SGU’s First Annual Gold Humanism Honor Society Awards Ceremony


St. George’s University held its first Gold Humanism Honor Society Awards Ceremony on June 16, 2006, at Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City. Thirteen SGU medical students received the award, recognizing their humanistic and altruistic efforts during medical education.

Dr. C.V. Rao
Dr. C.V. Rao,
Dean of Students at SGU

The honorees and their families and friends were welcomed to the awards ceremony by Dr. John J. Cush, an SGU graduate and a member of the SGU Board of Trustees, who helped promote SGU’s development of a local chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Dr. C.V. Rao, Dean of Students at SGU, addressed the students and congratulated them on their philanthropic achievements and desire to “go the extra mile”. The keynote speakers that evening were Sandra O. Gold, EdD, and Arnold P. Gold, MD, the founders of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. School of Medicine Dean, Dr. Stephen Weitzman, also congratulated the honorees and encouraged them to continue their extraordinary efforts in helping others as they become doctors.

This year’s honorees are:
    • Megan Auchenbach
    • Greg Cugini
    • Rahim Govani
    • Ashika Jain
    • Linda Jasperse
    • Noreen Kamalwe
    • Michael Markos
    • Peter Prieto
    • Anita Sircar
    • Salima Thobani
    • Sanjay Upadhyay
    • Stanley Wu
    • Jennifer Wu

The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) was established in 2002 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to foster and acknowledge humanism among medical students. The GHHS has been established at 47 US medical schools and three international medical schools since its inception. St. George’s University became one of the three in 2005.

The award is given to medical students who demonstrate humanistic characteristics during their time in medical school, including positive mentoring skills, community service, compassion, sensitivity, collaboration, and observance of professional ethics. The students must be dependable and trustworthy, exhibit exemplary patient care, and show devotion to the community and the underprivileged.

“This award is a terrific way to reward, in a non-monetary and non-academic way, the efforts of those students who have given their personal time, money, resources and efforts to benefit others while in Grenada, St. Vincent’s, or during their clinical rotations,” said Dr. Cush. “Our 13 students found the time and the will to work to benefit others as they maintained their academic excellence. We want them to know they are appreciated and that SGU is a university that places a premium on humanism in medicine seriously and we want to foster these ideals in our students.”

Students were nominated for the award by their peers, faculty, or by themselves. The list was then presented to an awards committee made up of a diverse group of SGUSOM faculty and administrators.

Published on 06/26/2006