2007 Alumni Award Recipients

Congratulations to our 2007 Alumni Award Recipients!

Recipients will be recognized at the 2007 Black Tie White Coat Gala on Friday, March 2nd. Hope to see you there! Please register online today at http://alumni.med.sc.edu/

Distinguished Physician Alumni Award:

• Upon completion of residency, spent first eleven years in private practice.
• "Since Dr. Burgis joined the SOM Department of OB/GYN in 2004, it has taken a giant leap forward in the management of pediatric and adolescent gynecology patients." -- Janice Bacon, MD, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• "As a member of the Richland County School District One Comprehensive Health Education Advisory Committee, Dr. Burgis has provided invaluable guidance through her medical expertise, knowledge of the community, and professionalism in addressing the extremely important, and potentially controversial, components of the school district’s education program.” Beth Barry, MPH, CHES, Health and Physical Education Specialist.
• Dr. Burgis has been an active member of the USC SOM Alumni Board since its inception in 1998 and currently serves as its treasurer.

Distinguished Young Physician Alumni Award:

• Served as Assistant chief resident and Chief resident during her third and fourth post-graduate training years
• Received multiple awards for her clinical work during residency, including the Aventis Women Leaders in Psychiatry Fellowship, the Outstanding Resident Jannsen Travel Fellowship, and the Leibert Harris Psychotherapy Award
• Also presented with the department’s resident of the year award for outstanding clinical work and leadership skills in her final training year
• Was appointed as the Assistant director of residency training in the General Psychiatry Residency Program (Palmetto Health/USC School of Medicine) upon graduation
• Was elected the Midlands Chapter president of the SC Psychiatric Association and the current President-Elect for the statewide SCPA
• Serves as an Assistant Professor within the Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science at University of South Carolina School of Medicine
• In January, 2006, she was promoted to the Director of Residency Training for the General Psychiatry Residency program within Palmetto Health/USC School of Medicine.

Humanitarian Alumni Award and USC Distinguished Black Alumni Award:

• 2004-2006 -- Served as the Medical Director for the Department of Health and Hospitals Region I office of Public Health. Region I includes New Orleans, and prior to Hurricane Katrina, housed 24% of the state’s population.
• Played an active role providing clinical service as an incident commander of one of the largest special needs shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and in developing the public health Katrina Recovery Plan.
• "Dr. Youmans has dedicated her professional medical career to improving the quality of healthcare and access to services for the indigent and uninsured people of Louisiana. Dr. Youmans has been universally admired and recognized for her intelligence, integrity, and high moral standards." Gina Lagarde, MD, MBA, Medical Director of Louisiana Child Health.
• Featured in the 10th Edition Success Guide of the New Orleans City Business News Magazine as a minority who has made a difference in the community through their energy, ideas, and commitment to excellence.
• Listed in New Orleans Magazine as one of the Top 30 Internists in the City of New Orleans
• Recently, listed in the Augusta Magazine’s 2006 Success Guide as one the of most influential and successful women in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA)
• Currently, she serves as the District Health Director for the East Central Health District, headquartered in Augusta, Georgia

Distinguished Doctorate Alumni Award - No Nominations Received

Distinguished Master’s Alumni Award:

• Clinical coordinator the Masters of Nurse Anesthesia Program at Lexington Medical Center
• Serves on the Interview and Admission Committee for the Nurse Anesthesia Program
• “Mr. Britain is an indispensable member of the anesthesia team at Lexington Medical Center.” James F. Knight, MD, Chief of Anesthesia.
• Vice President, South Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists
• Member, Lexington School Board District 1 Governmental Relations Committee
• Member, School Improvement Council at White Knoll High School
• Member, Willow Ridge Baptist Church (9th & 10th Grade Youth
• Leader)
• Married for 25 years - Cindy Britain, 4 children

Distinguished Master’s in Genetic Counseling Alumni Award:

• First genetic counselor ever hired by the National Alliance for Genetic Support Groups in Washington, DC.
• “Ms. Peay has an excellent command of discipline, works effectively with a broad range of colleagues, also she represent herself and her organization well in diverse situations.” Joseph McInerney, MA, MS, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics.
• Recently became the associate director of the National Human Genome Institute-Johns Hopkins University Genetic Counseling Program

Alumni Association Honorary Life Member:

• 1990 - 1994 - Served as Chair of the USC School of Medicine Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science
• 1994 -- 2006 - Served as Dean and Vice President for Medical Affairs at the USC School of Medicine; director of the William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute; and director of the Division of Research and Education for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health
• Served as special consultant to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education as a member and two-time past chair of its Deans’ Committee on Medical Education.
• Sat on the Management Advisory Committee of the South Carolina Veterans’ Administration Network.
• Served on the University of South Carolina Health Deans Council and Administrative Council and as co-chair of the USC School of Medicine/Palmetto Health Continuing Education Steering Committee.
• Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
• Recipient of the Physicians’ Recognition Award of the American Medical Association.
• 1996 elected as a faculty initiate to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
• 2003 selected as a member of the Benjamin Rush Society and named a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
• Currently he serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer at The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc., in Chicago. The ABPN is an independent, nonprofit organization that certifies doctors practicing psychiatry and neurology, as well as associated subspecialties.

Awards Presented in 2006 to School of Medicine Graduates by the University of South Carolina Alumni Association

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award

• Honor Societies included Phi Beta Kappa at Wofford College and Phi Eta Sigma at Tulane University
• Certified on National Board of Medical Examiners and National Board of Internal Medicine
• Former faculty member and ward attending at the Department of Internal Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC
• Former Assistant Director of Ambulatory Care at the Outpatient Medical Clinic at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC
• Past Director of Outpatient Medical Clinic at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC
• Former Director of Ambulatory Care at the Department of Internal Medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC
• Currently Medical Director at the Smith Medical Clinic in Pawleys Island, SC
• Was Medical Director at Haitian Missions, Physicians for Peace
• Volunteered as a Hospitalist at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti
• Professional member of the American Medical Association, ACP-ASIM, South Carolina Medical Society and Georgetown County Medical Society
• Awarded the “40 under 40” from The Charlotte Business Journal
• Key note speaker from the National Society of Fund Raising Executives
• Awarded the “Humanitarian Award” from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine
• Past member of the Board of Trustees at Wofford College
• Past member of Board of Trustees for South Carolina State University
• Past Medical Director of Hospice of Charlotte
• Currently serving on the Board of Trustees of Brookgreen Gardens, the Board of Directors for the Springs Foundation, and the Board of Directors for the Close Foundation in Fort Mills, SC

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• Vice-Chair of the residents forum for the College of American Pathologists
• Member of National Education and Graduate Medical Education Committees for the College of American Pathologists.
• Advocate for changes in physician payment schedules and government imposed overly restrictive rules governing the practice of medicine.
• Involved with research efforts at Wake Forest as a collaborator investigating the molecular mechanisms of pulmonary contusion.
• Recipient of the Pulmonary Pathology of Society Research Award with which he investigates the pathology of mesothelioma and lung cancer.
• Continues to investigate the genetic causes of renal tumors including renal medullary carcinoma and clear cell sarcoma of the kidney.
• Completing additional training at Johns Hopkins with a world-expert in genitourinary pathology, Dr. Jonathan Epstein.
• Inducted into the beta chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Teaching parts of the pathology course as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the 2nd year class at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and will offer clinical electives to students at Greenville Memorial Hospital University Medical Center.