School of Medicine & Health Sciences recognizes end-of-year faculty and student award winners

The University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) has announced its end-of-year awards given to medical students and clinical faculty. Although the awards are normally given in-person prior to Commencement, the School instead announced its award winners via social media in advance of the University’s virtual graduation ceremony.

Clinical faculty awards are typically announced during the M.D. Commencement Ceremony. Of the roughly 1,700 physicians in North Dakota, more than 1,200 have voluntary clinical faculty appointments at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, said Joshua Wynne, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., vice president for health affairs and dean of the SMHS.

“As a community-based institution, the School could not carry out its educational mission without the dedication and sacrifice of our voluntary faculty members,” Wynne added. “We are fortunate to have many dedicated physicians from across North Dakota who teach. These physicians have gone above and beyond the call of duty in giving our students the benefit of their time, experience, knowledge, and wisdom gained from years of caring for patients.”

The winners of the Dean’s Special Recognition Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Faculty were:

• Richard R. Horecka, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Swift County-Benson Health Services, Benson, Minn.
• Alison J. Hornyak, D.O., Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Sanford Health, Fargo, N.D.
• Peter L. Klemin, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sanford Health, Bismarck, N.D. (M.D. Class of 2007)
• Megan M. Miller-Pankratz, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sanford Health, Bismarck, N.D. (M.D. Class of 2010)
• Laura M. Nichols, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Sanford Health, Moorhead, Minn.
• Jonathan C. Olivas, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Sanford Health, Fargo, N.D.
• David J. Theige, M.D., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Sanford Health, Fargo, N.D. (M.D. Class of 1985)

Awards given to graduating medical students, and area physicians and researchers, included:

The North Dakota Medical Association Awards

• Ashley Zeman
• Annika Strand
• Jacob Greenmyer

North Dakota District Medical Society Awards

• First District (Fargo) Jacob Greenmyer, Anna Melicher
• Third District (Grand Forks) Annika Strand
• Fourth District (Minot) John Stacy
• Sixth District (Bismarck) Brett Johnson

University Alumni Special Awards

• Kelsie Brooks
• Jeffery Johnson
• Brooke Lentz

Kokila and Raman Patel, M.D., Family Practice Award

• Whitney Tingle

George and Margaret Seaworth Scholarship Endowment Award

• Megan Pignato

Dr. Nadim and Rola Kanafani Koleilat Award

• Jacob Greenmyer

Welsh Award

• Ellen Kronzer
• Jacob Greenmyer
• Hunter Row
• Brett Johnson
• Jessica Schweigert

Robert C. Painter, M.D., Internal Medicine Award

• Matthew Gerving

Lloyd S. Ralston, M.D., Memorial Endowment Award

• Tyler Beattie

Laura Ehmann Memorial Pediatric Scholarship Award

• Erica Nelson

Tiongson Humanities Award

• Steven Smedshammer

Dr. Louis B. and Thelma K. Silverman Medical Award

• Steven Smedshammer

Altru Clinic Senior Medical Student Award

• Alexandra Streifel
• Andrew Lesser
• Paige Williams

American College of Physicians–Department of Internal Medicine Mack V. Traynor Award

• Ellen Kronzer

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Senior Award

• Anna Melicher

Department of Pathology Senior Awards

• Elizabeth Loughney
• Haley Amoth

Bradley Neil Meyer, M.D., Diagnostic Radiology Award

• Benjamin Prout

Department of Surgery Senior Award

• Shaneabbas Raza

Michael Kaspari Recovery Award

• Chloe Ree

Richard P. Stadter Excellence in Psychiatry Award

• Tucker Zimmer

Joy M. Query Prize for Social and Behavioral Science

• Shirin Nour

William Crozier and Edith Magwood Fawcett Faculty Enhancement Award

• Sarah Nielsen, Ph.D., Occupational Therapy

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Recognition

• Haley Amoth
• James Evers
• Jacob Greenmyer
• Ellen Kronzer
• Jordan Lindholm
• Anna Melicher
• Shirin Nour
• John Stacy
• Annika Strand
• Alexandra Streifel
• Ashley Wood

Alpha Omega Alpha Faculty Recognition

• Jon Solberg, M.D., Emergency Medicine
• Abhishek Matta, M.D., Internal Medicine

Alpha Omega Alpha Alumni Recognition

• Collette Lessard-Anderson, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology

Alpha Omega Alpha Resident Recognition

• Ben Eideschink, Internal Medicine
• Jackie Huber, Psychiatry