Each year, the Internal Medicine Residency Program exercises the same devotion and attention to detail to celebrating the achievements of its graduates as they do in ensuring those trainees have the skills, experience, and support to become world-class physicians ready to take their next steps.

After a stop at the “Photo Booth” in Hancher Auditorium’s entrance, attendees moved upstairs for a mixer and to meet friends and the people most important to their colleagues.

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Shortly before the program began, residents gathered on the grand staircase for the class of 2025’s group photo.

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As guests took their seats, Vice Chair of Education and Residency Program Director, Manish Suneja, MD, opened the program with reflections on the graduates’ time in the Internal Medicine Residency program. He asked for those family and friends in attendance who were there to support a graduate to rise and be recognized. Their support was just as critical to the graduates’ success, Suneja emphasized.

Following Suneja’s remarks, a slide show acknowledging each graduate with messages of congratulations and information about the graduates played while guests ate dinner. A humorous and traditional “baton pass” video scripted by the outgoing Chief Residents also played.

 

After the slide show and video, Chair and DEO Upi Singh, MD, delivered a message of congratulation as well to the graduates. She stressed the importance of Suneja’s leadership and compassion in contributing to the ongoing strength of the program. The room erupted in cheers and everyone again rose to their feet.

 

 

Then it was finally time to recognize the individual graduates, to give them their certificates, and to give them a moment to say a few words of thanks after a photo with Singh and Suneja. First up, the preliminary trainees, who spend a year as internal medicine interns before moving on to their specialty of choice.

Departing Preliminary Residents

Noor-Us-Sabah Ahmad Ophthalmology	Aiah Alatoum Radiology	Ella Gehrke Ophthalmology
Nic Heckenlaible Ophthalmology	Thomas Meram Ophthalmology	Stacy Moroz Anesthesiology
Peter Sanchez Ophthalmology	Lauren Tomlinson Dermatology

 

Next, it was time to recognize the combined Medicine-Psychiatry resident and categorical graduates. Suneja announced where each graduate would head next, some of whom would be staying on at Iowa for subspecialty fellowship or as Chief Residents or Hospitalists.

Graduating Categorical Residents

Grace Alexander	Tristan Bakerink	Adam Blaine
James Burton	Paige Carlson	Hunter Frederiksen
Lakshmi Guduguntla	Darlene Julian	Monica Knaack
Tyler Maggio	Kimiya Nourian	Marcus Osman
Joe Phillips	Alyssa Ray	Natalie Ross
Laurel Smeins	Mike Tabet	Megan Vree
Mackenzie Walhof	Patrick Watson	Alice Xu

Pulmonary Division Director and Director of the Physician-Scientist Training Pathway (PSTP) David Stoltz MD, PhD, came up to help present certificates to the PSTP graduates as well as the resident completing the innovative and unique NIH-funded Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) program.

Graduating PSTPs and StARR

Alex Greiner

Joe Salomone

Haley Pysick

Andrea Weber, MD, MME, took the stage to present certificates to the graduates of the Medicine-Psychiatry program.

Graduating Med-Psych Residents

Antony Gout

Alicia Killian

 

Residents can also choose to enter pathways and distinction tracks, the broad options reflecting the spectrum of careers the program prepares trainees to enter, whether toward one as a Hospitalist or in primary care or as a clinician educator. Tracks focused on point-of-care ultrasound or alleviating inequities in health care access also exist. Residents who completed these pathways and tracks were recognized alongside associate program directors and directors of these pathways Andrew Bryant, MD, Yana Zemkova, MD, Justin Smock, MD, Krista Johnson, MD, Sydney Bowmaster, MD, and Desmond Barber, MD.

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The Chief Residents, who devote a year post-residency, guiding the residents and serving as a bridge between faculty and trainees, were also recognized.

Departing Chief Residents

Rachel Anderson	Marie Finkbeiner
Luke Morrey	Lauren Zabel

 

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Finally, awards for the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award, the Amarchi Anukam Humanism Award, and the Outstanding Resident of the Year Award, each as determined by the residents themselves, were presented to the winners as chosen by the residents themselves.

The Outstanding Faculty Teacher of the Year Award was given to Margo Schilling, MD.

 

Humanism Award

The Amarchi Anukam Humanism Award was presented to co-winners Paige Carlson, MD and Alice Xu, MD.

 

And finally, the Outstanding Resident of the Year Award was presented to Joe Phillips, MD.

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The evening closed with further remarks and thanks from Suneja, especially to the support staff without whom the evening would not have been possible. From there, guests slowly dispersed, pausing for more group photos, and savoring the weight of their accomplishments.

Congratulations, class of 2025!