Resident Awards | UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

TOP (The Outstanding Professional) Award

The Outstanding Professional Award is given annually to the resident who best exemplifies professionalism in all aspects, from teamwork to patient care to communication skills. Faculty and residents participate in the voting.

2024 – Amrutha Denduluri
2023 – Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
2022 – Swapna Manyam
2021 – Onna Lau
2020 – Lauren Gibson-Oliver
2019 – Greg Sketas
2018 – Deepa Jayakrishnan
2017 – Megan Busch
2016 – Sung Bae Jee
2015 – Carolyn Allman
2014 – Jesi Borromeo
2013 – Amit Sapra
2012 – (Tie) Rajalakshmi Cheerla and Sarah Kareem
2011 – Sung-Hee “Ken” Suh

STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Professionalism Award

NOTE: The STAR Professional Award was retired in 2022. It had been given three times per year to the resident who best exemplified professionalism. Winners of the STAR Professionalism Award were also eligible for the TOP Award that is given annually.

Jan-Mar 2022 – Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
Oct-Dec 2021 – Rebecca Moore
Jul-Sep 2021 – Wayne Bryant
Jan-Mar 2021 – Swapna Manyam
Oct-Dec 2020 – Monica Ferrero
Jul-Sep 2020 – Yas Jaganath
Jan-Mar 2020 – Alexa Martin
Oct-Dec 2019 – Michael Gann
Jul-Sep 2019 – Felix Jolly Odathil
Jan-Mar 2019 – Paige Beck
Oct-Dec 2018 – Greg Sketas
Jul-Sep 2018 – Brian Yuen
Jan-Mar 2018 – David Wilkins
Oct-Dec 2017 – Aleobe Eruemulor
Jul-Sep 2017 – John Allen Cockerell
Jan-Mar 2017 – Shaletha Jones
Oct-Dec 2016 – Aaron Roberds
Jul-Sep 2016 – Megan Busch
Jan-Mar 2016 – Deepa Jayakrishnan
Oct-Dec 2015 – Chinedu Ede
Jul-Sep 2015 – Sung Bae Jee
Jan-Mar 2015 – Eugene Apostolov
Oct-Dec 2014 – Carolyn Allman
Jul-Sep 2014 – Eric Joseph
Jan-Mar 2014 – Pawel Dutkiewicz
Oct-Dec 2013 – Rekha Kalidindi
Jul-Sep 2013 – Nudrat Khatri
Jan-Mar 2013 – Ramon Vista
Oct-Dec 2012 – Jing Fuentes-Rodriguez
Jul-Sep 2012 – Amit Sapra
Jan-Mar 2012 – Appathurai Balamurugan
Oct-Dec 2011 – Jasmine Brathwaite
Jul-Sep 2011 – Rajalakshmi Cheerla
Jan-Mar 2011 – Shashank Kraleti
Oct-Dec 2010 – Deipti Trehun
Jul-Sep 2010 – Lydia Steelman

Medical Knowledge Award

The Medical Knowledge Award is given annually to the resident who earned the highest score on the in-training exam from the previous October. Only one resident per year wins the Medical Knowledge Award, unless there is a tie. Since 2014, we have presented certificates to the top scores from each PGY level in addition to the overall award.

2023 – (Tie for the overall award) Jeff Balkenbush (PGY3), German Corrales (PGY2)
- PGY1 top score: Tatiana Lino
2022 – Divya Seethapathy (won the overall award as a PGY-1)
- PGY-3 top score (tie): Monica Kothari and Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
- PGY-2 top score: Jeff Balkenbush
2021 – Sandy Webb
- PGY-2 top score: Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
- PGY-1 top score: Jeff Balkenbush
2020 – Natalia Obraztsova
- PGY-2 top score: Rebecca Moore
- PGY-1 top score: Ethan Chandler
2019 – Lauren Gibson
- PGY-2 top score: Alexa Martin
- PGY-1 top score: Wayne Bryant
2018 – Aruna Malladi
- PGY-2 top score: Lauren Gibson
- PGY-1 top score: Natalia Obraztsova
2017 – David Wilkins
- PGY-2 top score: Greg Sketas
- PGY-1 top score: Lauren Gibson
2016 – Deepa Jayakrishnan (won the overall award as a PGY-2)
- PGY-3 top score: Maneetha Kodali
- PGY-1 top score: Greg Sketas
2015 – Amy Bezold
- PGY-2 top score: Maneetha Kodali
- PGY-1 top scores (tie): Erica Stokes, Aleobe Eruemulor, Zac Ottis
2014 – Pawel Dutkiewicz
- PGY-2 top score: Carolyn Allman
- PGY-1 top score: Aaron Roberds
2013 – Pawel Dutkiewicz (won the overall award as a PGY-2)
2012 – (Tie) Pawel Dutkiewicz and Nudrat Khatri (Dr. Dutkiewicz was PGY-1 and Dr. Khatri was PGY-3; they earned the same score and tied for the overall award)
2011 – Rajalakshmi Cheerla
2010 – Rajalakshmi Cheerla (won the overall award as a PGY-2)
2009 – Arun Bansal

Superior Scholar Award

The Superior Scholar Award is the “Triple Crown” for the Medical Knowledge Award. It goes to the resident who wins the Medical Knowledge Award (the overall award, not the PGY certificates) during all three years of his/her residency program. Thus far, only one resident has done this.

2015 – Pawel Dutkiewicz

Community Education/Media Outreach Award

This award was inaugurated in 2017 to honor the achievements of two residents who made literally dozens of television appearances during their time in the program. While all of our residents have the opportunity to represent the program and provide community education via media outlets, only those who go “above and beyond” will be eligible to receive this award.

2017 – Megan Busch, Shaletha Jones

Community Medicine Liaison Recognition

In 2020, we launched a Community Medicine Liaison position for residents who have a genuine interest and commitment in community-focused medicine. The CML’s role is to coordinate and lead initiatives and outreach into the community that promote health and well-being of the people of Little Rock – especially those in areas that are in socio-economically depleted and/or underserved areas. The CML advocates for health promotion, with one of the main objectives being the development and strengthening of understanding and trust between UAMS Family Medicine (and by extension UAMS in general) and the surrounding community in Little Rock, Arkansas.

2021-2023 – John Ukadike
2021-2022 – Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
2020-2021 – Alexa Martin (inaugural CML)

Graduation Awards

The department offers several awards to outstanding graduates during the graduation ceremony each June.

The Outstanding Resident Award is given to the graduate who is chosen by faculty as the most outstanding overall resident in the program.

The STFM Resident Teacher Award is given to the graduate with the highest scores from evaluations by medical students whom the resident taught in the clinic setting. The winner receives a certificate from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

The Kenneth G. Goss Physician/Patient Relationship Award is bestowed upon the graduate who is an excellent example of a caring, compassionate physician who promotes a strong physician/patient relationship. Faculty members vote to choose the recipient.

The AFMRD Resident Scholarship Award is given to the resident whom the faculty identify as having performed outstanding scholarly activity during his/her time in the program. The winner receives a certificate from the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.

Outstanding Resident

2024 – Amrutha Denduluri
2023 – Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
2022 – Wayne Bryant
2021 – Natalia Obraztsova
2020 – Lauren Gibson-Oliver
2019 – Brian Yuen
2018 – Deepa Jayakrishnan
2017 – Megan Busch
2016 – Eric Joseph
2015 – Pawel Dutkiewicz
2014 – Nudrat Khatri
2013 – Jasmine Brathwaite
2012 – Rajalakshmi Cheerla
2011 – Deipti Trehun
2010 – (Tie) Zuma Soultanova and Sowmya Thadisina
2009 – Seema Siraj
2008 – Ravi Singh

STFM Resident Teacher Award

2024 – Brian Mason
2023 – Payal Gandhi
2022 – Shannon Hardy
2021 – (Tie) Yas Jaganath, Alexa Martin
2020 – Michael Gann
2019 – Greg Sketas
2018 – Zac Ottis
2017 – Aaron Roberds
2016 – Carolyn Allman
2015 – Vijay Kannam
2014 – Nudrat Khatri
2013 – Virgincita “Jing” Fuentes-Rodriguez
2012 – (Tie) Rajalakshmi Cheerla and Lydia Steelman
2011 – Sung-Hee “Ken” Suh
2010 – Sowmya Thadisina
2009 – Annie Khurana
2008 – Effat Jehan

Goss Physician/Patient Relationship Award

2024 – Meghan Gibson
2023 – John Ukadike
2022 – Rebecca Moore
2021 – Monica Ferrero
2020 – Kavya Veluvolu
2019 – Paige Beck
2018 – Erica Stokes
2017 – Aaron Roberds
2016 – Eugene Apostolov
2015 – Priya Priyambada
2014 – Rekha Kalidindi
2013 – James “Jimmy” Fulmer
2012 – Lydia Steelman
2011 – Deipti Trehun
2010 – Martha Rueda
2009 – Annie Khurana
2008 – Lalitha Swaminathan

AFMRD Resident Scholarship Award

2024 – Amrutha Denduluri
2023 – Diorella Lopez-Gonzalez
2022 – Swapna Manyam
2021 – Alexa Martin
2020 – Suman Peela
2019 – Obioma Nwaiwu
2018 – Deepa Jayakrishnan
2017 – Megan Busch
2016 – Chinedu Ede
2015 – Pearl Samuel
2014 – Nudrat Khatri
2013 – Appathurai Balamurugan
2012 – Shashank Kraleti
2011 – Nataraj Desai
2010 – Sridhar Madgula
2009 – Annie Khurana