Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford held its 52nd Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2026 on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the beautiful Coronado Theater in downtown Rockford.
Fifty-one graduates participated in the ceremony. Trevonne M. Thompson, MD, MHPE, FAAEM, FACEP, FACMT, regional dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, and Heather Heiman, MD, FACP, senior associate dean for medical education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, provided opening remarks.
Alumni speaker Michael Suk, MD ’97, JD, MPH, MBA, FACS, FACHE, DipABLM, a practicing board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, who is the immediate past chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees and Ashley Donald, Class of 2026 graduate, provided the class remarks.
Meaghann Houck, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties received the Distinguished Teaching Award, Alesia Jones, PhD, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion for UICOMR, received the Distinguished Service Award and the Rockford Family Peace Center received the Distinguished Community Award.
Watch the 2026 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 wore the green and gold cords.
Student recipients are: Sopuluchukwu Anidobu, Laura Berger, Ashley Donald, Carson Florkowski, Shruthi Mekala, April Oertle, Austin Kale Oglesby, Megan Saltsgaver, Luke Sclamberg and Emily Wilt.
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: Sopuluchukwu Anidobu, Olivia Balsley Saltus, Laura Berger, Ashley Donald, Carson Florkowski, Joseph Krebs, Shruthi Mekala, Annabelle Moore, Austin Kale Oglesby, Samuel Rogge, Megan Saltsgaver, Luke Sclamberg and Emily Wilt.
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: Sopuluchukwu Anidobu, Laura Berger, Blaine Calloni, Ashley Donald, Shruthi Mekala, April Oertle, Claire Sagartz, Megan Saltsgaver, Gabriela Swan, Janay Taylor and Rafael Torres.
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: Sopuluchukwu Anidobu, Bamby Dieng, Shannon LaFond, Samuel Rogge, Claire Sagartz, Shivali Shukla and Brianna Trimble.
College of Medicine Rockford Student Awards
•James E. Rebel Award: Ashley Donald
•Dr. Assir Daniel DaSilva Scholarship: Rafael Torres
•Dr. Gary Button Rural Primary Care Medicine Award: Cheyenne Carr
•Dr. Glenn D. Netto Humanitarian Award: Blaine Calloni
University of Illinois College of Medicine Student Awards
•Adolph A. Rostenberg, JR Award in Dermatology Ashley Donald
•Craig E. Booher MD Community Health Scholarship Shruthi Mekala
•David Mortimer Olkon Award – Department of Medicine Teighan Thompson
•David Mortimer Olkon Award – Department of Neurology Shannon LaFond
•David Mortimer Olkon Award – Department of Psychiatry Heather Moser
•Donald H Wortmann Outstanding Student in Pediatrics Award Emily Wilt
•Dr. Arthur Rettig Award for Excellence, Pediatrics Emily Wilt
•Dr. Arthur Rettig Award for Excellence, Surgery Haripriya Koritala
•Dr. Charles Spencer Williamson Award in Internal Medicine Anna Snider
•Dr. Errol and Rosemary Baptist Award for Excellence in Pediatrics Tiayrra Kirkwood
•Dr. Robert H. Harner Award for Excellence in Cardiology Aleyah Hattab
•Excellence in Clinical Dermatology Award Brianna Trimble
•Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award Carson Florkowski
•Excellence in Family Medicine Shruthi Mekala
•Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology Award Samual Rogge
•Gary and Terry Rifkin Critical Reasoning Award Rafael Torres
•Granville A. Bennett Award Samuel Rogge
•Dr. L.P. Johnson Family Physician Award Laura Berger
•Otto Saphir Memorial Scholarship (Excellence in Pathology) Claire Sagartz
•Outstanding Performance on Medicine Ashley Donald
•Outstanding Performance on Surgery Austin Kale Oglesby
•Outstanding Performance on Surgery- Among Students choosing Surgical Career Luke Sclamberg
•Raymond Zbick Memorial Award in Anesthesiology Sopuluchukwu Anidobu
•Tom Reeves Award (Outstanding Classmate, Junior Year) Carson Florkowski
•UIC COMR Lillie and Seymour Green Distinguished Graduate Award Megan Saltsgaver
•Winnebago County Medical Society Award Sabrina Navarro (M3)
Golden Apple Faculty Teaching Awards
Chosen by the Class of 2026
•Paul Chastain, PhD, Department of Health Sciences Education
•Aarohi Munshi, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine
•TJ Webb, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine
•Charles R. Welford, MD, Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties