Awards
Awards and Honor Societies
At graduation and throughout the year, we recognize the members of our medical school community who go above and beyond the call of duty and show great promise as future leaders in the profession.
Many outstanding students, faculty, residents and alumni also are inducted into honor societies each year. These include the:
Annual Hooding Awards
This award is presented by the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine.
- Ferdinand Cacho, 2019
- Amanda Dave, 2018
- Michelle LaFranchi, 2017
- Erin Johnson, 2016
- Amy Goldstein, 2015
- Jennifer Rosin, 2014
- Katie Halvorson, 2013
- Molly Moriarty, 2012
- Michael Long, 2011
- Sarah Herby, 2010
- Andrew Nuibe, 2009
- Robyn Nolan, 2008
- Jennifer Schroeder, 2007
- Mary Bussey, 2006
- Stephanie M. Hanson, 2005
- Sara M. Huegli, 2004
This award is for excellent performance by a student entering the field of radiology.
- David Wessling, 2019
- Ian Kozlowski, 2018
- Nicholas Dueck, 2017
- George Raymond Wong, 2016
- Daniel Harwood, 2015
- Caroline Cusack, 2014
- Mark Tran, 2013
- Natalie Braun, 2012
- Adam Stibbe, 2011
- Kaitlyn Weidenbach, 2010
- Brandon Newgard and Theodore Wissink, 2009
- Dawn Tanner, 2008
- Julie Walter, 2007
- Lincoln Wong, 2006
- Ryan P. Wippler, 2005
- Janine Jham Morris, 2004
Dr. Adolph Sachs received his medical degree from Creighton University in 1907. He then continued graduate work in Berlin, Vienna, London, Boston and New York. Afterwards, he came back to Creighton University School of Medicine to teach. He was the president of Douglas County Medical Society, Nebraska State Medical Association, and Omaha Midwest Clinical Society.
This award is presented to the senior student who has performed with extraordinary academic distinction during the four years in the School of Medicine.
- Grant Wintheiser, 2019
- Emily Bolton, 2018
- Benjamin Packard, 2017
- Brody Slostad, 2016
- Anna Gary, 2015
- David Stordahl, 2014
- Joshua VanDerWerf, 2013
- Nicholas Marinkovich, 2012
- Ashley Lane, 2011
- Brittany Willer, 2010
- Katherine Sramek, 2009
- Michael Grant, 2008
- Bishoy Zakhary, 2007
- Eri Shimizu, 2006
- John D. Klein, 2005
- Janine Jham Morris, 2004
Dr. Menolascino was Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Creighton from 1989-1994. Frank was deeply committed to social justice, generous of his time and talent, and a highly regarded psychiatrist who contributed importantly to development of diagnostic and treatment modalities for persons suffering simultaneously from mental retardation and mental illness. He was an authority on mental illness in persons with mental retardation/developmental disabilities.
Dr. Menolascino developed a progressive regional system of support for persons with mental retardation that now serves as a model for programs around the world. A leading advocate of education rights and community based services, Dr. Menolascino promoted programs that would allow persons with mental retardation to remain in hometowns among family and friends rather than being put into institutions.
This award is for excellent performance by a senior student.
- Sarah Sanders, 2019
- Matthew Chapman, 2018
- Laura Quennoz, 2017
- Danielle Bell, 2016
- Katrina Hickle-Koclanes, 2015
- Stephen Marcoux, 2014
- Tony Pesavento, 2013
- John Daly, 2012
- Amber Johnson, 2011
- Marley Doyle, 2010
- Claudine Egol, 2009
- John Rudersdorf, 2008
- Kerry-Ann Williams, 2007
- Nadia Nassar, 2006
- Kristin Chase Miller, 2005
- Brian M. Waters, 2004
Some information about Dr. Menolascino taken from Psych.org
In 1970, Creighton University School of Medicine established the Family Practice Division of the Department of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Michael J. Haller, M.D. was the first head of the department. In August of that same year, an approved program began for training residents in family medicine. A Family Practice Clinic was opened at 3374 South 13th Street in Omaha, which was staffed by residents and which served not only to help alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians, but also as a developing ground for the new specialty of Family Practice.
In June 1971 a "pilot program" was begun with Creighton interns at St. Joseph Hospital. Dr. Haller established a program of airplane flight instruction for interns and residents in order to make practice in a rural community more attractive. He believed that faster mobility to larger cities would increase the desirability of rural community medicine and may help alleviate the rural physician shortage in Nebraska and other Midwestern states. Creighton was the only medical school in the country to have such a program.
This award is given by the Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians to an outstanding senior student entering Family Practice
- Laura Johnson, 2019
- Jake Traxler, 2018
- Mitchell Kohl, 2017
- Mandy Dailey, 2016
- Gretta Carroll, 2015
- Sarah Grauman, 2014
- Mark Novak, 2013
- Jacob Miller, 2012
- Danielle Wang, 2011
- Eric Marty, 2010
- Gabriel Harris 2009
- Emily Anderson, 2008
- Mel Roca, 2007
- Paul Vu, 2006
- Nicole D. Westfall, 2005
- Amy J. Edman, 2004
This award goes to a senior student for excellence in medical studies, for involvement in family practice, and for motivation in family practice postgraduate study.
- Paul Sliskovich, 2019
- Kathryn Barta, 2018
- Danika Peterson, 2017
- Sarah Waterman, 2016
- Sarah Stombaugh, 2015
- Elizabeth Wooster, 2014
- India Robinson, 2013
- Nick Furlong, 2012
- Renee Dentlinger, 2011
- Sara O'Connell-Mayernik, 2010
- Kara Watterson, 2009
- Anthony Cook, 2008
- Douglas Forgit, 2007
- Kimberly Corral, 2006
- Carrie L. Grady, 2005
- Sandra B. Baumberger, 2004
The Holden award is for outstanding performance in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
- Keith Vrbicky, 2019
- Joe Haggerty, 2018
- Lindsay Robinson, 2017
- Sarah Schultz, 2016
- Christine Livergood, 2015
- Laura Brannen, 2014
- Tienne Wong, 2013
- Carrie Stoy, 2012
- Amy Hammers, 2011
- Amanda Oertli, 2010
- Laura Cudzilo, 2009
- Elizabeth Adams, 2008
- Katie Fossen, 2007
- Phoebe Hughes, 2006
- Michael D. Stadler, 2005
- Stuart V. Weatherwax, 2004
- Elizabeth Beck, 2019
Dr. John F. Sheehan, a distinguished member of the Creighton Faculty since 1930, served as Chairman of the Department of Biology from the early 1940's through the early 1950's. As chair he was active in student activities, namely the Pasteur Club, the forerunner to the present Biology Club. During his tenure in the biology department, Dr. Sheehan taught courses in microtechnique, comparative anatomy and histology.
In 1964, he joined the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine. Students often commented on his subtle humor and fairness. Although deaf since the age of 15, Dr. Sheehan effectively and affectionately communicated with students, faculty and friends. He was known as a gentleman and a gentle man. In the School of Medicine, he specialized in cytology and was an active faculty member until 1989 when he formally retired. He remained active as a researcher and consultant staying close to his many Creighton friends until his death at the age of 94.
- Kayla Hoerschgen, 2019
- Joseph Curran, 2018
- Taylor Bronson, 2017
- David Waters, 2016
- Minh Yen Nguyen, 2014
- John Carney, 2013
- Nicholas Marinkovich, 2012
- David Lynch, 2011
- Michael Van Ness, 2010
- Matthew DeNicola, 2009
- Brian Nagao, 2008
- Brook Yuknis Lang, 2007
- Eri Shimizu, 2006
- Jill M. Briggs, 2005
- Teresa L. Karre, 2004
This award is presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, for exceptional integrity, compassion, altruism, respect, and empathy toward patients.
- Courtney Smith, 2019
- Dr. Faiz Qadri, Faculty 2019
- Sarah Pietruszka, 2018
- Dr. Venkata Andukuri, Faculty 2018
- Lich Pham, 2017
- Dr. John Hurley, Faculty 2017
- Caleb Van Essen, 2016
- Dr. Marcus Balters, Faculty 2016
- Claire Zach, 2015
- Dr. Robert Garcia, Faculty 2015
- Laura Brannen, 2014
- Lee Morrow, M.D., Faculty 2014
- John Carney, 2013
- Tammy Wichman, M.D., Faculty 2013
- Cole Deutz, 2012
- Caron Gray P.hD, Faculty 2012
- Thuy Koll, 2011
- Kashmir Singh, 2010
- Shane Havens, 2009
- Anna Cook, 2008
- Mary Rogers, 2007
- Mackram Eleid, 2006
- Richard K. Patch, III, 2005
- Nicole A. Dubas, 2004
Presented by the Offices of Student Affairs and Medical Education
- Robert Windisch, 2019
- Elizabeth Null, 2018
- Russell Goldstein, 2017
- Sarah Mott, 2016
- Stephen Brannan, 2015
- Nicholas Ingraham, 2014
- Eric Nitz, 2013
- Jacob Miller, 2012
- Laura McDermott, 2011
- Thomas Highfill, 2010
- Claudine Egol, 2009
- Anna Cook, 2008
- Kerry-Ann Williams, 2007
- Adam Rudnick, 2006
- Tracy M. Campbell, 2005
Presented by the Office of Medical Admissions (introduced in 2008)
- Austin Pierce & Melissa Napoleon, 2019
- Leonardo Rozal & Spencer Larson, 2018
- Thomas Kang & Aparna Kailasam, 2017
- Briana Bruce & Natalie Fleming, 2016
- Sally Breining and Frank Soltys, 2015
- Briana Scott and Timothy Smith, 2014
- John Carney and Stephen Wilkinson, 2013
- Nicholas Townley and Onaona Gurney, 2012
- Richard Carlson, Jr., Patrick Horrigan and Amber Oberle, 2011
- Kashmir Singh, 2010
- Bojan Malmin and Allison van Haastert, 2009
- Mary Skrypek and Ian Wilkofsky, 2008
This award is for the graduating senior student who most exemplifies the qualities of the surgeon - scholarship, integrity, and humane dedication to the surgical patient, his/her problems, and care.
- Nara Tashjian, 2019
- Katherine Karubus, 2018
- Shelby Reiter, 2017
- Anna Shure, 2016
- Sean Judge, 2015
- Nathan Boren, 2014
- Amanda Ross, 2013
- Brian Biggerstaff, 2012
- Zachary Torgersen, 2011
- Brittany Willer, 2010
- Joseph-Vincent Blas, 2009
- Scott Atay, 2008
- Kathryn Davis, 2007
- Jeffrey Scow, 2006
- Jeremy D. Gates, 2005
- Jennifer M. Peter, 2004
Dr. O'Donohue was professor of medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine and former chief of the Pulmonary/Critical Care Division. He served for 11 years as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and 15 years as Internal Medicine Residency Program Director. He was the associate dean for Graduate Medical Education from 1998 until his death on July 22, 2002.
Walter held key leadership roles in numerous national organizations, including the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), National Board for Respiratory Care, American Lung Association, and the AMA. He chaired the Council of Governors and was elected to the Board of Regents of the ACCP. He was past president of the Metropolitan Omaha Medical Society. Dr. O'Donohue contributed 150 scientific publications, edited four books, and gave more than 300 national/international presentations. He served on the Board of Hope Medical Outreach and cosponsored an annual wild game dinner for underprivileged boys and their fathers. Always a gentleman and a scholar, Walter was a mentor to many and friend to all. His legacy lives on in those he taught and in the lives he touched.
This award is for the senior student whose academic excellence, altruism, and high ethical standards demonstrate the legacy of Dr. Walter J. O'Donohue.
- Alexandra Abbate, 2019
- Elida Voth, 2018
- Joel Fuchs, 2017
- Maureen McElligott, 2016
- Roy Norris, 2015
- Melanie Miller, 2014
- Katie Marshall, 2013
- Sara Walz, 2012
- Meghan Scheibe, 2011
- John Ratelle, 2010
- Joseph-Vincent Blas, 2009
- Tanya Tajouri, 2008
- Lucy Esberg, 2007
- Ross Pacini, 2006
- Meena Murugappan, 2005
- Aaron W. Michels, 2004
This award is presented by the Department of Surgery for outstanding research activity.
- Margaret Siu, 2019
- Stephanie Holzmer, 2018
- Daniel Kirkpatrick, 2017
- Caleb Van Essen, 2016
- Sean Judge, 2015
- Ryan Trowbridge, 2014
- Michael Pham, 2013
- Anders Davidson, 2012
- Zach Torgersen, 2011
- Brittany Willer, 2010
- John Morrison and Stephanie Worrell, 2009
- Travis Grotz, 2008
- Erin O'Neill and Kinjal Shah, 2007
- Anouki Karu, 2006
- Jordan G. van Beever, 2005
- Raj V. Kakarlapudi, 2004
This award is presented by the School of Medicine on the Phoenix Campus for Outstanding Student in Family Medicine:
- Marcus Fearing, 2019
- Lauren Glaser, 2018
- Joshua Blessing, 2017
- Anna Jones, 2016
- Kaitlyn Losey, 2015
- Susanne Alcudia, 2014
This award is presented by the School of Medicine on the Phoenix Campus for Outstanding Student in Internal Medicine:
- Taesoo Kim, 2019
- Santi Karnam, 2018
- Morgan Whigham, 2017
- Michael Lehrer, 2016
- Natalie Como, 2015
- Kevin Quinn, 2014
This award is presented by the School of Medicine on the Phoenix Campus for Outstanding Student in Obstetrics & Gynecology:
- Nina Zook, 2019
- Ciera Oshodi, 2018
- Victoria Lim, 2017
- Paula Olivieri, 2016
- Anna Gary, 2015
- Lindsay Emerick, 2014
This award is presented by the School of Medicine on the Phoenix Campus for Outstanding Student in Pediatrics:
- Courtney Smith, 2019
- Caitlin Billingham, 2018
- Mallory Taylor, 2017
- Sara York, 2016
- Natalie Como, 2015
- Brittany Boswell, 2014
This award is presented by the School of Medicine on the Phoenix Campus for Outstanding Student in Psychiatry:
- Phoebe Hua, 2019
- Matthew Chapman, 2018
- Jennifer Leavitt, 2017
- Samuel Murray, 2016
- Andrea Lundberg, 2015
- Dylan Kathol, 2014
This award is presented by the School of Medicine on the Phoenix Campus for Outstanding Student in Surgery:
- Anthony Strada, 2019
- Nicole Roby, 2018
- Nicholas Peters, 2017
- Julia Coughlin, 2016
- Jonathan Dameworth, 2015
- Nicholas Matthees, 2014
Gold Humanism Honor Society
The Creighton University School of Medicine GHHS Chapter was established in 2004 with the support of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.
Inspiration for the GHHS began in the late 1990s, when medical educators and residency program directors expressed the need for a mechanism to identify applicants for internships and residencies who have both outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills. Thanks to a series of grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, deans, medical educators, and experts in assessment were convened to explore and research the viability of an honor society to promote humanistic values and behaviors and transform the culture of medicine. Currently, the society has over 25,000 members in training and practice.
Mission
The mission of the Gold Humanism Honor Society established at the Creighton University School of Medicine is to promote humanism, humane conduct, and professionalism throughout the continuum of physician training from the first day in medical school until retirement from medical practice. Humanism is a core principle of the Ignatian philosophy at the foundation of the Creighton University mission. In accordance with its mission, the Creighton University Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society will recognize those medical students, resident physicians, and faculty members, who exemplify the qualities of the humanistic healer. Gold Humanism Honor Society members manifest:
- Integrity, pursuit of truth, and sound moral reasoning that engenders the trust and confidence of others
- Ability to learn from life experiences and commitment to self-evaluation, seeking and accepting criticism to improve performance
- Promotion of justice and respect for others and for the inalienable worth of each individual, regardless of social, ethnic, religious, or cultural background or station of life
- Compassion, empathy, and altruism including supportive advocacy for others, with special emphasis on care for the poor
- Concern for the general welfare of the community and the society as a whole
- Ability to maintain compassion, concern, respect, integrity, and commitment to humanistic goals despite adversity
Executive Committee/Chapter Members
The Executive Committee is made up of faculty who has been inducted in an administrative capacity and/or as a result of having been selected as a winner of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award (which is sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation). Winners of the Tow Award are automatically inducted into the GHHS Chapter at the subsequent annual induction banquet.
Inductees
Students are nominated by their peers and the School of Medicine faculty. Afterward, a committee meets to make the final selections. 10% of the class of students is inducted from each senior class.
Additional Awards
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation sponsors both the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award and the Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award. The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award is given to a student and a faculty member each year during the Hooding and Awards Ceremony. The Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award is given to outstanding residents who are chosen by our third year students based on their demonstrated commitment to teaching and compassionate treatment of patients and families, students and colleagues.
Golden Apple and Aesculapian Awards
Each spring, each medical student class presents awards recognizing faculty, residents and students who have made a difference in their medical education.
