Class Notes
Featured: The 2026 Alumni Awards
The extraordinary achievements and impact of NEOMED graduates and community members were celebrated during the 2026 Alumni Awards Dinner and Ceremony in April.
Emerging Leader Award
Presented to recent graduates with a significant record of accomplishment, clinical practice, patient advocacy, research, education and/or administrative leadership.
- Daniel Jones, Pharm.D. (’14), co-owner and co-founder, Elite Pharmacy
- Casondra Seibert, Pharm.D. (’17), board-certified geriatric pharmacist and owner of Rx Architects
- Jacob Sweet, Pharm.D. (’22), co-owner and co-founder, Elite Pharmacy
Alumni Association Appreciation Award
Given intermittently to individuals who have volunteered their time to make a significant impact on the NEOMED Alumni Association and exemplifies a passion for helping alumni and students.
- Rajiv Lapasia, M.D. (’00), managing partner of RBL Investments, LP
Distinguished Service Award
Given annually to individuals who have made a significant impact on the University through teaching, mentoring, volunteering or working for NEOMED.
- Frank Beck, D.D.S., dean emeritus of the Bitonte College of Dentistry at NEOMED
- Mehool A. Patel, M.D. (’98), clinical professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at NEOMED
Lifetime Achievement Award
Given intermittently to individuals who, over the course of their lifetime, have provided exemplary service to their profession, NEOMED or the NEOMED Alumni Association.
- Crystal L. Mackall, M.D. (’84), Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she serves as the founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, directorof the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford, and co-leader of the Stanford Cancer Immunotherapy Program.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The highest honor NEOMED bestows upon its graduates, recognizing alumni who have met or transcended their fundamental roles as healthcare providers to become leaders in advancing research, service or education.
- Amol Soin, M.D. (’02), nationally recognized biotech entrepreneur and interventional pain management physician, founder of Ohio Pain Clinic, and member of the State Medical Board of Ohio.
- Tom Vo, M.D. (’96), founder and CEO of Nutex Health
Thank You!
The 2026 Alumni Awards Dinner was made possible through the generous support of our presenting sponsor, Mercy Health.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to our additional sponsors for their support of this event.
- Clearstead
- Matt Smith, M.S. (’14), Ph.D. (’17)
- Hal White, M.D. (’84)
- Kathleen S. Padgitt, M.D. (’89), and Charles T. George
- Drs. James Boex and Denise Gibson
- Chelsey Kirkland, Ph.D. (’16)
Nominations Accepted for the 2027 Alumni Awards
As the Alumni Association continues to recognize the achievements of alumni and friends of the University, nominations are now open for the 2027 Alumni Awards.
Members of the NEOMED community are encouraged to submit nominations recognizing individuals who have made a meaningful impact through their professional accomplishments, service and leadership.
Class Notes by Year
1985
J. Eric Haas, M.D., is the chief medical officer of the American Academy of Value-Based Care (AAVBC), where he provides strategic direction and clinical expertise to deliver evidence-based guidelines, protocols and education for physicians, health plans and medical societies nationwide.
1991
Jeffrey Guy, M.D., was recently a co-author on a study published in JAMA titled “National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in U.S. Hospitals Using Clinical Data.” This work provides the first national estimates of pediatric sepsis using validated, EHR-based clinical criteria. The study introduces the Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE) definition, addressing a critical unmet need for standardized, scalable surveillance. Analyzing data from nearly 4 million pediatric hospitalizations, the authors found that sepsis occurs in approximately 1.3% of cases with an in-hospital mortality of about 10%, corresponding to more than 18,000 cases and 1,800 deaths annually in the United States. The findings establish a robust framework to support national benchmarking, quality improvement and future research in pediatric sepsis.
1994
Akhil Saklecha, M.D., was appointed managing director at WittKieffer, a premier executive search and leadership advisory firm, where he will advance the firm’s work with investor-backed healthcare and life sciences companies.
2002
Lonnie Loutzenhiser, M.D., a spine surgeon with expertise in minimally invasive surgery and motion preservation, joined Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Nebraska.
2012
Sarah Vordenberg, Pharm.D. (’12), M.P.H. (’13), received the 2026 Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy.
2015
Megan Adelman, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCGP, and Dustin Carneal, Pharm.D., FCCP, contributed to the recently published American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program 2026, Book 1: Endocrinology and Nephrology. Dr. Adelman is a family medicine clinical pharmacist in the Center for Family Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Akron General. Dr. Carneal is a clinical pharmacist with Advocate Health – Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This work represents the culmination of more than a year of collaborative scholarship and expert peer review, supporting PSAP’s mission to educate and recertify board-certified pharmacists worldwide through evidence-based, practice-advancing content.practice-advancing content.
2016
Dena (Steiner) Ferguson, M.D., joined Memorial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia, Georgia, as a general surgeon.
Dana Wilkerson, Pharm.D., took office as immediate past president of the Ohio Pharmacists Association at the organization’s annual meeting in April 2026.
2017
Claire Stall, Pharm.D., BCACP, was selected as a finalist for The Christ Hospital Health Network’s Isabella Thoburn Circle of Excellence—Sam Hubbard Community Impact Award, which recognizes exemplary service, leadership and commitment to community engagement. Dr. Stall is an ambulatory clinical specialist at The Christ Hospital Health Network, where she provides pharmacist-led chronic disease management across multiple primary care practices under collaborative practice agreements.
2021
Korie Payne, Pharm.D., received the Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award from the Ohio Pharmacists Association. Dr. Payne is a pharmacist in University Hospitals outpatient pharmacy where she helped establish the Healthy at Home Virtual Clinic.
2022
Kristen Palmer, M.D., now a PGY-4 in psychiatry at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, was recently accepted to present a workshop at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting 2026, an oral presentation at the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP) NUBE Conference 2025, and a poster at the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP) 2025 Annual Meeting. Her work focuses on emergency psychiatry and consultation-liaison psychiatry.
2023
Ibrahim Fattah, M.D., has stepped into a new role as associate EMS medical director with National College of Technical Instruction (NCTI).
Ashley Audi, M.D., was named chief resident in neurology for the Cleveland Clinic.
2024
Michael Carlone, Pharm.D., was elected Legal Affairs Director-Elect for the Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP).