THE CLASS OF 2023
MAY 4, 2023
At this world-class institution, you worked hard, and you prevailed. But commencement means beginning, and now the real change starts. At Texas, you learned to think big. Go change the world.
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
Graduates,
Although my time as dean has coincided with only a small part of your medical education, the Dell Med Class of 2023 will always hold a special place in my memory. Yours will be the first diplomas I’ve had the privilege to sign, your degrees the first I’ve conferred. It is an honor.
Our school’s reputation for advanced medical education precedes us. The curriculum that you’ve completed is bold and innovative, marked by team-based learning, space for self-discovery, expanded clinical opportunities, engagement with community partners, and more. As a result, you will not be mere physicians but physician communicators, physician partners, physician caregivers and physician leaders. Your reputation, too, will precede you.
We say here that we are educating a new kind of doctor, dually prepared to provide excellent care to individual patients and to enact systemic change that improves health at scale. As you go forward into your careers, remember your charge.
Change comes in many ways. In medical education, change is made one physician — one leader — at a time. Your time is now, and I have no doubt it will be a remarkable one.
Congratulations, doctors.
Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D. Dean, Dell Medical School Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Welcome
Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D.
Dean, Dell Medical School
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership
Student Keynote Speaker
Natalie Weston
Keynote Speaker
Karen DeSalvo, M.D., MPH
Chief Health Officer, Google
Conferral and Presentation of Degree Candidates
Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D.
Stephen R. Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Department of Medical Education, Dell Medical School
Hippocratic Oath
Sherine Salib, M.D., MRCP, FACP
Co-Associate Chair for Education, Director of Undergraduate Medical Education, Clerkship Director & Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School
Distinguished Teaching Professor
Closing Remarks
Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D.
MEDICAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP
Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D.
Dean, Dell Medical School
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership
Jonathan MacClements, M.D.
Associate Dean & DIO of Graduate Medical Education, Department of Medical Education
Professor, Department of Medical Education
Professor, Department of Population Health
Beth Nelson, M.D.
Interim Vice Dean of Education
Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Medical Education
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education
Stephen R. Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Department of Medical Education
LuAnn Wilkerson, Ed.D.
Associate Dean for Evaluation and Faculty Development & Professor, Department of Medical Education
Emily Vinas, Ed.D.
Director of Educational Strategy & Program Development & Assistant
Professor, Department of Women’s Health
Director of Continuing Medical Education, Department of Medical Education
DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
Nicholas M. Barbaro, M.D.
Chair & Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Strategy, Department of Medical Education
Kevin Bozic, M.D., MBA
Chair & Professor, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care
S. Gail Eckhardt, M.D., FASCO
Associate Dean of Cancer Programs, Livestrong Cancer Institutes
Chair, Department of Oncology
Courtesy Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Jane C. Edmond, M.D.
Wong Family Distinguished University Chair & Professor, Department of Ophthalmology
Director, Mitchel & Shannon Wong Eye Institute
Z. Leah Harris, M.D.
Chair & Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Director, Dell Pediatric Research Institute
Barbara Jones, Ph.D., MSW
Chair & Professor, Department of Health Social Work
Associate Director of Social Sciences & Community Based Research, Livestrong Cancer Institutes
Courtesy Professor, Department of Oncology, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences & Department of Population Health
George A. Macones, M.D., MSCE
Chair & Professor, Department of Women’s Health
Beth Nelson, M.D.
Interim Vice Dean of Education
Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Medical Education
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education
Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D.
Matthew P. Nemeroff Endowed Chair & Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Director, Institute for Early Life Adversity Research
Co-Director, Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy
David Paydarfar, M.D.
Chair & Professor, Department of Neurology
Director, Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences
Michael Pignone, M.D., MPH
Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine & Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Co-Program Leader of Cancer Prevention & Control, Livestrong Cancer Institutes
Courtesy Professor, Departments of Oncology & Population Health
Navkiran “Kiran” K. Shokar, M.D., MPH
Associate Dean for Community Affairs, Dell Medical School
Chair & Professor, Department of Population Health
Co-Program Leader of Cancer Prevention & Control, Livestrong Cancer Institutes
Amy Young, M.D.
Vice Dean of Professional Practice, Dell Medical School
Chief Clinical Officer, UT Health Austin
Interim Chair, Department of Diagnostic Medicine
Professor, Department of Women’s Health
2023 STUDENT KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Natalie WestonNatalie Weston, elected by her peers as this year’s student keynote, is a student at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing her M.D. at Dell Medical School and master’s of biomedical engineering at the Cockrell School of Engineering. Weston earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering from The University of Texas before working as a manager on the Innovation Team at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for children’s hospitals in North America. In June, Weston will continue her medical training as a first-year pediatrics resident at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. Weston is interested in combining her passions for systems-based solutions and equitable health care delivery in her future endeavors as she pursues her goal of working in a pediatric subspecialty.
She is co-president of the Dell Medical School Student Senate, a volunteer at the student-run, free C.D. Doyle Clinic, and advocacy chair for the American Academy of Pediatrics District VII Section on Pediatric Trainees. She was a clinical innovation and design fellow for the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease, chief financial officer of the C.D. Doyle Clinic, a contact-tracing volunteer for the UT Health Austin COVID-19 Response Team, and a food organization and delivery volunteer with Good Apple, an Austin-based produce delivery service that partnered with local grocers to deliver food to the community free of charge.
2023 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Karen DeSalvo M.D., MPH
Karen DeSalvo is an internist and health leader working at the intersection of medicine, public health, and information technology. She has dedicated her career to improving health outcomes for all with a focus on solutions that address all the drivers of health. DeSalvo continues to be a powerful voice and advocate for eliminating inequities and improving the public’s health.
She brings this lifelong commitment to her role as chief health officer at Google, where her team of health professionals provides guidance for the development of Google’s research, products and services, including those for Google’s employees and their family members. Prior to Google, DeSalvo was vice dean for community affairs and health policy at Tulane School of Medicine and chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics. She served as health commissioner in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, then as the national coordinator for health information technology and assistant secretary for health (acting) in the Obama administration.
DeSalvo is on the Board of Directors for Welltower and the Council of the National Academy of Medicine. She co-convenes the National Alliance for the Social Determinants of Health with former HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems. DeSalvo previously served on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the Humana Board of Directors. She served as president of the Society of General Internal Medicine and honorary vice president, United States, for the American Public Health Association. In 2021, DeSalvo was named to Business Insider’s list of 100 People Transforming Business and has repeatedly been included on the list of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. She earned her M.D. and MPH from Tulane University and a master’s in clinical epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.
DOCS* MENTORS
Swati Avashia M.D., FAAP, FACP, CTropMed®
Associate Professor, Department of Population Health
Courtesy Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine & Department of Pediatrics
Assistant Director for Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine, Dell Medical School Family Medicine Residency Program
John Bedolla, M.D., FACEP
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education & Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care
Assistant Director of Research Education, Emergency Medicine Residency
Mrinalini Kulkarni-Date, M.D.
Chief of Division of Endocrinology & Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Alefiyah Malbari, M.D.
Chief, Division of Ambulatory Pediatrics
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Courtesy Associate Professor, Department of Medical Education
James Marroquin, M.D., FACP
Assistant Professor, Department of Education
Courtesy Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health
Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
Co-Associate Chair for Education & Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Alejandro Moreno, MBBS, MPH, J.D., MACP
Assistant Dean of Clinical Integration, Department of Medical Education Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Kumar Pandian, M.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Suneet Singh, M.D., FACEP Affiliate Faculty, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care
Steven Taylor, M.D. Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
* The Developing Outstanding Clinical Skills (DOCS) Integrated Curriculum provides an understanding of the role of the physician in the clinical setting and in the community through longitudinal small group and clinical learning experiences throughout the four years of medical school.
HIPPOCRATIC OATH
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this pledge: I will respect the autonomy, dignity and privacy of my patients.
I will practice my profession with conscience and in accordance with best medical practice.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as scienc e, and that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the benefits of surgery and medications.
I will not permit bias, prejudice or other societal constraints to impact my responsibility to my patient, and I will be vigilant in addressing health inequities.
I will avoid the traps of overtreatment and advocate for those without access. I will always put patients and their families ahead of personal economic gain.
I will prevent disease and promote health. I will advance healt h in my community beyond the walls of the clinic and hospital.
I will collaborate with all members of the health care team to provide comprehensive care to my patients and the community.
I will recognize the limits of my knowledge and skill and seek the help of others when needed.
I will work to improve the quality and safety of the health system through innovation, collaborative leadership and teamwork.
I will attend to my own health, well-being and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard.
If I do not violate this oath, I will live honored knowing that I have returned to society the great investment and trust it has placed in me.
Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna(edited by the inaugural class of Dell Medical School)
HIPPOCRATIC OATH
Sherine Salib, M.D., MRCP, FACP2022 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Awardee
Sherine Salib serves as the co-associate chair of Medical Education, undergraduate medical education director, and clerkship director in the Department of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School. She is a professor of medicine and works both in the inpatient and outpatient settings, where she teaches residents and medical students.
She graduated in 1993 from the University of Bristol Medical School, went on to become a member of the Royal College of Physicians of London in 1996, and played a central role in building the curricula and school policies for Dell Med.
Salib serves on several national committees, including being elected as council member of the Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM), and prior to that, serving on the national AAIM Program Planning Committee and the AAIMCDIM USMLE Workgroup. Additionally, she serves as chair of the Dell Med Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum Committee.
Salib’s peer-reviewed publications include articles describing innovative educational endeavors, workshops and curricula, including being a featured expert for a NEJM Group Open Forum, as well as being featured as a content expert in the American College of Physicians’ (ACP) IMPower project — ACP’s national Resident Communication and Resources Initiative. Additionally, she has served as an invited speaker at a national level, including presentations and workshops at Yale and UPenn.
Salib’s work has been recognized with many educational awards, including induction into the Dell Med Academy of Distinguished Educators, the Shine Academy of Distinguished Educators, and induction into the national Gold Humanism Honor Society, as well as receiving the 2022 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. She is the recipient of the inaugural Internal Medicine Outstanding Educator of the Year Award and the UTMB “Top Doc” award, among others.
CLASS OF 2023
JEREMIAH ALEXANDER
—
Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, Orthopaedic Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Kumar Pandian, M.D.
AVERY ALLEN
—
Residency: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Pediatrics
Dual Degree: Master of Public Affairs
DOCS Mentor: Steven Taylor, M.D.
FAIZ BAQAI
—
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine, Internal Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Engineering — Biomedical Engineering
DOCS Mentor: Alefiyah Malbari, M.D.
SAFIYA-HANA BELBINA
—
Residency: Pritzker School of Medicine, Urology
Dual Degree: Master of Public Affairs
DOCS Mentor: Suneet Singh, M.D., FACEP
MAIUS BIANCA BERMEJO
—
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine, Anesthesiology
Distinction: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
JAMES BRADFORD
—
Residency: University of Chicago Medical Center, General Surgery
Distinction: Research
DOCS Mentor: John Bedolla, M.D., FACEP
CALVIN CHANDLER
—
Residency: Carolinas Medical Center, Orthopaedic Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Mrinalini Kulkarni-Date, M.D.
MAVIS COFFMAN
—
Residency: The Christ Hospital, Family Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Health Care
Transformation
DOCS Mentor: James Marroquin, M.D., FACP
CODY COWLEY
—
Residency: Duke University Medical Center, Diagnostic Radiology
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Alejandro Moreno, MBBS, MPH, J.D., MACP
JOSHUA CUMMINGS
—
Residency: University of Missouri-Kansas City, Orthopaedic Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Suneet Singh, M.D., FACEP
DONALD DENNIS
—
Residency: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Diagnostic Radiology
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Steven Taylor, M.D.
ALEXANDRA FINCHER
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Pediatrics
Dual Degree: Master of Public Affairs
DOCS Mentor: Alefiyah Malbari, M.D.
MACKENZIE FRANKLIN
—
Residency: University of Virginia, Internal Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
RACHEL GORHAM
—
Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Internal Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Health Care Transformation
DOCS Mentor: Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
DAPHNE HANCOCK
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Primary Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Arts — Design
DOCS Mentor: Mrinalini Kulkarni-Date, M.D.
GIRIJA HARIPRASAD
—
Residency: University of Southern California, Emergency Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Health Care Transformation
DOCS Mentor: Alejandro Moreno, MBBS, MPH, J.D., MACP
JOHN HARMAN
—
Residency: University of Texas Medical Branch, Anesthesiology
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: John Bedolla, M.D., FACEP
COLE HOLAN
—
Residency: Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Plastic Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Steven Taylor, M.D.
UMER KHAN
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Internal Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Alejandro Moreno, MBBS, MPH, J.D., MACP
JESSICA KILLINGLEY
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Emergency Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Public Affairs
DOCS Mentor: Steven Taylor, M.D.
TRAVIS KOZAK
—
Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Pediatrics
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Suneet Singh, M.D., FACEP
NINA LEMIEUX
—
Residency: University of Utah Health, Pediatrics
Dual Degree: Master of Arts — Design
DOCS Mentor: Steven Taylor, M.D.
MATTHEW LIU
—
Residency: University of Texas Health Science Center, Otolaryngology
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
AYISHA MAHAMA
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Dermatology
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Kumar Pandian, M.D.
COLE MARTIN
—
Research Fellowship at The University of Tennessee
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
ANNE THUONG NGUYEN
—
Residency: Stony Brook Teaching Hospital, Psychiatry
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Mrinalini Kulkarni-Date, M.D.
ODERA OKAFOR
—
Residency: University of California, San Francisco, Obstetrics-Gynecology
Dual Degree: Master of Public Affairs
DOCS Mentor: John Bedolla, M.D., FACEP
STEPHEN PIERSON
—
Residency: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Orthopaedic Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Mrinalini Kulkarni-Date, M.D.
MICHELLE RAJI
—
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine, Psychiatry
Distinction: Research
DOCS Mentor: Swati Avashia M.D., FAAP, FACP, CTropMed®
IMANE RIDOUH
—
Residency: University of Texas Health Science Center, Internal Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Health Care
Transformation
DOCS Mentor: Suneet Singh, M.D., FACEP
LANA SCHOMMER-TIJERINA
—
Residency: John Peter Smith Hospital, ObstetricsGynecology
Dual Degree: Master of Arts — Design
DOCS Mentor: John Bedolla, M.D., FACEP
REBEKAH SCOTT
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Primary Medicine
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Health Care
Transformation
DOCS Mentor: Kumar Pandian, M.D.
MICAH SECOR
—
Residency: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, General Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Engineering — Biomedical
Engineering
DOCS Mentor: James Marroquin, M.D., FACP
DARSH SHAH
—
Residency: University of Texas Medical Branch, Neurological Surgery
Distinction: Research
DOCS Mentor: Alefiyah Malbari, M.D.
CHRISTINA SHIELDS
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, General Surgery
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Health Care
Transformation
DOCS Mentor: Mrinalini Kulkarni-Date, M.D.
BLAKE SMITH
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Psychiatry
Dual Degree: Master of Arts — Design
DOCS Mentor: James Marroquin, M.D., FACP
ARJUN SRIVASTAVA
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Psychiatry
Dual Degree: Master of Education
DOCS Mentor: Alejandro Moreno, MBBS, MPH, J.D., MACP
ALLISON TENG
—
Residency: University of California, San Francisco, Pediatrics
Distinction: Social Entrepreneurship
DOCS Mentor: Suneet Singh, M.D., FACEP
ADAN TIJERINA
—
Residency: Scott & White Memorial Hospital, Urology
Dual Degree: Master of Arts — Design
DOCS Mentor: Swati Avashia M.D., FAAP, FACP, CTropMed®
ZAMEER VASWANI
—
Residency: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Anesthesiology
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Kumar Pandian, M.D.
NATALIE WESTON
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Pediatrics
Dual Degree: Master of Science in Engineering — Biomedical Engineering
DOCS Mentor: Kumar Pandian, M.D.
WILLIAM MAXWELL WRIGHT
—
Residency: Dell Medical School, Emergency Medicine
Distinction: Research
DOCS Mentor: Lysbeth Miller, M.D., MACP
DEREK YAN
—
Residency: New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University, Anesthesiology
Dual Degree: Master of Business Administration
DOCS Mentor: Swati Avashia M.D., FAAP, FACP, CTropMed®
SAFIYYA ZAIDI
—
Residency: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Pediatrics
Dual Degree: Master of Public Health
DOCS Mentor: Swati Avashia M.D., FAAP, FACP, CTropMed®
STUDENT AWARDS & HONORS
Dr. Timothy George Trailblazer
Award
Ayisha Mahama
Micah Secor
Mavis Coffmann
Alpha Omega Alpha
Cody Cowley
Rachel Boaz Gorham
Girija Hariprasad
Cole Holan
Ryan Pierson
Imane Ridouh
Christina Shields
Adan Tijerina
Natalie Weston
Gold Humanism Honor Society — Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
Maius Bermejo
Gold Humanism Honor Society
Maius Bermejo
Rachel Boaz Gorham
Daphne Hancock
Girija Hariprasad
Ayisha Mahama
Christina Shields
Blake Smith
