Faculty Earn Awards
Prestigious awards were presented on Oct. 25, when the Fort Pierce Regional Campus of the Florida State University College of Medicine gathered its faculty members and students for a night of appreciation and academic updates.
The event took place at the Indian River State College Public Safety Training Complex auditorium in Fort Pierce. The keynote speaker was Alma Littles, M.D., interim dean of the FSU College of Medicine, who presented an update on the achievements and ongoing success of the college.
The regional campus faculty is composed of over 300 active Treasure Coast physicians who take turns teaching third- and fourth-year medical students and physician assistant students. The students work one-on-one with the physicians and gain clinical experience through seeing patients in the local hospitals, surgery centers, physicians’ offices and other ambulatory care facilities.
Several faculty members received awards from Juliette Lomax-Homier, M.D., dean of the Fort Pierce campus. One, titled Guardian of the Mission, is for a physician whose activities have furthered the college’s mission: to “educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge and are responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority and underserved populations.” Fourth-year medical student Barbara Pierre Louis presented this award to Moti Ramgopal, MD, medical director of the Midway Specialty Care Center in Fort Pierce.
Another award, Outstanding Community Faculty Educator, is for exemplary achievement in meeting student educational needs, working collaboratively, dedication to the curriculum principles and enthusiasm for teaching. Erika Balazs, third-year medical student, presented this award to Hardik Soni, M.D., internal medicine hospitalist for Cleveland Clinic Martin Hospitals.
The final faculty awards for 2023 were presented to the dedicated clerkship faculty physicians who have taught our students since 2013. The ten-year service award was earned by 10 physicians: Barry Davis, M.D., Ivanelsie Delgado, M.D., Alan Durkin, M.D., Jason Moore, M.D., Devang Patel, M.D., Dipesh Patel, M.D., Arley Peter, M.D., Mark Powers, M.D., Alma Reyes-Trocchia, M.D. and Thet Tun, M.D.
