MD Students in West Reading Celebrate Transition to the Clinic Tradition
May 6, 2025
On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, MD program students, faculty and professional staff from Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health in West Reading, Pa., celebrated the class of 2027’s Transition to the Clinic event. This annual campus tradition highlights MD student accomplishments and marks their entry into the clinical phase of their education at Tower Health – Reading Hospital.
The event included an awards ceremony and keynote address by Brian Kane, MD, division chief of family medicine and the regional medical director for the primary care service line at Tower Health Medical Group.
After the awards, medical students embarked on a walk from campus to the hospital, where they were welcomed with cheers and applause from hospital leaders, instructors and staff. Students also received a guided tour of the facility and learned more about their upcoming clerkships.
Take a look at photos from the 2025 Transition to the Clinic event.
2025 Award Recipients
Outstanding Department Award
Inclusive Excellence Award
Outstanding Educator Award – Attending
- Dr. Scott Barber
- Dr. Michael Musso
Outstanding Educator Award – Resident
- Dr. Micah Kaiser
- Dr. Jason Woodley
Professionalism Excellence Award - Resident
- Dr. Maya Qutob
- Dr. Tyler Francisco
Professionalism Excellence Award – Attending
Outstanding Student Advocate Award
Outstanding Community Service Awards: The Office of Community Engagement selected awardees based on their leadership, commitment, community impact and trailblazing during the first two years of medical school. The honorees are:
- Peter Aziz, Jemima Constanza, Ashley Deng, Julian Rupkey, Joshua Salas
Award for Frontiers Population Health Challenge: Grading faculty and the Frontiers course director collaborated to choose honorees based on posters created for the Population Health Challenge, in which students worked in groups to review community population health data and identify a major public health problem. Students then researched population health programs and interventions geared to addressing a specific health condition and developed population health interventions to address a health challenge. The recipients are:
- Faculty Choice: Jack Benda, Lily Charron, Jennifer Lopez, Ally Murphy, Amogh Nagol, Kyle Yang, Andrew Brown
- Students' Choice: Harleen Dhillon, Dayna Johnson, Carolin Schmidt, Maxwell Studley
Award for Small-Group Participation and Professionalism: Students were nominated by their peers for outstanding participation and professionalism in small-group work. The awardees are:
- Ryan Gage, Ally Murphy, William Van
Basic Science Knowledge Awards: Honorees scored in the top 10 percent of their class in Phase 1 basic science courses:
- Sanjay George, Zach Mattiola
The Anthony Romano, PhD, Excellence in CBL Award: Year 1 or 2 case-based learning faculty facilitators chose award winners based on excellence in initiative and attitude, leadership in facilitating the group process, professionalism and courtesy toward other students and faculty, knowledge and the ability to know how and when to share it, and meaningful, appreciative debrief. The honoree is:
Phase 1, Year 1 – Molecules to Organs
- Dana Peterson, PhD, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Phase 1, Year 1 – Human Structure and Function 1
- Kathryn Veazey, MS, PhD, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Phase 1, Year 1 – Human Structure and Function 2
- Bill Frank, DC, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Phase 1, Year 1 – Health Advocacy Practicum
Phase 1, Year 1 – Case Based Learning 1
- Folasade Kehinde, MD, Pediatrics
Phase 1, Year 1 – Foundations of Patient Care 1
- Renee Kottenhahn, MD, Pediatrics
Phase 1, Year 1 – Foundations of Disease
- Elise Mosser, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology
Phase 1, Year 2 – Case Based Learning 2
- Hwyda Arafat, MD, PhD, MSc, MEdL, Medicine
Phase 1, Year 2 – Foundations of Patient Care 2
- Shaila Quazi, DO, Emergency Medicine
Phase 1, Year 2 – Human Disease Systems
- Kelly Brenan, MD, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Phase 2, Year 3 – Attending Physician:
- Eduardo Espiridion, MD, Psychiatry Clerkship, Tower Health - Reading Hospital
- John Sheffield, MD, Family, Community & Preventive Medicine, Tower Health - Reading Hospital
Student Body Award
- Tyler Francisco, MD, Psychiatry