The University of Queensland (UQ) Ochsner Clinical School, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, presented its 2019 graduating class during the program’s culmination ceremony on Nov. 23 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The 113 graduating students successfully completed medical education through a unique four-year training, academic, and clinical experience across two continents. Students completed two years of medical school curriculum in Brisbane, Australia at UQ, which is recognized as one of the top universities in the world and ranked 42nd worldwide on the 2020 US News Best Global Universities list. The final two years of clinical study were completed with Ochsner Health System – one of the largest independent academic medical centers in the United States – at UQ's Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans.
“We began the UQ-Ochsner partnership 10 years ago with the goal of graduating physicians with a unique global perspective. Since our inaugural class, students who have completed their medical studies through the UQ Ochsner Clinical School have gone on to successful careers in nearly every field of medicine. I’m pleased to say some have stayed here in Louisiana, serving local communities across the state,” said Leonardo Seoane, MD, Chief Academic Officer, Ochsner Health System. “We are incredibly proud of everything the members of this year’s graduating class have accomplished and cannot wait to see where the future takes them next.”
William W. Pinsky, M.D., FAAP, FACC, delivered the keynote address. Pinsky is currently president and chief executive officer of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and chair of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). Prior to this role, Pinsky served as executive vice president and chief academic officer of Ochsner Health System, among numerous other roles at Ochsner. He retains an honorary professor title from UQ.
During the culmination ceremony several UQ Ochsner Clinical School faculty and residents were recognized with awards of excellence in clinical teaching. The highest individual award of excellence – the Teacher of the Year award – was bestowed upon Michael Blanchard, MD, Psychiatry. Blanchard has been on staff at Ochsner for more than four years. He holds a doctor of medicine degree from Louisiana State University Health and Sciences Center at New Orleans and completed a psychiatry residency at Louisiana State University where he served as a chief resident for over two years. Blanchard is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association.
The following teachers were nominated for the Teacher of the Year Award:
Suma Jain, MD – Pulmonology
Sam Langberg, MD – Emergency Medicine
Mehul Sheth, MD – Primary Care
Russell Steele, MD – Pediatric Infectious Disease
Juan Carlos Velez, MD – Nephrology
Vu Vuong, MD – Ob/Gyn
Rajasekharan Warrier, MD – Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Resident teaching awards were awarded to the following physicians:
Craig Naccari, MD – Medicine
Angela Nakahara, MD – Ob/Gyn
Hayden Jahn, MD – Surgery
Varsha Thomas, MD – Pediatrics
Andrew Aubin, MD – Psychiatry
The following were recognized with Post Graduate Research Fellowship Awards:
Raza Ahmad – Combination therapies for colon cancer targeting tumor initiating cancer cells
Shourjo Chakravorty – Identifying Risk Factors Specific to Left Atrial Thrombus Formation in Patients with Atrial Arrhythmias Found by Transesophageal Echocardiogram
Elizabeth Cho – Molecular Analysis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis
Gregory Desrosiers – The Reluctance to Prescribe Newer Drugs to Treat Patients with Cardiovascular Disease
Sajan Gill – The Impact of Patient Education to Define Value in Cardiovascular Imaging
Olivia Manayan – Lift Your Spirit and Reduce Your Weight: A Pilot Study of a Faith-based, Community Weight Loss Program
Evan O’Keefe – Comparative effects of recommended doses of EPA (ethyl ester) vs EPA+DHA (triglyceride) on the Omega-3 Index
Vipin Varghese – Urine cast composition and diagnostic utility in acute kidney injury
The following students were also recognized with individual awards:
Sajan Gill – Internal Medicine – ACP
James Fabiszak – E. Edward Martin, Jr. Family Medicine Award
Olivia Manayan – Ob/Gyn
Claire Natsios – Pediatrics
Alexander Horwitz – Psychiatry
Raza Ahmad – Surgery
Additionally, Sarah Vitug also received a Master of Philosophy in Experimental Dermatology from The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine.
The class of 2019 marks the eighth graduating class from the UQ Ochsner Clinical School and will celebrate Match Day in March 2020.