The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Research Innovation and Scholarly Endeavors (RISE) inducted the newest members of the Robert A. Good Honor Society (RGHS).  The April 25 ceremony honored all of the class of 2022 medical student inductees in addition to the newest faculty inductees.

RGHS membership is open to junior and senior medical students who demonstrate excellence in scholarly endeavors.  Applicants must be in good academic and professional standing reflecting the highest ideals of the profession of medicine.  No more than 20% of any graduating class are inducted into the RGHS.  The RGHS was established in MCOM in 2017 to recognize and honor medical students, faculty and alumni who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to improve health outcomes through research, innovation and scholarly endeavors.  The goal of RGHS is to:

• Establish a community for the exchange of ideas and opportunities for continued scholarly growth.
• Foster a spirit of lifelong scholarly approach to the practice of medicine.
• Support the USF system goal regarding excellence in research and national prominence.
• Commit to model, support, and advocate scholarly activities and MCOM.

In addition to the newest inductees, the Steven Specter Award for Outstanding Contribution in Scholarly Achievement and the Advancement of Medicine, and the Martin and Ruth Silbiger Research Award were also presented.

The Steven Specter Award recognizes an individual in the RGHS who has demonstrated exemplary research achievements in any field of medicine.  This year’s recipient is Nat Jones.

Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, vice dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Medical Education presented senior medical student Long Di with the Silbiger Award during the 2022 Robert A. Good Induction Ceremony April 25.

The Silbiger Award recognizes a graduating senior medical student who has contributed most to the efforts at MCOM.  This year’s recipient is Long Di.

Who was Robert A. Good?

Robert A Good, MD, PhD, DSc, FACP, was internationally known as the “father of modern immunology.” His understanding of the basic sciences facilitated his work on transplantation, where he performed the first successful human bone marrow graft between a five-month old boy with immune deficiency and his eight-year-old sister in 1968. He was an active leader in the MCOM Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief at All Children’s Hospital from 1985 to 2001.

2022 Robert A. Good Honor Society inductees. (Left to right) – Laurie Woodard, MD, Long Di, Jordan McDonald, Ahmed-Zayn Mohamed, Lauren Holt, Dennis Kirichenko, Christopher DuCoin, MD, MPH, FACS.

Class of 2022 Medical Student Inductees:

Estelle Cervantes (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

John Cheng (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Tiffany Cheng (SELECT) – Inducted as a senior

Byron Cheon (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Alicia Darwin – Inducted as a junior

Long Di – Inducted as a junior

Lauren Holt – Inducted as a senior

Nat Jones – Inducted as a junior

Joshua Kalter (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Dennis Kirichenko – Inducted as a junior

Frank Lee (SELECT) – Inducted as a senior

Muling Lin (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Jordan McDonald – Inducted as a junior

Ahmed-Zayn Mohamed – Inducted as a junior

Thrisha Potluri (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

Michelle Row – Inducted as a junior

Nicholas Russo (SELECT) – Inducted as a junior

2022 Faculty Inductees:

Christopher DuCoin, MD, MPH, FACS – USF Health Dept. of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Laurie Woodard,  MD – USF Health Dept. of Family Medicine

Bryan Kane, MD –  Lehigh Valley Health Network

Additional images from the ceremony: