Students Celebrated at 2024 White Coat Ceremony
A White Coat Ceremony at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine on August 16 celebrated the students who have begun pursuing medical degrees to care for the people of central and southern Illinois and beyond.
During the event in Carbondale’s Shryock Auditorium, 80 students received white coats, marking the beginning of their journeys to becoming physicians. Members of the Class of 2028 will spend the first year of training on the Carbondale campus and years 2-4 in Springfield. (Eight students in the medical school’s Lincoln Scholars program spend all four years downstate.)
SIU Medicine Associate Dean for Student Affairs Haneme Idrizi, MD; Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH; and Executive Associate Dean Chris McDowell, MD, welcomed the students. Amanda Mulch, MD, assistant dean for student affairs, read the student names while Dean Kruse and Richard Austin, MD, Class of 2014, and president of the school’s Alumni Society Board of Governors, presented them with white coats on behalf of the Alumni Society.
Debra Klamen, MD, MHPE, senior associate dean for education and curriculum and chair of the Department of Medical Education at SIU Medicine, also welcomed the students and led them in reading the Physician’s Pledge.
SIU pediatrician and alumna Jody Lack, MD, offered words of encouragement in the keynote address. “It's hard, but please look on any failure as an opportunity to grow, a chance to approach something differently and learn in a completely new way. Be open to where this journey in medicine takes you and embrace the ups and downs as they come,” she said. “When you bring your full self to the field of medicine, our collective knowledge and understanding of culture and creed deepen. We give better care, and patients benefit because of it.”
The White Coat Ceremony is designed to establish a commitment to professionalism and empathy in medicine. It is held at most U.S. medical schools each fall.
Established in 1970, SIU School of Medicine is based in Springfield and Carbondale and focused on the health care needs of downstate Illinois. It educates physicians to practice in Illinois communities and has graduated 3,311 physicians since the first class in 1975.
Photos of the students are available upon request.
View photos from the event on Zenfolio.
Watch a video of the ceremony on YouTube.
Class of 2028 students, hometowns & parents+spouse, grouped by region
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
James Beavers Taylorville Ben Beavers & Dawn DeWispeleare / James & Sona Beavers
Kelsey Breneman Springfield Brad & Cheri Breneman
William Drake Springfield Hugh & Susan Drake
Jarret Easterday Carlinville Chad & Tammy Easterday
Kaylee Fafoglia Springfield Rob & Jeny Fafoglia
Lucinda Fitzgibbons Metamora David & Deborah Fitzgibbons
Sarah Foster Springfield Richard & Laurie Foster
Riley Hochstein Springfield IL Thomas & Kathleen Hochstein
Aniyah Kramer Peoria Anthony Kramer & Laquana Garry
Nina Litvak Springfield Jordan Litvak & Ruta Kulys
Lauren Lucykow Hillsboro Charles & Kimberly Lucykow
Mostafa Massoud Springfield Ibrahim Massoud & Lamiaa Elkholy
Sarah McLaughlin Springfield Joey & Michelle Eccles McLaughlin
Kayla Miner Springfield Ken & Michelle Miner
Clayton O'Brien East Peoria Rick & Jean O'Brien + spouse Jaycie Stealy
Jacob Rashid Peoria John & Cindy Rashid
Joel Ryan Springfield Marty & Michelle Ryan
Lindsey Sapetti Rochester Larry Sapetti & Julie Edwards
Jacob Western Rochester Randy & Jennifer Western
EASTERN ILLINOIS
Evan Beilfuss Bloomington Jamie & Janine Beilfuss
Ahmad Bobat Champaign Arif & Farhana Bobat /Ismail & Yasmin Bobat
Sriya Darsi Bloomington Nanda & Lakshmi Darsi
Dalya Fadl-Alla Champaign Bahaa Fadl-Alla & Latifa Omran
Jarius Ingram Decatur Jeremy & Jamie Ingram + spouse Victoria (Stuart) Ingram
Lydia Johnson Bloomington Roger & Jennifer Johnson
Michael Lee Savoy Hyokyung & Hyeyoung Lee
Ki Lim Champaign Hyoun Sub Lim & Eun Sun Son
Gillian McDermott Bourbonnais Mark & Kimberly McDermott
Isha Nair Bloomington Madhu Nair & Subathra Ramakrishnan
Luke Opilka Effingham John & Lisa Opilka + spouse Izzy Opilka
Jonathan Perabeau Bourbonnais Charles & Gayle Perabeau
Eaman Saleh Forsyth Ayman & Neam Saleh
Carson Schaefer Downs Kevin & Rebecca Schaefer
Ayushi Shah Bloomington Dr. Samir & Reshma Shah
Jaclyn Young Gibson City Eric Young & Dianna Hudson
Britany Ziemer Carlock Louis & Linda Ziemer
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Oluwafikayo Adeboye Chicago Owolabi & Olaide Adeboye
Stevie Askew Chicago Steven & Alicia Rogers-Askew
Lucas Glowinsk Malta James & Stacey Glowinski
Zachary Gutenkauf Oswego Joseph & Elizabeth Gutenkauf
Matt MacArthur South Elgin Scott & Gina MacArthur
Luke Manietta Coal City Troy & Jolene Manietta
Angel Navarrete Genoa Jose & Laura Navarrete
Melanie Nielsen Hebron Mike & Vicki Nielsen
Andrew Nisipeanu Wadsworth Eugen & Oana Nisipeanu
Caleb Rathbun Belvidere Michael & Martha Rathbun
Ernesha Salcedo Lawrence Nerto Salcedo & Milagro Paulino
Luis Sanchez-Venegas Beach Park Viviano Sanchez Cervantes &
Maria Del Rosario Venegas Becerra
Allyson Sayasane St. Charles Thom & Pong Sayasane
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Lulu Abou-Jabal Carbondale Maher Abou-Jabal & Nidaa Hamada
Mohammed Ashkar Fairview Heights Waleed & Maha Ashkar
Marissa Aviles O'Fallon Luis & Tina Aviles
Austin Balabas Waterloo Brad & Barbara Balabas
Jacob Brush Anna Bradley Brush & Patricia Shaffer
Maci Burgener Olney Jay & Michelle Burgener
Justine Crowell Columbia Richard & Ramah Crowell
Haley Davitz Freeburg Mark & MaryPat Davitz
Hannah Eastman Belleville Michael & Michelle Eastman
Aden Gill Mount Carmel Jacob Gill & Amanda Andrews + spouse Libby Gill
Alexis Hamon Aviston Neil & Tracy Hamon
Ruth Kvistad New Baden Eric & Shari Kvistad
Jack Landmann Highland Roger & LeeAnn Landmann
Seungwon Lim Fairview Heights Chong Woo & Eun Young Lim
Madeleine Love O'Fallon Ed Love & Lisa Love / Roberta Love
Brynne Massetto Marion Scott & Petra Massetto
Stephanie Mullen Granite City Harrison & Jennifer Mullen
Carley Olson Waterloo Mike & Donna Olson
Parth Patel Collinsville Prince & Mina Patel
Abby Sartin Anna Jack & Danette Sartin
Nicholas Weems Carbondale Bryan Weems & Renee Watkins
WESTERN ILLINOIS
Cherise Anderson-Sheurman Pittsfield Calvin & Charlene Anderson + spouse Dalton Sheurman
Brendan Hird Rock Island Kevin & Leslie Hird
Shaddy Khalafallah Moline Ahmed & Ebtesam Khalafallah
Shivam Patel Galva Dharmendra & Hena Patel
Blake Peter Quincy RJ Peter & Amy Peter-Vogel / Darren Vogel
Evan Wiegand Quincy Phil & Lori Wiegand
OUT OF STATE
Faduma Abukar Seattle Ali Hussein & Amina Haji
Tayla Gaines New Orleans Jeffery Smith & India Reed
Justin Green Augusta, GA LP Green & Dawn Phillips
Micah Merritt Cleveland, OH Michael & Chandra Merritt
Elizabeth Santana Bronx, NY Erikson Zapata & Ana Santana + spouse Bryan Bancroft
Megan Sullivan Virginia Beach, VA Edward Miller & Theresa Strain + spouse Patrick Sullivan
