More than 400 School of Medicine alumni and their guests gathered in Charlottesville during April as part of three events hosted by the UVA Medical Alumni Association.
Members of the MD Class of 1966 came back to Grounds for a mini-reunion on April 16-18. Highlights of the reunion included events at the homes of local classmates, a banquet dinner at Farmington Country Club, and remarks from K. Craig Kent, MD, chief executive officer of UVA Health and executive vice president for health affairs.
On April 19, the UVA Medical Alumni Association hosted a reception as part of the University’s Black Alumni Weekend. Over 40 alumni, students, housestaff, and faculty were in attendance for this special event, including David Wilkes, MD, former dean of the School of Medicine. During the reception, attendees had the opportunity to network, share stories, and hear updates. Greg Townsend, MD ’86, associate professor of infectious diseases and associate dean of diversity and medical education, provided an update on the School’s DEI efforts. Aaliyah Meade, SMD’24 and Simon White, SMD’24, co-presidents of UVA’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association, shared about student priorities and the impact of alumni engagement. View the full album of photos here.
The following weekend, Medical School Reunion Weekend was held on April 26 – 28. This year’s reunion celebrated milestones for the MD Classes of 1959, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004. The 5-, 10- and 15-year milestone celebrations for the MD Classes of 2009, 2014 and 2019 will be held in the fall on October 25-27.
Medical School Reunion Weekend included 48 events for alumni and guests over the course of the weekend, including tours of Grounds, mixers with current medical students, receptions and meals with classmates, and outings to local vineyards. A highlight of the weekend was the breakfast and programming on Saturday morning, during which participants had the opportunity to celebrate the generosity and impact of alumni philanthropy. They also heard remarks from the Mulholland Society, a student scholarship recipient, a faculty spotlight of David Moyer, DC, and a State of the School Address from School of Medicine Dean Melina Kibbe, MD. View the full album of photos here.
During Reunion Weekend, the UVA Medical Alumni Association also held its annual awards ceremony. Recipients of six awards were recognized, including:
- 2023 Early Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences: Kristian Hargadon, PhD ’07
- 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences: Catherine Christian-Hinman, PhD ’08
- 2023 MD Early Achievement Award: Kristen Leeman, MD ’06
- 2023 Outstanding Medical Alumnus Award: Nora Kern, MD ’08
- 2023 Humanitarian Award: Joseph Smiddy, MD ’67
- 2023 Walter Reed Distinguished Achievement Award: Michael Nelson, MD ’89, PhD ’93
Nominations for the 2024 awards are now being accepted until July 31; more information can be found here.
For more on upcoming UVA Medical Alumni Association events, visit the website.
