Alumni Spotlight
From career milestones to favorite UI COM memories, get to know the people behind the degrees.
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Alumni Faculty Accolades
In November 2025, annual events were held in recognition of alumni and faculty for their sustained impact on the success of students and trainees, patients, colleagues and on the advancement of science and medicine.
College of Medicine Peoria
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria celebrated alumni and faculty award recipients on Thursday, November 13 at an Alumni Awards Reception and the 17th Annual Celebration of Excellence.
On behalf of the UICOMP Alumni Council, Robert T. Sparrow, MD ’79, Chair, bestowed the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award upon Joel C. Diamant, MD ’90, MACP. A nationally respected clinician-educator and advocate for evidence-based practice, Dr. Diamant is the President and Chief Executive of Scripps Clinic Medical Group in La Jolla, California, where he leads a nationally respected, multispecialty medical practice of more than 1,050 clinicians.
Brandon B. Bleess, MD ’13, R ’16, FACEP, FAAEM, FAEMS, received the inaugural Early Career Achievement Alumni Award. A respected leader in emergency and prehospital medicine, Dr. Bleess serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of Prehospital and Disaster Education at UICOMP and OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center.
Regional Dean Meenakshy Aiyer, MD, R ’96, MACP, MHPE ’23, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Jessica R. Hanks, MD ’03, honored 22 alumni faculty among 59 faculty award recipients during the ceremony:
Golden Apple Awards
Richard Anderson, MD, R ’98 – M3
Thembi Conner-Garcia ’95, MD ’00, R ’03, MPH ’11 – M2
Matthew Mischler, MD ’03 – Class of 2025
Phase 1 Teaching Excellence Awards
Richard Luetkemeyer, MD, R ’75, Doctoring & Clinical Skills 2
Kaylee Rosenbaum, MD, R ’15, Doctoring & Clinical Skills 1
Hasan Shoaib, MD, R ’23, F ’26, Block 5: Digestion & Homeostasis II, Clinical Science
Gregory Tudor, MD, R ’95, Block 1: Body Systems & Homeostasis I, Clinical Science
Phase 2 Clinical Teaching Excellence Awards
Anthony Horinek, MD, R ’03, Internal Medicine Clerkship
Jack Spaniol, MD ’85, Family Medicine Clerkship
Caleb Weiss, DO, R ’23, Psychiatry Clerkship
Phase 3 Clinical Teaching Excellence Awards
Robin Alley, MD, R ’13, Surgery Subinternship
Jackson Graves, MD, R ’23, Pediatrics Subinternship
Matthew Jager, DO, R ’10, Internal Medicine Subinternship
Lizabeth Kaeb, MD ’19, R ’22, Family Medicine Subinternship
Sara Rusch, MD & Thomas Cusack, MD ’67 Outstanding Educator Award
Matthew Fischer ’09, MD ’14, R ’17
UICOMP Outstanding Teaching Award
Zohra Moeenuddin, MD, R ’05
UICOMP Outstanding Teaching and Service Awards
Tamara Olt, MD, R ’96, Pediatrics
Kaylee Rosenbaum, MD, R ’15, Medicine
Chicago
In Chicago, faculty awards were presented on November 18, in the Faculty Alumni Lounge during the 2025 Faculty Recognition Ceremony, with G. Stephen Irwin Executive Dean Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA, MHA ’19 and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Pauline Maki, PhD, serving as co-emcees and presenters. Of the 42 faculty honored, 14 are UI COM alumni:
UIC Awards
Deepak Shukla, PhD ’96, Distinguished Professor
Ara S. Tekian, PhD, MHPE ’83, University Scholar
Departmental Faculty of the Year Awards
Keia Hobbs, MD ’99, MHPE ’23, Family and Community Medicine
Stephen R. Locher ’80, MD ’85, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Maria Soledad Cortina, MD, F ’09, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Sujata S. Gaitonde, MD, F ’03, Pathology
Aarti Raghavan, MD, MS ’02, R ’07, F ’10, Pediatrics
Departmental Rising Star Awards
Michael R. Fettiplace, MD/PhD ’17, Anesthesiology
Joon-il Jun, PhD ’09, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Priyanka D. Patel ’14, MD ’19, R ’23, Dermatology
Nathan Stackhouse, MD ’13, R ’16, F ’17, MPH ’17, Family and Community Medicine
Daniel Maidana, MD, PhD, F ’20, MSc ’25, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Luke Petry ’12, MD, R ’21, Psychiatry
Fiona Malone, MD ’17, Radiology