118 students receive medical degrees during Wright State’s Boonshoft School of Medicine graduation

After receiving their medical degrees from Wright State, the members of the Boonshoft School of Medicine class of 2024 will begin residency training in July. (Photos by Erin Pence)

After four or more years of intense study and specialized training, 118 medical students in the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine class of 2024 received their medical degrees during the school’s graduation ceremony on April 28 at the Wright State Nutter Center.

In addition to the conferring of medical degrees, the ceremony included a “hooding ceremony” in which graduates received traditional regalia denoting their status and profession.

Graduating students also took a professional oath to mark the start of their medical careers and signed a registry to commemorate their first use of the initials M.D. following their names.

Gregory Toussaint, M.D., interim dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine, was selected by the graduating class to give the commencement address.

In July, the Boonshoft School of Medicine graduates will begin prestigious residencies and receive advanced training in the medical specialties of their choice. The new physicians will enter outstanding residency training programs in Dayton, throughout Ohio and nationwide, including at the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Ohio State University Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Case Western/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Madigan Army Medica Center in Tacoma, Washington, and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

A complete list of all matches is available at medicine.wright.edu/match.

More than 39% of the Wright State graduates will remain in Ohio during residency, and 33% will remain in Dayton. Twelve graduates will complete their residencies at Wright State University.

More than a third will enter a primary care field in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics or internal medicine/pediatrics. The rest of the medical students matched in 15 other specialties.

Each year, the graduating class presents an Appreciation Award to recognize an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the Boonshoft School of Medicine. The class of 2024 honored Grand Lake Health and Mercer Health, which have exhibited unwavering support for the School of Medicine’s rural health program. Grand Lake Health and Mercer Health have facilitated medical students’ clinical rotations and electives, providing one-on-one learning experiences and mentorship.

Toussaint presented the Dean’s Award to graduating medical student Yanil Ramirez for demonstrating a commitment to academic excellence, embodying empathy and compassion toward others, exemplifying personal integrity and professionalism, and earning the respect and trust of classmates and faculty.

The medical school presented other awards for the 2023–2024 academic year:

Teaching Excellence Award — Gregory Toussaint, M.D., interim dean, who was selected by the class of 2024 as the faculty member displaying outstanding professional skill and pride in discharging his instructional duties.

American Medical Women’s Association Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Citations — Sarah Hiett, Isabelle Ely, Chloe Grove, Karley Fischer, Victoria Murray and Elizabeth Fonte.

Dan W. Elliott, M.D., Award — Elizabeth Fonte, who is committed to a career in surgery and has shown outstanding performance in surgery during the clinical years.

Department of Internal Medicine Outstanding Senior Student Award — Timothy Frommeyer.

Department of Neurology Outstanding Senior Awards — Ehab Hassouna, Meha Joshi, John Kearfott, Maria Labello, Bryce Linkous and Amanda Peck.

Department of Pediatrics Award — Sarah Hiett, who is committed to a career in pediatrics and has shown outstanding performance in pediatrics during the clinical years.

Brenda Roman Department of Psychiatry Outstanding Senior Student Award — Andrea Costin.

Excellence in Public Health Award — Alexis Marrin.

Glenn C. Hamilton, M.D., Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award — Colette Beard Baugham, recognizing interest and accomplishment in emergency medicine.

Global Service Award — Lyndsay Boyd, who has a history of volunteering and rotating in a medically underserved area internationally.

Elder Scholarship — Colette Beard Baugham and Allison Peebles.

Homer Cassel, M.D., Award, presented by the Dayton Society of Internal Medicine in honor of the late Dr. Homer D. Cassel — Shuaib Siddiqui for outstanding scholarship and commitment to the specialty of internal medicine.

John C. Worthman, M.D., Award — Anthony Wiggins, a student entering the Wright State University Family Medicine Residency.

Larry Lawhorne Award for Excellence in Geriatric Medicine, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Aging — Kirstin Craig and Teran Mickens for excellence in the study of geriatrics.

Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, presented by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation — Yanil Ramirez and John Donnelly, M.D., professor of family medicine, for consistently demonstrating compassion and empathy in the delivery of care to patients.

Nicholas J. Thompson Award — Allison Peebles, who is committed to a career in obstetrics-gynecology and has shown outstanding performance in obstetrics-gynecology during the clinical years.

Outstanding Rural Medical Scholar Award, sponsored by the Wright Rural Medical Scholars program — Danielle Bornhorst for dedication to advancing rural medicine.

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Award — Emma La May Repas, who has demonstrated outstanding proficiency in emergency medicine.

Walbroehl Award for Family Medicine — Wyatt Stahl, for excellence in family medicine.

The following students were inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society: Olatunde H. Bashorun Jr., Karley B. Fischer, Elizabeth Lila Fonte, Timothy Charles Frommeyer, Reid Fursmidt, Dasha Giger, Michael Gilbert, Alex Gilman, Ashley Delia Hughes, Clara Valentina Joseph, Hilary Brooke Kleppel, Judith Makenzie Mathess, Halimat Adeshola Olaoluwa, Alaina Beres O’Rourke, Shuaib A. Siddiqui, Miriam Malak Soliman, Tiffani Renée Spaulding, Nickolas Stewart, Ericson John Villaflor Torralba, Estelle Marie Viaud-Murat, TongFan Wu, Hollis Young and Sarah Grace Yu.

The following students were inducted into Gold Humanism Honor Society: Najma Nuradin Abdullahi, Oumou Alhassane Fofana, Dasha Giger, Sarah Kathleen Hiett, Ashley Delia Hughes, Meha Avinash Joshi, Hilary Brooke Kleppel, Janet Ester Lubov, Alexis Marrin, Teran Michelle Mickens, Allison Peebles, David Peterson Muwanga, Yanil Victoria Ramirez, Emma La May Repas, Tonia Janae Rhone, Gisella Michelle Drouet Saltos, Sana Shameem, Shuaib A. Siddiqui, Miriam Malak Soliman, Tiffani Renée Spaulding, Ericson John Villaflor Torralba and Estelle Marie Viaud-Murat.