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Health care ceremony honors medical graduates

  • Published
  • By Richard Boggs
  • SAUSHEC Manager
SAN ANTONIO, Texas --  Dr. Kenneth Torrington, dean of the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, honored 293 physicians and allied health care providers during the annual awards and graduation ceremony June 5 in the University of Texas Health Science Center.

SAUSHEC is responsible for all military graduate medical education in San Antonio with two major training sites at Wilford Hall and Brooke Army Medical Centers and a close partnership with UTHSCSA.

More than 900 people attended the ceremony marking the culmination of years of postgraduate training for Air Force, Army and civilian practitioners.

Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) James Roudebush gave the graduation address. He spoke to this year's class about how change will inevitably occur during their careers and how honoring the principles that originally interested them in medicine will enable them to adapt to new paradigms over the years. He pointed out how the culture of military medicine shifted from a strategy of containment to one of engagement, emphasizing that while graduates were superbly trained as individuals, they were also trained to be members of a team.

During the awards portion of the ceremony, Commanders' Awards were presented to nine residents and six fellows for excellence in research. Eight professionals were also honored. Capt. Thomas Beachkofsky and Capt. Allyson Fewell were presented the Maj. John H. Gillespie Intern Awards. The Maj. David S. Berry Resident Awards went to Maj. Jessica Powers and Maj. Dawn Torres. Veronica Lopez was named the outstanding program coordinator, while Col. Michael Sundborg and Maj. Ron England were selected as outstanding faculty physicians. The 2009 Col. John D. Roscelli Award was presented to the outstanding program director, Col. James Quinn. 

During the graduation portion of the ceremony, 243 graduates from 36 graduate medical education programs and 50 graduates from 13 allied health care programs received diplomas from Maj. Gen. Tom Travis, 59th Medical Wing commander, Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho, Jr., BAMC commander, and Dr. Lois Bready, UTHSCSA associate dean for GME.

"The 293 newly graduated SAUSHEC alumni continue the legacy begun in San Antonio in the 1940's," Dr. Torrington said. "SAUSHEC graduates account for a significant number of active duty Army and Air Force medical and allied health care professionals today."