UPIKE Newsroom

The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) held its awards banquet honoring the Class of 2025 in the Appalachian Wireless Arena on May 9.

Dean of KYCOM Joe E. Kingery, D.O., MBA, FACOFP, FAAFP, praised the new graduates for their hard work and commitment to the osteopathic profession, emphasizing the deeper meaning behind the recognition they received.

“The awards you’ve received are not merely symbols of your achievements, but rather a testament to the dedication, empathy and relentless pursuit of knowledge you’ve demonstrated,” said Kingery. “However, the true reward lies not in what you’ve earned, but in the lives you are now equipped to touch and heal.” 

Tara A. Von Mach, D.O., of Birmingham, Mich., received the Dean’s Award. The award is presented to the graduating student whose leadership, humanity and loyalty to the profession exemplify the ideals, mission and goals of KYCOM.

Bryan P. Moody, D.O., of Holland, Mich., received the President’s Award. The award is presented to the student who has demonstrated clinical excellence, earning the highest average score on clinical rotations. In addition, he received the Board of Trustees’ Award, presented to the graduating student earning the highest grade point average during the first two years of medical school. Moody also received the Ms. Swadesh Kashyap Memorial Award. The award was instituted in 2020 by Seema Sachdeva, M.D., in memory of her mother. Awarded to the student with the highest score in the didactic pediatrics course.

Lilly L. Do, D.O., of Middlesboro, Ky., received the John A. Strosnider, D.O., Memorial Scholarship Award. The award is presented to the graduating student who exemplifies Dr.

Strosnider’s commitment to family medicine and his love and dedication to osteopathic medicine and the osteopathic profession.

Luke T. Adkison, D.O., of Virgie, Ky., received the Stephen M. Payson, M.S., Memorial Scholarship Award. The award is presented to a graduating student from the Appalachian region who exemplifies Mr. Payson’s commitment to the mission of KYCOM and the promotion of the osteopathic profession.

Natalie Van Wagoner Gneiting, D.O., of Highland, Utah, received the Boyd R. Buser, D.O., Excellent Award for overall excellence in academics and service. 

Sarah Sajja Norheim, D.O., of Indio, Calif., received the Donna Jones Moritsugu Award. The award is presented to the spouse of a graduating student who best exemplifies the role of a professional’s partner, in being a person in their own right, while being supportive of mate, family and profession.

Carter D. Waugh, D.O., of Grayson, Ky., received the James E. Campbell, D.O., Award. The award is presented by the James E. Campbell Education Fund to a deserving Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine graduate from the Appalachian region of Kentucky.

Jarrod A. Davis, D.O., of Sainte Genevieve, Mo., and Selena N. Hanna, D.O., of West Bloomfield, Mich., received the Mr. Dharam Pal Kashyap Award. The award was instituted in 2001 by Seema Sachdeva, M.D., in memory of her father for excellence in pediatrics and commitment to lifelong caring for children.

Shivani E. Saini, D.O., of Tampa, Fla., received the Mrs. Swaran Kanta Sachdeva Memorial Award for Excellence of Women in Specialty Medicine. Instituted in 2022 by Rakesh Sachdeva, M.D., in memory of his mother, the award is granted to a graduating female medical student who has demonstrated excellence in pursuing a residency in specialty medicine. Shivani also received the Gregory V. Hazelett, D.O., Memorial Scholarship Award, given to a graduate of KYCOM pursuing a career in otolaryngology/surgery. 

Connor A. Colby, D.O., of Blanchester, Ohio, received the Christina Wika, D.O., Memorial Scholarship Award. Instituted in 2025 in memory of KYCOM Alum, Christina Wika, D.O. The award is granted to a graduating medical student who has demonstrated excellence in pursuing a residency in oncology. 

Adaku Ikoh, D.O., of Umuahia, Nigeria, received the Student D.O. of the Year Award. The award is presented by the Council of Student Government Presidents, and each school presents this award to the student who best exemplifies the ideal qualities of an osteopathic medical student. The award is generally based on service to the school, the community and/or osteopathic medicine.

Omar S. Jafry, D.O., of Naperville, Ill., received the Excellence in Research Award. The award is selected by KYCOM’s research faculty and awarded to a KYCOM graduate for excellence in research.

Alec R. Bold, D.O., of Millstadt, Ill., received the Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award. The award is sponsored by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and is presented for excellence in emergency medicine. He also received the KYCOM Alumni Association Award, presented to the graduating student who has shown strong involvement both at KYCOM and in the community and will hopefully remain involved with KYCOM through the alumni association.

Jessica C. Jurak, D.O., of Morris, Ill., received the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians (KAFP) Outstanding Student Award. The award is presented to an outstanding senior student going into family medicine.

Andrew C. Fields, D.O., of Pikeville, Ky., Jasmine R. Hedayati, D.O., of Corbin, Ky., and Spencer J. Irick, D.O., of Fishers, Ind., received the Merck Manual Award for Academic Excellence. The award is sponsored by Merck & Company, Inc., to recognize scholastic achievement in medical education.

Benjamin Elliott, D.O., of Fishers, Ind., Adaku Ikoh, D.O., of Umuahia, Nigeria, Jessica C. Jurak, D.O., of Morris, Ill., and Carter D. Waugh, D.O., of Grayson, Ky., received the Ram’s Head Award. The award is presented for the Fellowship Program in recognition of outstanding achievements in Osteopathic Principles and Practices.

The Clinical Excellence Award is presented for outstanding clinical achievement to students who demonstrated exceptional academic dedication by earning all A’s during the 2022-2024 clinical rotation years. This year’s recipients are Alec R. Bold, D.O., of Millstadt, Ill., Makayla Mack Colby, D.O., of Williamsburg, Ky., Jarrod A. Davis, D.O., of Sainte Genevieve, Mo., David G. Delillis, D.O., of Broward County, Fla., Lilly L. Do, D.O., of Middlesboro, Ky., Johnny W. Elmalakh, D.O., Sandy R. Elmalakh, D.O., of State College, Pa., Abigail R. Eltzroth, D.O., of Marion, Ind., Natalie Van Wagoner Gneiting, D.O., of Highland Utah, Selena Hanna, D.O., of West Bloomfield, Mich, Trevor S. Hogue, D.O., of Cincinnati, Ohio, Melody F. Marzjarani, D.O., of East Lansing, Mich, Bryan P. Moody, D.O., of Holland, Mich, James B. Robb, D.O., of St. Louis, Mo., Faiez M. Samad, D.O., of Rochester Hills, Mich, Adam M. Smith, D.O., of Bel Air, Md., Alexandre B. Yacques, D.O., of Key West, Fla. 

The Award of Honors is presented for outstanding academic achievement to students who have demonstrated exceptional academic dedication by earning a cumulative GPA of 90% or higher during years one through three of medical school. The graduates earning this award are Nicola Armour-Smith, D.O., of Taylor Mill, Ky., Alec R. Bold, D.O., of Millstadt, Ill., Jennifer L. Choate, D.O., of Colorado Springs, Colo., Connor A. Colby, D.O., of Blanchester, Ohio, Jarrod A. Davis, D.O., of Sainte Genevieve, Mo., David G. Delillis, D.O., of Broward County, Fla., 

Elliss M. Desherow, D.O., of St. Charles, Ill., Johnny W. Elmalakh, D.O., of Orlando, Fla., Sandy R. Elmalakh, D.O., of State College, Pa., Abigail R. Eltzroth, D.O., of Marion, Ind., Andrew C. Fields, D.O., of Pikeville, Ky., Gabriel, C. Foit, D.O., of South Shore, Ky., Loukas A. Georgiou, D.O., of Jackson, Tenn., Natalie Van Wagoner Gneiting, D.O., of Highland, Utah, 

Charles P. Hall, D.O., of Owensboro, Ky., Selena N. Hanna, D.O., of West Bloomfield, Mich., Jasmine R. Hedayati, D.O., of Corbin, Ky., Branden J. Heitritter, D.O., of Sheldon, Iowa, Trevor S. Hogue, D.O., of Cincinnati, Ohio, Spencer J. Irick, D.O., of Fishers, Ind., Chandrika R. Janumpalli, D.O., of Columbus, Ohio, Neha S. Kadambi, D.O., of Lexington, Ky., Reshma Mandava, D.O., of Glen Allen, Va., Melody F. Marzjarani, D.O., of East Lansing, Mich., Avery A. Merten, D.O., of Independence, Ky., Bryan P. Moody, D.O., of Holland, Mich., Aayush S. Patel, D.O., of Redlands, Calif., Hemadri S. Patel, D.O., of Canton, Mich., Nisha Prasad, D.O., of Ocala, Fla., Kathleen I. Price, D.O., of Altoona, Pa., Julia R. Reichley, D.O., of Richmond, Ind., James B. Robb, D.O., of St. Louis, Mo., Shivani E. Saini, D.O., of Tampa, Fla., Faiez M. Samad, D.O., of Rochester Hills, Mich., Harmandeep S. Sidhu, D.O., of Indianapolis, Ind., Adam M. Smith, D.O., of Bel Air, Md., Chase M. Taul, D.O., of McQuady, Ky., Hannah E. Thomas, D.O., of Glasgow, Ky., and Haley M. Woodruff, D.O., of Orrville, Ohio, 

For more information about KYCOM, visit upike.edu/kycom.