Alpha Omega Alpha

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AΩA) is an honor medical society founded in 1902 on the principle of holding physicians to the highest standards.  The nationwide organization aims to improve care for all by:

      1. Recognizing high educational achievement
      2. Honoring gifted teaching
      3. Encouraging the development of leaders in academia and the community
      4. Supporting the ideals of humanism
      5. Promoting service to others

Wayne State University School of Medicine’s AΩA chapter includes third- and fourth-year students who have committed to the pillars of high-quality patient care, leadership, service, and scholarship.

Visit the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society for more information.

  • Selection Criteria

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    National AΩA Selection Criteria

    AΩA member medical schools are permitted to elect up to 20% of the student body. Nominees are comprised of third and fourth-year students who, based on merit, demonstrate the characteristics of excellent physicians in alignment with AΩA’s mission and values. Once elected to AΩA, membership is for life.

    Wayne State University School of Medicine AΩA Selection Criteria

    Junior AΩA:

    The top 10% academically of the Year 3 Class and all students who honored both Years 1 and 2 are invited to apply, typically in October of their third year. Selection for AΩA membership is based on additional elements including service, leadership, and research. Final selection is via a blinded process conducted by the AΩA committee.

    Please note that, based on those criteria, selection for Junior AΩA is extremely stringent. Students who are not included in Junior AΩA will have another opportunity for invitation and selection during their senior year.

    Senior AΩA:

    The top 20% academically of the Year 4 Class are invited to apply, typically in July of their fourth year. Again, selection for Senior AΩA membership is based on additional elements including service, leadership, research, and Step 1 performance. The selection process reflects combined excellence in the areas of academics, scholarly work, and service and places students approximately in the top one-sixth of the WSUSOM graduating class. Senior AΩA selection is completed in a timeframe for inclusion in the residency application cycle for all specialty Matches.

    Do not hesitate to contact any executive board member for more information.

     

  • Events

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    Membership Requirements

    All AΩA members need to accumulate a minimum number of points before graduation. Members obtain these points by engaging in the following activities:

    1. Attending general body meetings
    2. Engaging in community service
    3. Publishing or presenting original research
    4. Participating in the AΩA mentorship program
    5. Attending the annual induction banquet

    2024 AΩA Induction Banquet

    Each year, we honor new AΩA student inductees with an AΩA induction banquet. Additionally, each year we recognize a faculty and resident who exemplifies the AΩA motto of being “worthy to serve the suffering.”  The night culminates with an address by the guest speaker, nominated and selected by the AΩA board.

     

  • Programs and awards

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    AΩA Award for Excellence in Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Medical Education and Patient Care

    This award recognizes medical schools (and their associated AΩA Chapter) that demonstrate exemplary leadership, innovation, and engagement in fostering an inclusive culture that transforms the ideals of inclusion, diversity, and equity into successful programs that support medical student, house staff, and faculty diversity in service to the community.

    AΩA Professionalism Award

    This award recognizes and honors outstanding faculty and programs with the best practices in medical professionalism education. Up to three one-time awards of $10,000 will be given based on a national competition.

    Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship

    To promote basic and clinical research in medical fields, social science, or health services, AΩA awards up to fifty $6,000 fellowships each year to medical students at schools with active AΩA chapters.

    Chapter Support Award

    In recognition of the services provided by support staff to the workings of local Chapters. Chapter Councilors may nominate a member of the support staff for this award.

    Helen H. Glaser Student Essay Award

    To encourage scholarly writing, this awards offers prizes for essays on nontechnical medical topics. Winning essays are published in The Pharos.

    Medical Student Service Leadership Project Grant

    Alpha Omega Alpha is committed to preparing future leaders in medicine and health care. Leadership is about making a positive difference and can be learned through education, observation, and experience, and working with leader mentors. Service learning may provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop as servant leaders. Each chapter may submit one proposal for a project funded for two years at $5000 for the first year, $4000 for the second.

    The Pharos Poetry Award

    To encourage students to write effective poetry. Winning poems are published in The Pharos.

    Postgraduate Fellowship

    Support to allow residents or fellows to pursue a project in the spirit of the AΩA mission statement. Must be a research project or a scholarly project fulfilling the requirements for scholarly activity by the ACGME. Priority for scholarly projects will be given to those in the areas of leadership, professionalism, and teaching. Others may be considered based on the merits of the proposal. AΩA awards up to ten awards of $2000.

    Richard L. Byyny Fellow in Leadership

    This award recognizes and supports the further development of outstanding leaders. Mid-career physicians who provide outstanding leadership within organizations in medicine and health care, including schools of medicine, academic health centers, community hospitals, clinics, agencies, or organizations, with a high promise for future success and contribution are eligible to apply. The applicants must be members of AΩA. Up to three awards of $30,000 to be used for further development as leaders.

    Robert H. Moser Essay Award

    A $4,500 writing prize to honor one of the great leaders in American medicine, the late Robert H. Moser, MD (AΩA, Georgetown University, 1969). This prize will be awarded to an original, outstanding essay that celebrates the life of a physician like Dr. Moser who has enriched the world through his/her careers within, related to, and/or outside of medicine.

    Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award

    Each year, in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges, AΩA presents this award to four outstanding teachers nominated from medical schools in the United States and Canada. Past recipients of the award have developed medical education programs and materials widely adopted in medical school curricula. AΩA presents $10,000 to each award winner, $2,500 to the winner’s teaching institution, and $1,000 to the AΩA chapter of the school.

    Visiting Professorship

    Visiting professors can both educate and stimulate students, residents, and faculty during their visits. AΩA provides the opportunity for each Chapter to host one visiting professor per year for a day of activities, including grand rounds, meetings with small groups of students, and delivery of a lecture.

    Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award

    Clinical faculty in community practices devote much time and effort to teaching students and residents, yet their devotion is rarely publicly recognized. This award may be presented annually to up to five doctors in each AΩA Chapter in recognition of their indispensable services.

    Visit the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society for more information.

     

  • Members

    Executive Board Alpha Omega Alpha

    Executive Board

    Councilor: Michael White, M.D.

    Email: mwhite@med.wayne.edu

    President: Jackson Ferris

    Email: jackson.ferris@wayne.edu

    Vice President: Marissa Yaldo

    Email: marissa.yaldo@med.wayne.edu

    Secretary: Peter Zakaria 

    Email:  peter.zakaria@med.wayne.edu

    Treasurer: Elizabeth Choi

    Email: elchoi@wayne.edu


    Current Members

    Class of 2025

    Faud-Tahsin Abbas 
    Rebecca Adams
    Ismail Aijazuddin
    Mahnoor Ayub
    Carolyn Baldwin
    Shreya Balusu
    Lillian Baumann
    Mohamad Bazzi
    Matthew Brennan
    Liam Browning
    Erin Bybee
    Nicolas Ceniza
    Julia Chase
    Ahmad Chouman
    Matthew Corsi
    Bridget Croniger
    Andrew Demko 
    Ajith Dupati
    Andrew Gregory
    Tara Hekmati
    Olivia Heppell 
    Sofia Howson 
    Genevieve Joseph-Mofford
    Alexander Jurayj
    Dheeraj Kagithala
    Cecilly Kelleher
    Victoria Kelley
    George Kidess
    Matthew Kim
    Paul Kim
    Andrew Kohrman
    Eleanor Lasch
    Nicholas Livingston
    John Lloyd
    Melissa Ly
    Sara Ma 
    Alexis Malecki 
    Veronica Marougail 
    Parker Marsh 
    Jack McConnell
    Devin Mendez 
    Sabrina Montemayor 
    Chase Morrison
    Tabitha Moses 
    Anthony Mrocko 
    Elsa Nylund
    Hope O’Brien
    Samantha Pfiffner
    Nicholas Pryde
    Victoria Qian
    Andrew Rabah 
    Anneliese Rademacher
    Dheeraj Reddy Kagithala
    Daniel Settecerri
    Riya Shah
    Hanna Simmons 
    Annie Tonnu 
    Karis Tutuska 
    Michael Yu

    Class of 2026

    Cameron Bear  
    Sneha Bhargava
    Kirsten Brinkmeier 
    Kendall Brothers
    Elizabeth Choi 
    Jessica Elderkin 
    Jackson Ferris
    John Gallagher 
    Rohit Goru
    Alexa Kalaj
    Nevil M. Khurana
    Sonja Klumpp 
    Patrick Kollman
    Emmanuel Meram
    Meaghan Osborne
    Nicole Oska
    Daphne Pate
    Cassandra Pecarski 
    Brianna Regan 
    Marissa Yaldo
    Peter Zakaria

    Resident and Faculty Honorees

    2024 Faculty Honoree: Dr. Guillermina Nava

    2024 Resident Honoree: Dr. Katherine Ciurej