Faculty Recognition
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
586 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, MI 48309
(248) 370-3634
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Faculty Awards
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine honors faculty members for excellence in the achievement of our educational mission and offers six awards in recognition of faculty teaching, innovation, research, and service.
These awards should primarily highlight the nominee's achievements from the 2025 calendar year (January - December), though nominations covering accomplishments from multiple years are also welcome. Your nomination letter must be at least 1,500 characters (~250 words). You can save and return later, but it’s recommended to draft your response outside the form and paste it when complete. A link to the nomination form will soon be available.
Eligibility:
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Any faculty member who is a tenured, tenure-track, or has a standard faculty appointment at the OUWB School of Medicine. To confirm a faculty member's appointment, visit the Foundational Medical Studies Faculty Directory or the Corewell Health Clinical Faculty Directory.
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Minimum of one year completed as a faculty member at OUWB.
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Previous award recipients are not eligible to win another award in any category until after two years have passed and upon demonstration of additional achievement. For a list of past winners, please see below.
Please submit your nomination by Wednesday, January 07, 2026, by 11:59 pm.Any faculty, student, staff or community partner may nominate a faculty member for an award. Please limit your nominations to only one candidate per award category. Self-nominations are NOT accepted.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Chair, Suzan Kamel-ElSayed, at [email protected].
Select each award name below for a description of the criteria.
Foundational Medical Studies Educator of the Year Award
Paul Megee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Educator of the Year Award
Mohamad M. Al-Hakim, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Research Award
Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, MBBCH, Ph.D., Founding Director, OUWB Eye Research Center, Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Research Award
Nishaki Mehta, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Service Award
Inaya Hajj Hussein, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Service Award
Brian Felice, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Teaching
Jickssa Gemechu, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Teaching
Lori Stec, M.D., Professor, Department of Ophthalmology
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Research Award
Tracey Taylor, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Research Award
Alexandra Halalau, M.D., Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Service Award
Sarah Lerchenfeldt, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Service Award
Bophal Hang, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Faculty Promotions
OUWB is pleased to announce the promotion of twenty-four members of our faculty and the granting of tenure to one member of our faculty. These promotions mark an especially proud moment for the OUWB community as we’ve had the pleasure of watching these talented individuals develop from promising junior faculty into scholars and teachers of national impact and recognition. Congratulations to the following faculty members:
Moumen Asbahi, M.D., Anesthesiology - Associate Professor
Sheryar Muhammad, M.D., Anesthesiology - Assistant Professor
Christie M. Vahabzadeh, M.D., Anesthesiology - Associate Professor
Natalie T. El-Alam, Psy.D., Family Medicine - Assistant Professor
Inaya M. Hajj Hussein, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Suzan A. Kamel-ElSayed, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Kyeorda Kemp, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Associate Professor
Victoria C. Lucia, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Varna Taranikanti, MBBS, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Samia Mansuri, M.D., Internal Medicine - Associate Professor
Trini Mathew, M.D., Internal Medicine - Professor
Sara S. Riaz, M.D., Internal Medicine - Assistant Professor
Joel M. Topf, M.D., Internal Medicine - Associate Professor
Stewart Graham, Ph.D., Obstetrics & Gynecology - Professor
Aws Hammad, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
Khalid I. Odeh, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
Ehab S. Saleh, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Associate Professor
Kaydee M. Kaiser, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
Danielle Nolan, M.D., Pediatrics - Associate Professor
Annas Aljassem, M.D., Physical Medicine - Associate Professor
Maha S. Jawad, M.D., Radiation Oncology - Associate Professor
Thomas J. Quinn, M.D., Radiation Oncology - Assistant Professor
Andrew B. Thompson, M.D., Radiation Oncology - Assistant Professor
Wesley R. Barnes, M.D., Surgery - Assistant Professor
Adam Gadzinski, M.D., Urology - Assistant Professor
OUWB is pleased to announce the promotion of eighteen members of our faculty. These promotions mark an especially proud moment for the OUWB community as we’ve had the pleasure of watching these talented individuals develop from promising junior faculty into scholars and teachers of national impact and recognition. Congratulations to the following faculty members:
Brian K. Felice, M.D., Emergency Medicine - Associate Professor
Erwin Patalinghug, M.D., Family Medicine - Associate Professor
Kathleen M. Rollinger, D.O., Family Medicine - Associate Professor
Ida J. Rubino, M.D., Family Medicine - Associate Professor
Srikala Yedavally-Yellayi, D.O., Family Medicine - Associate Professor
Enrique Calvo-Ayala, M.D., Internal Medicine - Associate Professor
Bhavin D. Dalal, M.D., Internal Medicine - Professor
Nader Mina, M.D., Internal Medicine - Associate Professor
Ali Alhousseini, M.D., Ph.D., Obstetrics & Gynecology - Associate Professor
Daniel K. Park, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Professor
Said Hafez-Khayyata, M.D., Pathology - Associate Professor
Jaime L. Taylor, D.O., Pediatrics - Associate Professor
Christine C. Chamberlain, M.D., Physical Medicine - Associate Professor
Gino R. Sessa, M.D., Physical Medicine - Associate Professor
Sayf Al-katib, M.D., Radiology - Associate Professor
Kongkrit Chaiyasate, M.D., Surgery - Professor
Nathan Novotny, M.D., Surgery - Associate Professor
Bernadette Zwaans, Ph.D., Urology - Associate Professor
Honorific Appointments
The Dean’s Distinguished Professor is a permanent, honorific title that acknowledges contributions of employed, full-time, tenured faculty at the rank of Professor, with exceptional records of scholarship, teaching and service.
Dean’s Distinguished Professor Award Recipients:
2024-2025
Misa Mi, Ph.D.
2023-2024
Jason Wasserman, Ph.D., HEC-C
Nelia Afonso, M.D.
2022-2023
Douglas Gould, Ph.D.
The medical school awards this designation as an honor based on outstanding contributions to the medical school.
OUWB Emeritus/Emerita Recipients:
2025
- Jeffrey Band, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
- Jeffery Devries, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics
- Ananias Diokno, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Urology
- Robert Folberg, M.D., Dean Emeritus, OUWB
- William Forbes, DDS, Associate Professor Emeritus, Foundational Medical Studies
- Michael E. Maddens, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
- M. Jeffery Maisels, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics
- Duane Mezwa, M.D., Dean Emeritus, OUWB
2021
- Judith Venuti, Ph.D.
