TCOM Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society welcomes new members
The humanistic side of medicine is continuing to flourish at UNT Health Fort Worth’s
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. The TCOM chapter of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation
inducted 43 students and three faculty members into the Gold Humanism Honor Society
during a recent ceremony on the UNT Health campus.
The students, all members of the Class of 2027, were chosen for their outstanding
humanistic behaviors shown during medical school. The students represent no greater
than 15% of their class and were nominated by their peers. TCOM associate professor
and Gold Humanism Honor Society member Christopher A. Medina, DO, gave the keynote
address to the students, sharing with them a personal story from his residency, but
also reminding them to be present for their patients.
“I strongly believe in every case and every patient you see, you are meant to be there
for them at the same time that patient is meant for you too,” he said. “I can’t say
enough how important it is to be present for your patients. You are always going to
be stressed, sleep deprived, and have distractions, but you have a duty to your patience,
so make sure you are present for them.”
Along with the students, TCOM faculty members Dr. Malinda Hansen, Dr. Christina Robinson
and Dr. Lawrence Swanson were inducted into the honor society.
The Gold Foundation champions humanism in health care, which they define as “compassionate,
collaborative and scientifically excellent care.” The non-profit organization at TCOM
was founded to recognize students, residents, and faculty exemplars of compassionate
patient care and to serve as role models, mentors, and leaders in medicine.
The students receive a gold and black cord to wear at graduation, along with a gold
pin, for their representation in the Honor Society. In keeping with a TCOM tradition,
the first action they will take as members is to serve others, so each inductee gave
the cord they just received to a fellow Honor Society member.
Dr. Arnold P. Gold, a pediatric neurologist, began the foundation in 1988. His belief
in the importance of an empathic bedside manner led him and his wife, Sandra, to create
the foundation to inspire young physicians to practice compassionate patient care.
There are over 180 chapters of the Gold Foundation across the United States and over 45,000 honor society members.
TCOM student inductees
- Kathryn Adkins
- Raneem Albosstani
- Stella Anagos
- Reem Ayoub
- Catalina Beltran
- Ashish Bhargava
- Ria Bhasin
- Allison Burkes
- Emily Chastain
- Sharon Cherian
- Claire Coronado
- Holly Dewitt
- Sara Dhuka
- Shereen Enan
- Naomi Fortier
- Janna Francis
- Kayla Fure
- Daniel Gibbs
- Natalie Gierat
- Christine Jacob
- Kush Kinariwala
- Hanna Lewis
- Olivia Mayer
- Grace McKeehan
- Yusuf Mehmood
- Abigail Marie Mendoza
- Adam Meyer
- Paula Morgan
- Elijah Paraiso
- Purvee Patel
- Christopher Purvis
- Jenil Rana
- Maverick Salyards
- Anisha Saripalli
- Christina Shibu
- Salwa Shoaib
- Joseph Stephens
- Madison Stevens
- Cameron Stokes
- Elin Stone
- Haleigh Thompson
- Katherine Yin
- Bethany Zachariah
TCOM faculty inductees
- Dr. Lawrence Swanson
- Dr. Malinda Hansen
- Dr. Christina Robinson