College of Medicine

 May 18, 2015

The Class of 2015 – which did more global health work, scored a higher overall average percentile on Clinical Subject Examinations and had more people tied for "first in the class" than any other group in College of Medicine history – is on its way to residency training.

During a lively commencement ceremony May 16, hundreds of family members, faculty members and more packed Ruby Diamond Concert Hall to salute the 115 members of the med school’s 11th graduating class.

They heard commencement speaker Ken Brummel-Smith, the outgoing chair of the College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics, invite the young M.D.s to choose love over fear.

“You will hear, and may have already heard, from many physicians about all the things to fear in medicine – patients suing you, the burden of paperwork or electronic health records, government (or insurance) intrusion into decision-making,” Brummel-Smith said. “Love is the antidote to those fears. A love of patients is what feeds us, and keeps us invigorated. A love of learning new things, new treatments and new ideas about the limits of medicine keeps us engaged and active participants in this amazing profession. I love being a physician.”

The audience in Ruby Diamond was quite a cross-section, reflecting the class’s diversity.

“You blessed us with your diversity, where you came from, your stories and your aspirations,” Dean John Fogarty told the grads. “For the fifth time, the FSU College of Medicine is ranked this year among the nation’s top 10 for Hispanic students by Hispanic Business magazine. For the past five years, the college has ranked above the 90th percentile compared with all other schools in graduates who were black or African-American. A quarter of your class came from backgrounds the [Association of American Medical Colleges] identifies as underrepresented in medicine. We are enriched by your presence.”

Then he lightheartedly praised them for their good timing: “When you were applying here, the college received just under 4,000 applications for your M.D. class. Your class started a trend, as we issued only 183 acceptance letters to fill your class, an indication that more students are making Florida State their top choice in the application process. With your help our reputation keeps growing, and this year we had over 6,200 applications. Glad you applied four years ago?”

As he does every year, Fogarty dazzled the assembled families with superlatives about the newest graduating class. For example, he said:

• The vast majority of the Class of 2015 grads volunteered to help the College of Medicine’s local communities through service experiences with rural and urban populations, homeless and elderly groups, Special Olympics, migrant farmworkers and many others. “Additionally,” he said, “36 of you took this heart for service to the underserved around the world with global health trips to Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Ecuador, Colombia and Ghana.”
• The grads’ overall average percentile (59th) on the Clinical Subject Examinations they took in Years 3 and 4 was the highest of any graduating class – and above the national mean in every subject area (by an average of 9 points).
• Eight members of the Class of 2015 — four women, four men — tied for first in the class. That is, they received the grade of “honors” in all of the required courses where that grade is given. “In the past,” he said, “we have sometimes had two or three students tie for first, but NEVER eight.”

In his address, Class President Aaron Hayson passed along advice he had gotten from clerkship faculty member Rene Loyola in Fort Pierce. When asked what it took to become a successful physician, Loyola replied that you need to have the three A’s: affability, availability and ability.

An enthusiastic standing ovation greeted the four students heading into military medicine. (See below.)

When the diplomas were handed out, regional campus deans took turns standing behind the grads onstage and outfitting them with the ceremonial hood that marks the transition from students to alumni. Five grads were hooded by a parent or uncle who’s also a College of Medicine faculty member, and two were hooded by siblings who are College of Medicine alumni.

Sprinkled among the new M.D.s were 13 younger faces, the master’s students graduating from the Bridge Program. Ten days later, they’ll be back in school — this time as members of the College of Medicine’s Class of 2019.

The college now has 910 alumni.



 

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CLASS OF 2015 HONOREES

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AWARDS

• J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award (“the best all-around promise of becoming a physician of the highest caliber”): Tyler Caton
• Myra M. Hurt Leadership in Medicine Award (“exemplary leadership in one or more areas of medicine”): Alexa Buchanan and J.D. Hales III
• Nobles/Brown Altruism in Medicine Award (“embodies the highest ideals of medicine as a service calling”): Joanna Meadors
• Student Research Award: Zhigang Yuan
• Access to Care Award (“strong interest in providing access to health care for underserved populations,” given in honor of We Care Network coordinator Robin McDougall): Maureen “Paulie” Bruns
• Mission Award (“distinguished himself/herself by activities that further the College of Medicine’s mission”): Shermeeka Hogans-Mathews
• Individual Student Award: Jonathan Salud

SPECIALTY AWARDS

• American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation (“women graduates in the top 10 percent of their graduating class”): Yaowaree “Noona” Leavell, Laura McLaughlin, Crystal Pickeral, Melanie Siefman, Katherine Wright
• American Medical Women’s Association Outstanding Female Graduate: Yaowaree “Noona” Leavell
• Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award: Stephen Sheridan
• Medical Student Professionalism and Service Award (presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians for “outstanding patient care and involvement in medical organizations and the community”): Matthew Neth
• Outstanding Graduate in Family Medicine Award: Sarah-Ashley Robbins
• Florida Geriatrics Society Award for Outstanding Student in Geriatrics: Maureen “Paulie” Bruns
• Internal Medicine Award: Juliana Matthews
• Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology (“best demonstrated dedication to the health of women”): Elizabeth Giangreco
• The American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists District XII 2015 Outstanding Medical Student Achievement Award (“to outstanding medical school graduates entering an obstetrics and gynecology residency program”): Amanda Abraira and Alexa Buchanan
• Excellence in Pediatrics Award: Joanna Meadors
• Psychiatry Award (presented by North Central Florida Council of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry): David Capelouto
• Clerkship Directors Psychiatry Award: Anish Raj
• Excellence in Surgery Award: James Tyler Zorn
• Kirbo Reconstructive Surgery Award (“exceptional skill in breast cancer reconstructive surgery”): Yaowaree Leavell
• Snyder General Surgery Award (“outstanding student in general surgery with focus on breast cancer”): Katherine Wright

HONOR SOCIETIES

• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society inductees (the only national honor medical society): Shawn Adams, Ryan Berger, Maureen “Paulie” Bruns, Tyler Caton, Tyler Cobb, David Cristin, Joshua Greenstein, Brandon Lambiris, Yaowaree “Noona” Leavell, Juliana Matthews, Laura McLaughlin, Joanna Meadors, Nathan Nowalk, Crystal Pickeral, Melanie Siefman, Kristen Valencia, Katherine Wright, Zachary Zimmerman, James Tyler Zorn
• Gold Humanism Honor Society inductees (“excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion, and dedication to service”): Amanda Abraira, Ryan Berger, Maureen “Paulie” Bruns, Tyler Caton, Nicole Dillow, Maria Paula Domino, Brian Gordon, John D. Hales III, Shermeeka Hogans-Mathews, An Lawrence, Yaowaree “Noona” Leavell, Joanna Meadors, Patrick Murray, Sarah Robbins, Jonathan Salud, James Tyler Zorn

REGIONAL CAMPUS AWARDS
(For “the most outstanding student at each College of Medicine regional campus”):

• Daytona Beach – John D. Hales III
• Fort Pierce – Ryan Berger
• Orlando – James Tyler Zorn
• Pensacola – Kevin Yan
• Sarasota – Anish Raj
• Tallahassee – Dillon Cleary

MILITARY PINNING CEREMONY
Promotion in rank for students in the armed services:

• Navy — Lt. Sarah Cooper
• Air Force — Capt. Dillon Cleary, Capt. Nicole Dillow, Capt. Joseph Duren

SUMMARY OF STUDENT HONOREES (in alphabetical order)

• Amanda Abraira (American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists District XII 2015 Outstanding Medical Student Achievement Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Shawn Adams (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Ryan Berger (Fort Pierce Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Maureen “Paulie” Bruns (Access to Care Award, Florida Geriatrics Society Award for Outstanding Student in Geriatrics, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Alexa Buchanan (Myra M. Hurt Leadership in Medicine Award, American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists District XII Outstanding Medical Student Achievement)
• David Capelouto (Psychiatry Award from North Central Florida Council of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• Tyler Caton (J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Dillon Cleary (Tallahassee Regional Campus Dean’s Award)
• Tyler Cobb (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• David Cristin (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Nicole Dillow (Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Maria Paula Domino (Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Elizabeth Giangreco (Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology)
• Brian Gordon (Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Joshua Greenstein (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• John D. Hales III (Myra M. Hurt Leadership in Medicine Award, Daytona Beach Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Shermeeka Hogans-Mathews (Mission Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Brandon Lambiris (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• An Lawrence (Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Yaowaree “Noona” Leavell (American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, American Medical Women’s Association Outstanding Female Graduate, Kirbo Reconstructive Surgery Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Juliana Matthews (Internal Medicine Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Laura McLaughlin (American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Joanna Meadors (Nobles/Brown Altruism in Medicine Award, Excellence in Pediatrics Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Patrick Murray (Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Matthew Neth (Medical Student Professionalism and Service Award)
• Nathan Nowalk (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Crystal Pickeral (American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Anish Raj (Clerkship Directors Psychiatry Award, Sarasota Regional Campus Dean’s Award)
• Sarah-Ashley Robbins (Outstanding Graduate in Family Medicine Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Jonathan Salud (Individual Student Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society)
• Stephen Sheridan (Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award)
• Melanie Siefman (American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Kristen Valencia (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Katherine Wright (American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, Snyder General Surgery Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• Kevin Yan (Pensacola Regional Campus Dean’s Award)
• Zhigang Yuan (Student Research Award)
• Zachary Zimmerman (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
• James Tyler Zorn (Excellence in Surgery Award, Orlando Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society)

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS: WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE – LOVE OR FEAR?
By Dr. Kenneth Brummel-Smith

 About a month ago I was giving a talk about the use of medical  apps. You see, I love this  technology – tons of information in  my pocket, dosages of medicines, even guidance about  proper lab tests or other studies I should think about. I know it  seems so “everyday” to you,  but to those of us who started  medicine in the ’60s and ’70s it’s just amazing. I was  especially excited about sharing with them a new calculator  for estimating the benefits and  risks of different treatments to  prevent heart disease. I use this calculator on my iPad with a  patient at least once every clinic session.

 After my talk one of the physicians in the audience came up  and said, “Don’t you worry that if  you use this and the patient  decides not to take the medicine, that something bad will  happen and you’ll get sued?” I had to think for a minute – that  hadn’t even occurred to me.  For a second, I wondered – had I  not thought this out? But almost immediately I realized – no  – I’ve given a lot of thought to this. I will not live my professional life guided by fear.

 A wise teacher of mine believes that there are only two emotions – love and fear. I choose to  love my patients, and I hope that you will make that choice, too. Love is at the root of being  patient-centered. It is putting the patient’s needs first, even before your own. It is the willingness to put aside your own biases, and fears, and seek with the patient the right course for him or her at that time. The American Geriatrics Society will soon be releasing a new definition of person-centered care, one that I was honored to take part in crafting. It says:

“Person-centered care means that individuals’ values and preferences are elicited, and, once expressed, guide all aspects of their health care, supporting their health and life goals.”

That app (which is called The Best CVD Calculator, by the way) is just a tool, a means for eliciting values and preferences. By hearing directly from the patient the ways that she chooses to live her life, I can be a true physician – a teacher. I can provide information, if that’s what she wants. I can hear her fears – if my heart is open. I can try to find the motivation that will lead to change. I can better guide her on the path – her path, not mine.

I saw a 96-year-old woman a while ago who came in with her daughter. In the daughter’s hands were a bunch of papers, which I realized were printouts of web pages. I asked, as I usually do to start the interview, “What would you like to talk about?” The mother looked at her daughter and said, “You tell him.” The daughter paused, and said, “Well…I think mom may have a deep venous thrombosis.” I said, “Really? What makes you think that?” She went on to describe the classic symptoms and signs of a blockage in the big vein of the leg, and she had researched it on the Internet. I examined the mother and, indeed, it looked like a deep venous thrombosis!

Part of patient-centered care is asking permission before doing things to the patient. I now do this even before giving information. I asked, “Are you interested in learning what your options are?” They both said yes. I said that the usual course would be to go to the hospital, get the definitive tests and, if they were positive, start blood thinners to prevent a blood clot in the lungs. I then asked, “Are you interested in learning more about DVT?” They said yes, so I told them that the blood clot in the legs was not the major problem. The main concern was that a clot could break loose and stick in the lungs, and that could cause pain, difficulty breathing or even death. They were both silent for a while. Then the mother asked, “Is it a quick death?” It was clear that it was time to start talking about life goals, not coumadin dose.

The patient-centered approach is the real solution to the major challenge we have facing us today in medicine – the high cost of health care. Indeed, including the patient’s goals and values is the missing link in evidence-based medicine. If your patients truly understand the benefits and harms of treatment, they’ll make better choices. Recently there have been many studies, books and editorials about the use of unnecessary medical interventions. The Choosing Wisely campaign is a shining example of this new line of thinking. But to have the strength to not do something that fear pushes you to do, you have to engage in shared decision-making with your patients.

You will hear, and may have already heard, from many physicians about all the things to fear in medicine – patients suing you, the burden of paperwork or electronic health records, government (or insurance) intrusion into decision-making. Love is the antidote to those fears. A love of patients is what feeds us, and keeps us invigorated. A love of learning new things, new treatments and new ideas about the limits of medicine keeps us engaged and active participants in this amazing profession. I love being a physician.

There will be many challenges ahead for you – medicine is changing. But there is one thing that will not – that must not – change in medicine: the power of a close patient-doctor relationship. No app will ever replace that. No guideline will ever take the place of that.

My wish for each of you is that you find your heart in medicine. I hope you will remember with gratitude what a gift it is that strangers tell us their deepest secrets, allow us to touch them in such sensitive ways, and put their lives into our hands. They do that because we are doctors. Now you are, too.

CLASS PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS: SUCCESS, RESPONSIBILITY, GENEROSITY
By Aaron Hayson
“There is nothing like a dream to create the future” — Victor Hugo, Les Miserables.

Class of 2015, today is the day, the day we have been dreaming of for many years. We finally made it. All of the long hours, the trials and tribulations have culminated in this moment. I would like us to reflect for a minute and think about the people that helped you get to this point. The friends which stood by you, your family which loves you unconditionally and, of course, the excellent faculty that have guided us. For this moment is not just a product of our own efforts but has been made possible with the help of those around us. Please join me now in acknowledging those people which have made an impact in our journey.

I am sure that you, like me, have had the pleasure to work with great teachers along the way. Faculty that you will not forget. Teachers that gave you pearls not just about medicine but about life. I have been blessed with many. Dr. Flores was one such attending. He is a lighthearted, jovial man, and his patients love him for it. He would instill in me to research everything and to try to read as much as you can. Thereby you do the best for your patient. Dr. Shareef was another man who spoke of the importance of understanding the politics of medicine. The hospital and how you must use it to your advantage. He said to tread lightly and to stay humble.

But the man I connected to most was Dr. Rene Loyola. An immigrant from Cuba, he came to the United States in the early 1960s fleeing the Cuban Revolution. He worked in Miami mowing lawns trying to eke out an existence. Through hard work and perseverance, he became a widely renowned vascular surgeon. He is also a great human being, participating in numerous causes and mission trips to Latin America and Africa. I asked him what it took to be a successful physician, and he told me you need to have the three A’s: affability, availability and ability. You must be affable to your patients, you must be available to your patients and you must have ability. If you have the three A’s, you will do very well.

Those of you who know me know that history and different cultures are a passion of mine. I use history to help guide me in my own life through the sage advice and wisdom it offers. One person that offers such wisdom was Cyrus the Great. King Cyrus united all of Persia under the Acheamenid Empire in 538 B.C. His empire stretched the four corners of the ancient world. He was a benevolent and enlightened man, beloved by his people and still admired in Iran to this day. He said that “with success comes more responsibility and generosity.” Think about that for a moment: “with success comes more responsibility and generosity.” This moment is a great success for us. Let’s use this success for still greater causes. Let’s use this achievement not as an end in itself but as the beginning for new achievements. There is much uncertainty in health care today, many questions which need answers. But the answers will not come from government bureaucrats, they will not come from hospital administrators and they will not come from CEOs of Fortune 500 drug companies. They will come from the people on this stage. The answers will come from you and me. They must, for we are the future of health care in this country. They will come when we realize that “with success comes more responsibility and generosity.”

While we will answer the challenges of health care today, we must also strive for balance. Before we go off on this great diaspora in hopes of helping and healing those in need, I have but one request: that we don’t let medicine completely consume us, that we keep in mind that which is most important in life — our friends, our families, the ones we love. All too often I have seen people consumed by it. One must have balance. That we say: “I will not let medicine define me” but rather that “I will define medicine.” And there will be times when you have given everything and there is nothing left to give, to which I say: “Physician, heal yourself. Heal yourself first; so that you may heal others. Let your patient see with his own eyes the man that heals himself.

Finally, out beyond those doors lies the future, our careers the great unknown. I don’t know what that future holds for us; no one does. But I do know this: that when we walk out of this hall, we walk together forever. We walk together by the people we have met, the knowledge we have gained, the friendships which will last a lifetime. There are people behind me on this stage that I truly love. I am so happy to be able to look them in the eye and call them “Doctor,” but I am even happier to call them my friend. When we walk out of this hall, we walk together forever.

Class of 2015, it’s been a pleasure serving as your president. I hope and wish that you realize your purpose and calling. To the College of Medicine, thank you for giving us this wonderful opportunity and four great years.