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 IU School of Medicine Excellence in Leadership Awards highlight the incredible student leaders and organizations that have made an impact on their peers and surrounding communities. This past year, IUSM saw great opportunities for students to connect with each other and their community members, as well as ways for students to address issues of diversity, equity, wellness, education, and more.

2022 Excellence in Leadership Awards

IU School of Medicine Excellence in Leadership Awards graphic

IU School of Medicine Excellence in Leadership Awards

It’s time to present the third annual Excellence in Leadership Awards!

We would like to highlight some of the incredible student leaders and organizations here at IU School of Medicine that have made an impact on their peers and surrounding communities. This past year, we saw great opportunities for students to connect with each other and their community members, as well as ways for students to address issues of diversity, equity, wellness, education, and more.

While we can only present a few organizations, events, and individuals, we received a high number of peer nominations and are proud to acknowledge all the outstanding work that has been done across the state with regard to advocacy and student and community engagement.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Excellence in Leadership Awards!

Organization Based Awards

Community Outreach Award: This award recognizes an organization that has made a significant impact on their community through advocacy and/or outreach.
• Rock for Riley

Student Engagement Award: This award recognizes an organization that has made notable efforts to engage IUSM students through various means (e.g., leadership, events).
• Wellness Coalition

Statewide Engagement Award: This award recognizes an organization that has shown a passion for equity across multiple IUSM campuses (e.g., zoom access, executive board representation, hosting events).
• Hoosier Public Health Corps

New Organization Award: This award recognizes a student organization formed or reactivated within the last two years that has shown exceptional promise and contributions through programming and/or service that reflects the emerging needs and interests of IUSM students.
• PoCUS SIG

Inclusivity Award: This award recognizes an organization that has made notable efforts to engage students with a wide variety of backgrounds (e.g., identity, campuses, year in school).
• DEI Coalition

Event Based Awards

Outstanding Campus Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has been widely attended by IUSM members and had a profound impact on the IUSM community.
• Evening of the Arts

Best Social Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has brought together IUSM members to network with or meet other members.
• King’s Island (Class of 2025 Reps)

Best Collaboration of the Year: This award recognizes a creative collaboration between two or more organizations within the IUSM community to host a successful event through fostering excellent communication, mutual support, and sharing resources between student organizations.
• Assembling Hygiene Kits for the People Struggling with Homelessness (hosted by SNMA, Medical Spanish SIG, and MSMS)

Outstanding Educational Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has provided excellent education to its attendees (e.g., colleagues, families, communities).
• Simulation Day by EM SIG

Outstanding Philanthropic Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has allowed students to actively engage with and learn more about community partners and their initiatives, while also helping students learn about how to impact patient healthcare outside of the clinic.
• ViGO Healthy! Health Fair

Outstanding Multicultural Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has recognized or encouraged diversity as a core aspect of the event.
• Women’s History Month Panel

Outstanding Wellness Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has focused on promoting medical student well-being (e.g., physical wellness, financial wellness, mental wellness, spiritual wellness).
• Journaling Workshop (hosted by Wellness Coalition)

Outstanding Intercampus Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has positively impacted the IUSM community by forging outstanding and meaningful connections across two or more campuses to maximize opportunities.
• Class of 2024 Statewide Social

Innovative Event of the Year: This award recognizes an event that has uniquely addressed a topic of interest OR has required overcoming barriers for organizers to host it.
• Parent Cooking Class by Kids in Nutrition

Individual Awards

Distinguished Leader Award: This award recognizes a student who has demonstrated excellence in leadership including professionalism, compassion, organization, and empathy and continually facilitates and advocates for change.
• MS2 - Cat Meador, Aonesti Williams
• MS3 - Faith Roberts, Lucy Brown
• MS4 - Mikayala Burrell, Colton Junod

Unsung Hero Award: This award recognizes a student who has been integral to the inside workings of an organization but may not hold a leadership role or has worked diligently outside the boundaries of their role.
• MS1 - Leah Bode, Natalie Jacobson
• MS2 - Shannen Sharpe, Doriann Alcaide
• MS3 - Jorge Figueras, Vasu Sheel
• MS4 - Emma Ross, Cassy Prather

MS1 Emerging Leaders: This award recognizes a first-year student who has shown exceptional promise in leadership in aspects of professionalism, compassion, organization, and empathy. They may not necessarily hold a leadership position, but their participation and presence in activities have proved them to be a valuable future leader.
• Andrew Adeola, Kathleen Ho
• Honorable Mention: Khang Phang

Visionary Leadership: This award recognizes a leader or group of leaders who have demonstrated trailblazing efforts in their organization. They have recognized the need for change and created paths to facilitate change.
• Deena Mohamed
• Honorable Mention: Josh Hoffer

Outstanding Advisor: This award recognizes a staff or faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to students or a student organization. This person is one who has had a profound impact on students by providing a welcoming, inclusive, and enthusiastic environment, and was chosen based on their involvement and knowledge of the organization, ability to challenge leaders, and guidance and support when needed.
• Indy: Niki Messmore
• Regional: Dr. Jimmy Yen (FW)

Outstanding Faculty or Staff Advocate: This award recognizes a staff or faculty member who acted as an outstanding advocate for students. They have played a key part in students’ organizations by providing openness to change, constructive feedback, and a commitment to excellence in our student organizations among other qualities.
• Indy: Dr. Maryann Chimhanda
o Honorable Mention: Dr. Emily Walvoord, Sydney Rucker
• Regional Campus: Dr. Christina Bennett

Distinguished Patient Advocate: This award recognizes students that advocate for their patients on and off the wards. They exemplify humanistic medicine and empathy for their patient regardless of background.
• Mahmud Sam, John Verhey

Distinguished Peer Advocate: This award recognizes students that advocate for their colleagues’ needs. This can be through advocacy to school administrators and faculty or at a broader level.
• MS1 - Gloria Xue
• MS2 - Cassie Anderson
• MS3 - Marelle Rukes
• MS4 - Sam Melo

Distinguished Community Engagement: This award recognizes a leader who has demonstrated distinguished commitment to their local community. This can be through consistent volunteering, dedicated involvement with community organizations, or advocacy for their neighbors’ needs.
• MS1 - Meg Tharp, Kameron Bell, Nicole Frey
• MS2 - Joey Ballard, Sydney Lovins
• MS3 - Leah Amhurtz, Mary Kinney
• MS4 - Eric Klipsch, Annie Gensel

Distinguished Curriculum Advocacy: This award recognizes a leader who has demonstrated community to advocacy in curriculum. They exemplify the ability to represent student needs and negotiate for student interests, translate curricular and assessment changes, and innovate in the realm of curricular engagement.
• MS1 - Luke Swartz, Kristen Pogue
• MS2 - Brian Niebuhr
• MS3 - Matthew Wilcox

Distinguished Wellness Champion: This award recognizes a student who promotes and advocates for the health, wellness, and self-care of their peers. This student has shown dedication to the improvement of the dimensions of wellness for the entire school, among their campus, or individually within their class.
• MS1 - Katrina Fliotsos, Kenzie Ayers
• MS2 - Maddie Gaines, Gabbey Cunningham
• MS3 - Emily Adaniya, Joe Whitaker

Distinguished Diversity/Inclusion Champion: This award recognizes a student who promotes and advocates for the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of their peers. This student has shown dedication to the improvement of inclusivity and awareness for the entire school, among their campus, or individually within their class. They exemplify the ability to represent student needs and negotiate for student interest and to innovate in the realm of DEI.
• MS1 - Olwen Menez, Brianna Harvey
• MS2 - Anna Feliciano,Taylor Smith
• MS3 - Erika Aukerman
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IU School of Medicine

With more than 60 academic departments and specialty divisions across nine campuses and strong clinical partnerships with Indiana’s most advanced hospitals and physician networks, Indiana University School of Medicine is continuously advancing its mission to prepare healers and transform health in Indiana and throughout the world.

The views expressed in this content represent the perspective and opinions of the author and may or may not represent the position of Indiana University School of Medicine.