for Outstanding Clinical Performance in Dermatology. Caroline Simon, MD ’23, received the Richard M. Susel, MD ’66 Award for Outstanding Clinical Performance in Ophthalmology. Madison Parks, MD ’23, received the I. Earl Pass Memorial Award, in honor of Dr. Pass’ late father, for Exceptional Proficiency in Internal Medicine. Several humanism, student, and departmental awards were also presented throughout the evening.

UMSOM’s Class of 2023 received their doctoral hoods during their graduation ceremony at the Hippodrome Theatre on May 18. This year’s University-wide commencement event for the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) was also held on May 18 at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

UMSOM Student Awards Ceremony 2023 Photo Gallery

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