Each year, students in the UAMS College of Medicine vote for the faculty members they consider to be the most outstanding educators. The honorees are recognized during the college’s Graduation Ceremony (previously Honors Convocation).
Red Sash winners in attendance at the May 16 Graduation ceremony were entitled to wear red sashes over their regalia robes. These honorees were named as outstanding teachers by members of the senior class. Gold Sash honorees are the faculty members who received 10 or more votes.
The person voted by each of the four medical school classes as the best teacher of the year receives that class’s prestigious Golden Apple Award.
In the list of faculty honorees below, the Gold Sash and Golden Apple Honorees are noted and in bold type. The others in this list are Red Sash winners selected by the senior class. All faculty members are listed in their primary department. Congratulations to all!
Anesthesiology
Daniel Bingham, M.D.
Blake Plyler, M.D.
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Alan Diekman, Ph.D. Gold Sash, Freshman (M1) Golden Apple. Dr. Diekman also was selected by seniors to deliver the Faculty Address at the Graduation Ceremony.
Emergency Medicine
Meryll Bouldin, M.D.
Zachary Lewis, M.D.
Jordan Hunter White, M.D.
Family/Preventive Medicine
Scott Dickson, M.D.
Stephen Foster, M.D.
Stephen King, M.D.
Amber Norris, M.D.
Jeanne (Catie) Ross, M.D.
Leslie Stone, M.D., MPH
Donya Watson, M.D.
Internal Medicine
Omar Alqaisi, M.D.
Konstantinos Arnaoutakis, M.D.
Joseph Thaddeus Beck, M.D.
Sheena CarlLee, M.D.
Ryan Dare, M.D.
Steven Deas, M.D.
Nicholas Gowen, M.D. Gold Sash. Dr. Gowen also was selected by seniors to participate in donning their doctoral hoods at the Graduation Ceremony.
Nishank Jain, M.D.
Larry Johnson, M.D.
Emily Kocurek, M.D.
Caroline Miles, M.D.
Hakan Paydak, M.D. Gold Sash, Senior (M4) Golden Apple.
Thomas Plugge, M.D.
Sandra Pruitt, M.D.
Manisha Singh, M.D.
Morgan Tripod, M.D.
Thomas “Ples” Spradley, M.D. Gold Sash, Junior (M3) Golden Apple
Toby Vancil, M.D.
Taylor Washburn, M.D.
Congratulations also to Medicine-Pediatrics Resident Taylor Winn, M.D., on his selection as Resident of the Year by the senior class!
Microbiology/Immunology
Karl Boehme, Ph.D.
James Craig Forrest, Ph.D.
Neuroscience
Noor Akhter, Ph.D.
David Davies, Ph.D.
Tiffany Huitt, Ph.D.
Erica Malone, Ph.D.
Kevin Phelan, Ph.D.
Mohsin Syed, Ph.D.
Neurology
Humaira Khan, M.D.
Scott Lucchese, M.D.
Hillary Williams, M.D.
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Katie Beal, M.D.
Joel Dickens, M.D.
Renee McGraw, M.D.
Luann Racher, M.D.
Monique Spillman, M.D., Ph.D.
Kate Stambough, M.D.
Lindsey Sward, M.D. Dr. Sward also was selected by seniors to participate in donning their doctoral hoods at the Graduation Ceremony.
Alexis White, M.D.
Ophthalmology
Sami Uwaydat, M.D.
Pathology
Charles Matthew Quick, M.D.
Pediatrics
Carla Brown, M.D.
Courtney Cox, M.D.
Joshua Dailey, M.D.
Paul Drake, M.D.
Jacob Filipek, M.D.
Induja Gunasekaran, M.D.
Joana Mack, M.D.
Steven McKee, M.D.
Angela Scott, M.D., Ph.D.
Zackary Shearer, M.D.
Maxwell Taylor, M.D.
Keshari Thakali, Ph.D.
Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, M.D.
Psychiatry
Jessica Coker, M.D.
Margaret Ege-Woolley, M.D.
Lewis Krain, M.D.
Payton Lea, M.D.
Abigail Richison, M.D.
Samidha Tripathi, M.D.
Lindsey Wilbanks, M.D.
Surgery
Jeffrey Bell, M.D.
Richard Betzold, M.D.
Nolan Bruce, M.D.
Lyle Burdine, M.D., Ph.D.
Benjamin Davis, M.D.
Hanna Jensen, M.D., Ph.D. Gold Sash, Sophomore (M2) Golden Apple
Mary Katherine Kimbrough, M.D.
Melissa Kost, M.D.
Matthew Roberts, M.D.
Christian Simmons, M.D., Ph.D.
Nicholas Tingquist, M.D.
Keith Wolter, M.D., Ph.D.
Deidre Wyrick, M.D.
James Yuen, M.D.
College of Public Health/Environmental Health Services
Mitchell McGill, Ph.D. (Secondary COM appointments in Pathology and Pharmacology/Toxicology)