Prakash Pandalai, MD, advanced development director for the department surgery, presented both the Francis Massie Award and the Andrew Pulito Award at the annual College of Medicine Awards banquet to celebrate the academic achievements of the Class of 2024.
Andrew Pulito, MD Award
Andrew Pulito, MD, professor emeritus of the division of pediatric surgery, joined Dr. Pandalai at the podium to present the 2024 Pulito award to Krista Spear. The Pulito Award recognizes a medical student who exemplifies excellence in four areas: academics, clinical care, leadership, and teaching in the field of surgery.
“For a medical student, Krista Spear has already developed an impressive CV and she is well-known by the surgery department for her work ethic,” Dr. Pandalai commented.
Spear represented UK at the prestigious Michigan Surgery Leadership Weekend. She was a peer instructor for the Surgical Skills elective, and an officer of the Salvation Army Clinic. On her Surgical Oncology AI, one attending noted “She functions as the intern. She came in and prepared everything prior to the interns coming in. Her notes are better than my PGY3 residents.”
On her Colorectal AI, she was described as “one of the best 4th years ever.”
Spear matched to the General Surgery Residency program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Francis Massie, MD Award
Angelica Solomon is the 2024 recipient of the Frances Massie Award, which recognizes a senior medical student who demonstrates outstanding potential as a physician.
Solomon has held multiple leadership roles: President of the Ward O. Griffen Surgical Society (WOGSS), the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS), and the UK Chapter of American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). She has also received many awards and recognitions during her four years in medical school.
During her Good Sam AI, the consensus was “that she is ready for her intern year and would be outstanding.”
Solomon matched to the General Surgery Residency program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Thirteen from 2024 UK Medical School class match to Surgery residency programs
Out of a graduating class of 195, 13 students from the UK College of Medicine matched into some of the top surgery residency programs in the country during national Match Day at the end of March. The students include many graduates from the extended medical school campuses in Morehead, Bowling Green, and Northern Kentucky.
Dr. Prakash Pandalai, advanced development director, offered his congratulations and best wishes to the students on behalf of the department of surgery in their journey into the world of clinical surgery and compassionate patient care.
“On behalf of Dr. William B. Inabnet III and the department of surgery, we wish to congratulate the members of the University of Kentucky Class of 2024 for matching into surgery programs. We wish them fair winds and flowing seas as they embark on the next phase in their training and hope they stay in touch. We are grateful to all faculty who, as always, have shown a dedication to education and mentorship of the next generation of surgeons,” wrote Dr. Pandalai.
The students included:
- Sydney Fitzpatrick (Morehead campus): General Surgery at University of Louisville School of Medicine
- Julia Johnson (Bowling Green campus): General Surgery at Lahey Clinic, Massachusetts
- Jeffrey “Jack” Kuerzi (Lexington campus): General Surgery at the University of Kentucky
- Sara Lee (Lexington): Surgery Preliminary at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina
- Garrett Little (Morehead): General Surgery at Summa Health/Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio
- Olivia Millay (Lexington): Vascular Surgery at Medical University of South Carolina
- Leslie “Henry” Moore (Lexington): General Surgery Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Daniel Rozefort (Bowling Green): General Surgery at AdventHealth Florida
- Angelica Solomon (Lexington): General Surgery at Mass General Brigham, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts.
- Krista Spear (Lexington): General Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine
- Mahala Walker (Lexington): General Surgery University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham
- Gregory “Greg” Watts (Lexington): General Surgery at Mountain Area Health Education Center, North Carolina
