Congratulations to the Class of 2025!
Congratulations to the Class of 2025!
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford held its 51st Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2025 on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the beautiful Coronado Theater in downtown Rockford.
Fifty-one graduates participated in the ceremony. Alex S. Stagnaro-Green, MD, MHPE, MHA, regional dean at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford and Mark I. Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA, MHA, executive dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, provided opening remarks.
Geraldine Fox, MD, MHPE, FAACAP, chair and clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry, was the Distinguished Speaker and Lucas Jurasek, Class of 2025 graduate, provided the class remarks.
Watch the 2025 convocation ceremony.
Graduating medical students receive honors and awards
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford recognizes the following student honors:
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
This national medical honor society was founded at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1902. Its purpose is to recognize and perpetuate excellence in the medical profession. Members are elected based on scholarship, personal character and potential leadership. Students elected to AΩA receive the organization’s insignia key and wear the green and gold cords.
Student recipients are Isabella Buccieri, Annalise De Marco, Cara Geoghegan, Lucas Jurasek, Angelica Mangahas, Shreekar Patel, Megan Price, Danielle Rossell, Sidney Seiwert, Ryan Shriver and Kelsey Wyman.
Graduation with Honors
Students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement earn the distinction of Graduation with Honors. Honors graduates are selected College-wide based on academic performance throughout their four years of medical school. The Honors medallion represents the College’s founding goals of education, research, medical care and public service; the green ribbon is the color of the discipline of medicine.
Graduation honors were given to Isabella Buccieri, Cara Geoghegan, Nicholas Howard, Lucas Jurasek, Julia King, Trevor King, Cody Lund, Angelica Mangahas, Sydney Mathis, Annalise Oglesby, Shreekar Patel, Megan Price, Madison Purvis, Rong Chloe Qiu, Danielle Rossell, Sidney Seiwert, Ryan Shriver, Nathan Travers and Kelsey Wyman.
Gold Humanism Honor Society
Students selected for membership in the Gold Humanism Honor Society exhibit outstanding humanism in medicine and integrity as medical students. The Gold Foundation defines humanism as “encompassing those attitudes and behaviors that emanate from a deep sensitivity and respect for others.” The image on the medallion, a stethoscope in the form of a heart, represents the humanistic goals of the foundation.
Honor Society inductees are: Lauren Branon, Cara Geoghegan, Matthew Jeffers, Lucas Jurasek, Nabil Khan, Julia King, Rowanne Murrar, Rong Chloe Qiu and Grant Woodside.
James Scholar Program
The program was established for undergraduate students on the Urbana-Champaign Campus in 1959. The James Scholar Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford began in 1972. The James Scholar Program is an academic honors program for highly qualified students that stresses independent study and requires a robust research project culminating in a presentation at the campus Research Day. James Scholar graduates are designated by Edmund J. James medallions on blue ribbons.
James Scholar graduates are Lauren Branon, Abigail Cuevas, Cara Geoghegan, Matthew Jeffers, Katie Lam, Cody Lund, Sydney Mathis, Rong Chloe Qiu, Ryan Shriver and Nathan Travers.
College of Medicine Rockford Student Awards
•James E. Rebel Award: Nabil Khan
•Dr. Assir Daniel DaSilva Scholarship: Samantha Aguilar
•Dr. Gary Button Rural Primary Care Medicine Award: Madison Purvis
•Dr. Glenn D. Netto Humanitarian Award: Anthony Hand, Lucas Jurasek
University of Illinois College of Medicine Student Awards
•Adolph A. Rostenberg, Jr. Award in Dermatology: Nathan Alldritt
•Craig E. Booher MD Community Health Scholarships: Viridiana Jeffers
•David Mortimer Olkon Award – Department of Neurology Christian Ellis
•David Mortimer Olkon Award – Department of Psychiatry Lauren Melidosian-Schreiner
•Donald H Wortmann Outstanding Student in Pediatrics Award Sidney Seiwert
•Dr. Arthur Rettig Award for Excellence, Pediatrics Sidney Seiwert
•Dr. Arthur Rettig Award for Excellence, Surgery Sydney Mathis
•Dr. Charles Spencer Williamson Award in Internal Medicine Rong Chloe Qiu
•Dr. Errol and Rosemary Baptist Award for Excellence in Pediatrics Nathan Alldritt
•Dr. Robert H. Harner Award for Excellence in Cardiology Daniela Giraldo
•Excellence in Clinical Dermatology Award Sidney Seiwert
•Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award Madeline Butler
•Excellence in Family Medicine Madison Purvis
•Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology Award Cara Geoghegan
•Gary and Terry Rifkin Critical Reasoning Award Christian Ellis
•Granville A. Bennett Award Carmenisha Ward
•LP Johnson Family Physician Award Julia King
•Otto Saphir Memorial Scholarship (Excellence in Pathology) Rong Chloe Qiu
•Outstanding Performance on Medicine Megan Price
•Outstanding Performance on Surgery Isabella Buccieri
•Outstanding Performance on Surgery- Among Students choosing Surgical Career Ryan Shriver
•Raymond Zbick Memorial Award in Anesthesiology Cyndra Jones
•Tom Reeves Award (Outstanding Classmate, Junior Year) Lucas Jurasek
•UIC COMR Lillie and Seymour Green Distinguished Graduate Award Lucas Jurasek
•Winnebago County Medical Society Award Lucas Jurasek
Golden Apple Faculty Teaching Awards
Chosen by the Class of 2025
•Hugh Clements-Jewery, PhD, Department of Health Sciences Education
•Michael Potts, MD, Associate Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics
•TJ Webb, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine
•Charles R. Welford, MD, Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties