East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine celebrated commencement on Friday with 70 students being awarded their Doctor of Medicine degree.
This summer, the Class of 2023 will disperse to their residencies across 20 states and the District of Columbia. The Class of 2023 matched into 15 different specialties and enjoyed a 100% match rate for the second straight year.
“While many members of the Class of 2023 will spread out across the nation to complete their residency training, we know they will represent Quillen well wherever they end up,” said Dr. Bill Block, ETSU vice president for clinical affairs and dean of Quillen College of Medicine. “This is a special day for our graduates and their families, and we are excited to see what the future holds for them.”
Dr. Ryan Stanton, a member of the Class of 2003 who was named one of the college’s Outstanding Alumni in 2022, was the guest speaker.
Stanton attended emergency medicine residency at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 2008. He is board certified in emergency medicine and emergency medical services. He currently works in a community emergency department in Lexington, Kentucky, with Central Emergency Physicians and is the medical director for Lexington Fire/EMS and GMR Motorsports, which includes NASCAR, IMSA, SRX and USF.
One member of Quillen’s Class of 2023, Jarred Millard, was inducted into the ETSU 1911 Society, which honors the university’s most distinguished graduates who embody ETSU’s original mission of improving the quality of life for the people of this region as exemplified through academic excellence, service and leadership.
"As Quillen graduates we are fortunate to have been embedded in clinical care teams almost from day one of our medical education,” said Millard, who will be completing his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “This early opportunity to care for patients and learn from physicians who are experts in their fields, but also incredibly kind, humble people who truly have a passion for caring for their neighbors has laid the foundation for the caliber of doctors we are going to be throughout our careers."
The Quillen College of Medicine also presented several student awards during the ceremony. Among those:
Ryan King was presented with the Dean’s Distinguished Student Honor Award for demonstrating superb clinical skills and the potential for becoming an excellent physician.
The Leonard Tow Humanism Award was presented to Millard. Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, this award is presented to the student, as judged by his or her peers, who consistently demonstrates compassion and empathy in the delivery of care to patients; illustrates professional behavior by example; demonstrates cultural sensitivity in working with patients, family members and colleagues; adheres to professional and ethical standards; pays attention and is sensitive to the patient’s psychological well-being; and displays concern for the general welfare of the community.
Other awardees included:
- Evan Baird, Dr. Clay Reister Award
- Rebecca Blair, Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation
- Haley Nicole Bradshaw, Cheryl L. McLemore M.D. Memorial Pediatrics Award
- Morgan Gaye Burnham, Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians Scholarship Award
- Stephen Alexander Crockett, Dillard M. Sholes Award
- Jennifer Lynn Davis, Ronald S. McCord M.D. Rural Family Medicine Award and H. Cowan Moss Family Medicine Award
- Sarah Ashley Ferroni, Humera B. Chaudhary Memorial Award
- Isabel Guhde and Kaley Hankins, Ann Tranum Hawkins Award for Excellence in Women’s Health
- Devyn Hope Hayes, Department of Pediatrics Award
- Haddon Claude Hill, Philip John Hinton M.D. Career in Surgery Award
- Christina Bailey Klouda, Outstanding Performance Junior Surgical Clerkship Award
- Rebekah Black Leach, James Christopher Corbin Award in Psychiatry
- Hannah Grace Gersch Lobo, Kevin Swabe Memorial Award
- William Miller, Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award
- Westley Alan Ongtengco, Department of Internal Medicine Award
- Riley Reagan Parr, Dr. Jay and Mina Mehta Family Award in Preventative Medicine
- Christopher Pearce and Andrew Wigger, Merck and Company Award