When the Welcome Reception kicked off for the NA MeetUp and Graduation on October 20th, it became the first student event to take place in the region since 2019, before the pandemic. This was also the first OUM Graduation to be held in Dallas, TX.
During a weekend filled with knowledge and celebration, attendees reconnected with old friends, made new connections, and watched classmates earn their medical degrees. Networking with classmates, graduates, faculty, and staff is always one of the most important aspects of attending any OUM student event.
Taffy Gould, Founder and Chairman of the OUM Council, welcomed attendees on Saturday morning, October 21. Proudly, two key speakers for the day were OUM graduates — Dr. Wendy Chen, Class of 2017, president of the OUM Alumni Association, and a Hospitalist/Geriatric Specialist within the Loyola University Health System in Chicago spoke on “Age-Friendly Health Systems: The 4Ms of Geriatrics” and Dr. Robert Duprey, Class of 2019 and Psychiatry Resident at Crozer Chester Medical Center in suburban Philadelphia discussed “Internships and the Match.” The afternoon session closed with announcement of the Research Award Winner, Parvaneh Bashardoust, and the Grandparent Challenge Winner, Luanne Sheaffer.
Congratulations, Graduates!
The most anticipated portion of the weekend was the OUM Graduation Ceremony, held late Saturday afternoon. Attended by families and friends of our graduates, as well as their OUM colleagues, nine graduates received their MD at the Dallas ceremony. Another nine were there “in spirit” receiving their MD in absentia. Graduates, with their graduation dates noted, were:
In Person:
Dr. Axel Tandoc Barongan (US) February 18, 2020
Dr. Helen Onyedikachi Uzokwe (US) August 25, 2021
Dr. Armand Ntchana (US) April 28, 2022
Dr. Kimberly M. Lutu Fuiava (American Samoa) July 21, 2022
Dr. Patricia Corinne Fleuranceau Morel (US) November 18, 2022
Dr. Lisa Amend Cornforth (US) April 28, 2023
Dr. Laura Nhung Luu (US) September 15, 2023
Dr. Maria Luisa Ozua (US) September 25, 2023
Dr. Christiana E. Williams (US) September 29, 2023
In Absentia:
Dr. Gharbia Ben Mohammed Triki Belhajammar (US) January 15, 2020
Dr. Brent Jay Meredith (US) August 13, 2020
Dr. Vaiola T. Grow (Samoa) December 10, 2020
Dr. Kerrin Ann Williams-Flowers (US) February 1, 2021
Dr. Ipo Tunei Hemaloto (American Samoa) March 29, 2021
Dr. Naresh Maneklal Davda (US) September 1, 2021
Dr. Peggy Davis Spears (US) February 20, 2022
Dr. Brownie Leiviifiloa Tuiasosopo (American Samoa) March 4, 2022
Dr. Carol Jessee (US) December 15, 2022
