Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society is a prestigious national organizations dedicated to recognizing and promoting excellence in the medical profession. The AΩA Epsilon Chapter was founded at FIU in 2012. Each year, junior and senior medical students are selected for induction based on their academic, leadership, and service qualifications. FIU residents, fellows, and physician faculty are also eligible for AΩA. AΩA recognizes scholarship and other values including honesty, ethics, dedication to serving others, and leadership. Nearly 75% of deans of U.S. medical schools are members of AΩA.

Our Chapter’s Vision & Mission Statement: We believe the practice of medicine is reliant on inquisitive, service-minded individuals, who, under the guidance of gifted teachers, develop effective leadership skills, high educational achievement, and the ideals of humanism to serve the greater community. By honoring these qualities, we ensure that the physicians of tomorrow will maintain the ideals of humanism, leadership, service, and academic excellence.

Executive Board

Chapter Advisor: Rebecca Toonkel, M.D.

President: Jami Alamar (Class of 2025)

Vice President: Maria Valle Gonzalez (Class of 2025)

Secretary: Jay Chandar (Class of 2025)

Community Engagement: Rafey Khan (Class of 2025)

Alumni Relations: Steven Latta (Class of 2025)

National Award Winners

We are very proud of our chapter for earning National AOA recognition. We would like to recognize the following achievements:

AΩA Award for Excellence in Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Medical Education and Patient Care, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, 2020

Medical Student Service Leadership Project Grant, Developing Medical Students Leaders in the Underserved Community, Student Run Clinic, 2019

AΩA Professionalism Award, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, 2018

Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship Award
Joel Mantilla, Class of 2026, 2024
Alyssa Pereslete, Class of 2025, 2023
Sarah Makhani, Class of 2022, 2021
Thomas Vazquez, Class of 2021, 2020
Leah Cohen, Class of 2019, 2018

Helen H. Glaser Student Essay Award
“Respect” by Jaclyn Arvedon, Class of 2022, Third Place, 2021

The Pharos Poetry Award
“Kid in a white coat” by Gabriella Garcia, Class of 2025, Second Place, 2022

Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award
Javier Hiriart, M.D., 2024
Nathalie Regalado, M.D., 2023
Peter Khamvongsa, M.D., 2022
Nelson Garcia Jr., M.D., 2021
Larry Spiegelman, M.D., 2020
Regina Carney, M.D., 2019
Ralph Levy, M.D., 2018

Membership

Each year, junior and senior medical students are selected for induction based on their academic, leadership, and service qualifications. FIU residents, fellows, and physician faculty are also eligible for AΩA.

Faculty Members

2019: Robert Sackstein, M.D., Ph.D
2018: Herbert Wertheim, O.D., D.Sc., M.D. (hc)
2017: Gagani Athauda, M.D., Vivian Obeso, M.D., A. Frederick Schild, M.D.
2013: James Patrick O’Leary, M.D., Robert Dollinger, M.D., John Rock, M.D., Carolyn Runowicz, M.D., Robert Hernandez, M.D., Pedro “Joe” Greer, M.D., Pedro Lopez, M.D., Chad Perlyn, M.D., Sheldon H. Cherry, M.D.

Graduate Members

2017: Hanadys Ale, M.D., Allergy & Immunology Fellow, Class of 2013; Mohammad Al-Mousily, M.D., Pediatrics Resident, Class of 2015

Student Members

  • 2024

    Seniors/Class of 2024

    • Brenda Abreu
    • Molnar Maisha Anika
    • Hakeem Asad
    • Owen Battel
    • Hannah Bearham
    • Ann Chacko
    • Rachel Garrity
    • Danielle Hanushcak
    • Eric Nayman
    • Kevin Newsome
    • Kevin Pendo
    • Michaela Polmann
    • Michael Qureshi
    • Nisarg Ray
    • Richard Rogers
    • Maria Santiago Estevez
    • Samantha Trynz
    • Rameen Walters
    • Rachel Wetstone

    Juniors/Class of 2025

    • Jami Alamar
    • Jay Chandar
    • Rafey Khan
    • Steven Latta
    • Maria Valle Gonzalez
  • 2023

    Seniors/Class of 2023

    • Jason Kozarek
    • Shantell Rolle
    • Raelynn Vigue
    • Jacklyn Remy Garcia
    • Evanelys Darias
    • Nicolas Litardo
    • Adriana Bracho
    • Alec Schubert
    • Marina Schreiber
    • Rory Ritts
    • Nicholas Brian Conway
    • Brendan Condit
    • Sofia Portuondo Quirch
    • Isaac Zucker

    Juniors/Class of 2024

    • Nathan Vanderveer-Harris
    • Zachary Decker Zippi
    • Kayla Imms Richard
    • Isacc Suarez
  • 2022

    Class of 2022/Seniors

    • Sonja Radosevic
    • Kevin Gates
    • Alexander Luciano Daniele
    • Michelle Darko
    • Matan Ozery
    • Chase Mallory
    • Natalie Elizabeth Bublitz
    • Kyle Sellers
    • Jessica Fernandez
    • Claudia Vanessa Trilles
    • Cole Jean Evans
    • Harsha Raju
    • Ana Victoria Sosa-Sanchez
    • Dan Bao Tran
    • Mariana Perez

    Class of 2023/Juniors

    • Leo Zheng
    • Alexa Denton
    • Alexandra Townsend
    • Sarah Stavros
  • 2021

    Seniors/Class of 2021

    • Aaron Shepherd
    • Kyle Kinslow
    • Sidney Barrau
    • Samantha Kay-Green
    • Vivian Wong
    • Kaushik Ravipati
    • Stephanie Alexandra Hernandez
    • Anton De Witte
    • Mark Maguire
    • Trisha Uyen-Yi Nguyen
    • Jessica Sharma
    • Nicole Maria Wilson
    • Jake William Levine
    • Ian Ergui

    Juniors/Class of 2022

    • Roberto Gonzalez
    • Jacob Neir
    • Alexander Mihas
    • Antoun Bouz
  • 2020

    Seniors/Class of 2020

    • Blake Brown
    • Alisa Mink Goldrich
    • Daniel Puebla
    • Amy Xuan Ho
    • Hunter Clonts
    • Palina Woodhouse Luai Sobhi Mustafa
    • Raed Narvel
    • John Michael Bryant
    • Michelle Freilich
    • Lena Carleton
    • Joann Gold
    • Nikolle Lambrinos
    • Dylan Ong

    Juniors/Class of 2021

    • Molly Hulbert
    • Thomas Vazquez
    • Logan Garfield
    • Ramses Perez
  • 2019

    Seniors/Class of 2019

    • Matthew Cannavo
    • Ricardo Collazo
    • Jonathan Dahan
    • Lauren Dittman
    • Alejandra Figueroa
    • Roboan Guillen
    • Eric Marten
    • Sophia Meziani
    • Tiffany Race
    • Anusha Reddy
    • Jessica Seigel
    • Nicholas Schmoke
    • Patrick Valente
    • Franklin Zheng

    Juniors/Class of 2020

    • Reinier Alvarez
    • Caitlyn Gallagher
    • Karina Hofstee
    • Robert Schmidt
  • 2018

    Seniors/Class of 2018

    • Joseph Barbera
    • Joanna Barreiro
    • Michelle Chamoun
    • Michael Dias
    • Meaghan Frederick
    • Annie Ho
    • Jeremy King
    • Christopher Kinter
    • Roy Lipworth
    • Daniel Lumpuy
    • Jared Maas
    • Ashley Mendez
    • Alberto Monreal
    • Christiaan Myburgh
    • Bruno Panzarini
    • Brittany-Lee Roberts
    • Adeeb Rohani
    • Corey Weinstein
    • Kyla Wilkinson

    Juniors/Class of 2019

    • Michele Benjamin
    • Jacob Bruno-Friedman
    • Leah Cohen
    • Reese Courington
    • Kelley Dages
    • Michael Desrosiers
    • Blake Fortes
    • Valerie Polcz
  • 2017

    Seniors/Class of 2017

    • Zachary Aberman
    • Erica Bass
    • Nicole Brzozowski
    • Angel Chinea
    • Elena Dimiceli
    • Benjamin Levens
    • William Mahoney
    • Amal Masri
    • Nicole Massucci
    • Muhammad Noor
    • George Skopis
    • Logan Stark
    • Christopher Tournade

    Junior/Class of 2017

    • Christopher Kinter
    • Roy Lipworth
    • Jared Maas
    • Bruno Panzarini
    • Adeeb Rohani
  • 2016
    • Beatriz Collada
    • Alexander Daoud
    • Mark Haimes
    • Christine Roy McMahon
    • Rafael Paez
    • Kevin Shah
    • Suehyb Alkhatib
    • Gretel Carmenate
    • Christina Gauthreaux
    • Ben Joseph
    • Caitlyn Kenny
    • Manju Korattiyil
    • Anna Kuan-Celarier
    • Kelsey Musgrove
    • Punya Narain
    • Olamide Oshikoya
    • Jeanette Polcz
    • Kelsey Schweiberger
  • 2015
    • Fernando Aran
    • Jacqueline Atlas
    • Casey Carr
    • Stephen Ferraresi
    • Luv Hajirawala
    • Allison Holder
    • Maria-Carolina Orbay
    • Ana Pena
    • Monica Polcz
    • Dale Segal
  • 2013
    • Eric Liss
    • Kailee Imperatore
    • Kaiming Wu
    • Anisha Kshetrapal
    • Scott Mariouw
    • Dillon Elijah Arango