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With the trending rise in COVID-19 cases and out of caution and concern for all our honorees, students, guests, and sponsors, we feel that it is in everyone’s best interest to postpone the 2022 EJI Excellence in Medicine in-person event until next year. 

 

We plan to host the event in-person on May 3, 2023, when we will present awards to the honorees who were selected in 2022. Scholarships will be issued to the nine students selected for 2022 as planned, and new scholarship students will be selected for 2023.

 

We are grateful for your support and commitment to our scholarship program and the EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation, and appreciate your understanding.

Please join us as we honor and celebrate
New Jersey’s healthcare leaders

May 4, 2022 | 6PM Buy Tickets

Black Tie Event
Park Château Estate & Gardens
East Brunswick, NJ

Stay up to date

Stay informed and receive email reminders and
updates as we near our event date on May 4th.

2022 Excellence in Medicine Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to all of our scholarship students!

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Edward Delesky

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University,
Class of 2022

Roberta Hutton

Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine,
Class of 2022

Olivia Joseph

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine,
Class of 2022

Kouji Kikuyama

Rutgers School of Health Professions,
Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2022

Ila Nimgaonkar

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,
Class of 2022

Anjani Patel

Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine,
Class of 2022

Kristin Riddle

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School,
Class of 2022

Anna Tas

Seton Hall University School of Health and Medical Sciences,
Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2022

Marshall Yuan

Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy,
Class of 2023

Thank You for Funding the Future of Healthcare

We are so thankful for your continued generosity. With the help of our donors and Honor Roll Scholarship sponsors, the EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation is able to provide scholarships to medical, dental, pharmacy and physician assistant students in New Jersey schools. 

A New Year,
A New Perspective

Every year brings new experiences and growth. With that growth comes new perspectives. This year, we explore our honorees and scholarship recipients’ point of views and how the culmination of those different perspectives educate, diversify and strengthen New Jersey’s healthcare community.

Since 1939, the EJI Excellence in Medicine Awards™ have honored physicians and leaders whose unique perspectives and actions have impacted the delivery of healthcare in New Jersey and around the world. By providing scholarships to healthcare students, we seek to promote excellence in healthcare and foster the future of New Jersey’s healthcare community.

Get Involved, Give Back

We rely on this incredible community and the gracious support of our sponsors to aid the students of today in reaching their goals to become the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. Please consider becoming a sponsor and help the EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation make a difference in students’ lives.

Make a Donation

Perspectives from the 2022 Honorees & Scholarship Students

Watch this year’s honorees and scholarship recipients speak on prevalent topics impacting seasoned healthcare professionals and students entering the field.

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How Health Equity Saves Lives

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Shifting Perspectives: Physician Burnout Before and After 2020

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Advancing Technology & the Future of Healthcare

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Telehealth and Maintaining the Physician/Patient Relationship

2023 EJI Excellence in Medicine Award Recipients

While we’ll be unable to celebrate these six extraordinary healthcare professionals in-person this year in the interest of our guests’ safety, we look forward to shining the spotlight on them and their immense contributions to the healthcare community of New Jersey at next year’s event on May 3, 2023.

Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA

Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA

Outstanding Healthcare Executive Award

Margarita Camacho, MD, MBA, MS

Margarita Camacho, MD, MBA

EJI Physician’s Award™

Joshua Coren, DO, MBA

Joshua Coren, DO, MBA
and the Rowan University
COVID-19 Vaccine Center Leadership Team

Peter W. Rodino, Jr.
Citizen’s Award®

Junichi Sadoshima, PhD, MD

Junichi Sadoshima, PhD, MD

Outstanding Scientist Award

Petros Levounis, MD, MA

Petros Levounis, MD, MA

Outstanding Medical
Educator Award

Sunanda Gaur, MD

Sunanda Gaur, MD
on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Clinical Research Center (RWJMS-CRC)

Verice M. Mason Community Service Leader Award

FAQs

Check to be made out to: EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation
Mail to: EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation, 100 Campus Town Circle, Suite 103 #210, Ewing, NJ 08638

Out of concern and caution, we felt it was in the best interest of our guests that this year’s in-person event be canceled after further reviewing current trending COVID-19 data. We look forward to honoring this year’s class of honorees on May 3, 2023.

The 2022 scholarship students will receive their scholarships as planned. New class of 2023 scholarship students will be selected and recognized at the 2023 in-person event.

We anticipate honoring the six 2022 award recipients in 2023. At this time, we do not anticipate soliciting for new nominations for 2023.

Check to be made out to: EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation
Mail to: EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation, c/o MDAdvantage, 100 Franklin Corner Rd, Lawrenceville NJ 08648

You will receive a confirmation once you make a purchase for the event. You will not receive an actual ticket, but rather your name will be held at the door.

The address is: 678 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816. More detailed travel directions based on location can be found here.

Hotel accommodations are available at the Château Grande Hotel, located right next door to the Park Château, at 670 Cranbury Rd, East Brunswick, NJ. To reserve your room, call 732-724-4600 and mention the EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation room block.

Proudly sponsored by

MD Advantage

Sunanda Gaur, MD
on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Clinical Research Center (RWJMS-CRC)

Verice M. Mason Community Service Leader Award

Sunanda Gaur, MD

Sunanda Gaur, MD, will receive this year’s award on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Clinical Research Center (RWJMS-CRS). Dr. Gaur is a pediatric infectious disease specialist and Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She has directed the school’s Pediatric Clinical Research Center since 2006. In 2016, she also became Director of the Adult Clinical Research Center. She co-leads the section on clinical research HUB capacity and trial acceleration at the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science, supported by the National Insitutes of Health’s (NIH’s) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Dr. Gaur is the Founding Director of the South Asian Total Health Initiative (SATHI) at the medical school. SATHI is a research, outreach and education initiative dedicated to improving the health of South Asians living in the U.S.

Dr. Gaur has worked with children and families with HIV/AIDS since 1983. She has directed the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson AIDS Program since 1995 and chairs the Advisory Committee for the New Jersey Family-Centered HIV Care Network, working with seven other sites in NJ to enhance the standards of HIV care. She served as the Principal Investigator of Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development- (NICHD-) funded pediatric AIDS clinical trials, participating in more than 40 clinical trials in pediatric HIV. Dr. Gaur is interested in international HIV/AIDS, particularly in South Asia, and is involved with the Mailman School of Public Health, providing HIV/AIDS training to healthcare professionals abroad.

Dr. Gaur continues to lead clinical trials related to antimicrobials and infectious diseases, including COVID-19 clinical trials and studies at the medical school.

Petros Levounis, MD, MA

Outstanding Medical
Educator Award

Petros Levounis, MD, MA

Petros Levounis, MD, MA, serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Associate Dean for Professional Development at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Levounis came to Rutgers from Columbia University, where he served as Director of the Addiction Institute of New York from 2002 to 2013.

Dr. Levounis is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University, where he studied chemistry and biophysics before receiving his medical education at Stanford and the Medical College of Pennsylvania. During medical school, he researched the effects of social class on patient-physician relationships in Oxford, England, and received an MA degree in sociology from Stanford. Dr. Levounis graduated from Columbia’s psychiatry residency program, earning the National Institute of Mental Health Outstanding Resident Award, and went on to complete his fellowship in addiction psychiatry at New York University.

Dr. Levounis is a Betty Ford Scholar, a recipient of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists’ Distinguished Service Award and a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. In 2017, he was elected as an honorary member of the World Psychiatric Association. He was recently named President-Elect of the American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Levounis has published 14 books, including the self-help paperback Sober Siblings: How to Help Your Alcoholic Brother or Sister—and Not Lose Yourself and the textbook of Substance Dependence and Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders. His books have been translated into French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

Junichi Sadoshima, PhD, MD

Outstanding Scientist Award

Junichi Sadoshima, PhD, MD

Junichi Sadoshima, PhD, MD, is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He graduated from Kyushu University School of Medicine in Fukuoka, Japan, receiving his MD/PhD in 1990. He is an expert on the molecular mechanism of heart failure and aging. His research focuses on cardiac metabolism and redox-sensitive signaling mechanisms. His research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Heart Association (AHA) and Foundation of Leducq. His work has been published in Cell, Nature Medicine and Cell Metabolism. He received first prize for the AHA’s Katz Basic Science Research Prize (1995); first prize for the AHA Cardiovascular Research Prize (2001); the International Society for Hearth Research (ISHR) Janice Pfeffer Distinguished Lecture Award (2010); the AHA Thomas Smith Memorial Lecture Award (2014); the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS) Distinguished Investigator Award (2017); the ISHR President’s Distinguished Lecture Award (2017); and the AHA Merit Award (2020).

Dr. Sadoshima is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. He is a section editor of Autophagy and also serves on 13 journals, including the Journal of Clinical Investigation, as an Editorial Board member. He is a North American coordinator of the Leducq Transatlantic Network, focusing on autophagy in the heart. He has co-organized BCVS 2011 and the Keystone Symposia on Mitochondria and Metabolism in 2017. He regularly serves on NIH study sections and review panels in international funding agencies, including European Research Council. He dedicates himself to the training of young scientists, and his trainees have received numerous awards, including Katz and Marcus awards from the AHA.

Joshua Coren, DO, MBA
and the Rowan University
COVID-19 Vaccine Center Leadership Team

Peter W. Rodino, Jr.
Citizen’s Award®

Joshua Coren, DO, MBA

Joshua Coren, DO, MBA, will accept this year’s award on behalf of the Rowan University COVID-19 Vaccine Center Leadership Team, who succeeded in improving the health of New Jersey residents with their vaccination efforts. Dr. Coren is the Co-Founder and Medical Director of the Vaccine Center, and provided leadership and support for the core team while maintaining constant contact with State officials. Dr. Coren also serves as the Interim Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, Chair and Professor Department of Family Medicine and the Director of Continuing Medical Education at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Coren is responsible for predoctoral, post-doctoral and clinical activities. He has been Principal Investigator (PI) on numerous state and federal grants, including the Department of Health Services Office of Women's Health and HRSA. As Director of the Continuing Medical Education, he designs, lectures and implements both online and on-site educational content for international programming.

Other members of the Leadership Team:

Richard Jermyn, DO, was the Co-Founder of the Vaccine Center and medical provider in charge of special mobile vaccine projects, reaching communities of need throughout the state. 

Danielle Cooley, DO, was the Co-Founder and official medical provider reporting to the New Jersey Immunization Information System (NJIIS). Kanad Mukherjee, DO, was the Site Physician who provided contributor orientation daily, reviewing the mission to save lives. Anne Tomasello, PMP, was the Project Manager who led the volunteer management, scheduling and patient management. Mike Mowery, MBA, was the Vaccine Center Administrator who provided on-site clinical workflow management and assured quality of patient care. Chrissy Beswick was the Facilities/Events Coordinator who coordinated operations for staff and patient experience. Amanda Coltri was the Online Scheduling Services Specialist who created an accessible scheduling experience. Carl Hock, PhD, and Tom Boyle were Cold Chain team members who received and prepared all vaccine deliveries. Renee Demarest, PhD, was the Vaccine Prep Coordinator who ensured that the vaccine site staff were ready to properly prepare the vaccine. Tiruayer Battle, MS, was the Vaccine Center Hired Staff Manager who recruited staff for various roles. Louis Evangelista, MBA, MA, provided valuable PPE and equipment ensuring the highest-level clinical safety standards. 

The dedication and the endless hours that faculty, staff, residents, and hundreds of volunteers spent on “Operation Save Lives” resulted in the Center’s remarkable success and had a significant impact on protecting New Jersey’s citizens from COVID-19.

Margarita Camacho, MD, MBA

EJI Physician’s Award™

Margarita Camacho, MD, MBA, MS

Margarita Camacho, MD, MBA, MS, is the Surgical Director of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s heart transplant program and one of the nation’s most renowned heart surgeons. Throughout her career, Dr. Camacho has performed more than 650 heart transplants and has been a relentless advocate for the life-changing power of organ donation. Prior to joining Newark Beth Israel in 2005, Dr. Camacho served as a Clinical Associate at the Cleveland Clinic, where she received the Charles Bryan Award for Clinical Excellence. She has been honored by multiple local organizations, including the Executive Women of New Jersey and the New Jersey Hospital Association. In 2021, NJBIZ named Dr. Camacho one of its five “Physician of the Year” recipients. In 2017, she became the first female recipient of the Harvey E. Nussbaum Distinguished Service Award from the American Heart Association. She serves as the President of the New Jersey Society of Thoracic Surgeons and President of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association; she also has been named several times to Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors lists. Dr. Camacho is the Past Chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on End-stage Cardiopulmonary Disease and Past President of the Society of Women in Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Camacho lectures nationally, including to Washington, DC, policy makers, and has authored numerous research articles, book chapters and surgical manuals. She received her medical degree from New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York and completed fellowships on cardiothoracic surgery and pediatric cardiac surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA

Outstanding Healthcare Executive Award

Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA

Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, has served in various healthcare leadership capacities in the public and private sectors. He currently serves as the President and CEO of University Hospital in Newark, NJ, which is the principal academic hospital of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Under his tenure, University Hospital has achieved substantial improvements in quality and patient safety, financial performance, community engagement, and health equity and inclusion.

He was the 21st Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health in the State of New Jersey, as a Cabinet official under Governor Phil Murphy. Previously, Dr. Elnahal was appointed to the White House Fellows program by President Barack Obama in 2015. In this capacity, he served in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he co-founded the Veterans Affairs Innovation Ecosystem—a network of innovators and implementation professionals across the United States who develop and scale best practices that have improved healthcare quality, women’s health, mental health and substance treatment and other areas. The results of this program have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

He also served as the Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer of the Veterans Health Administration, the largest health system in the United States.

Edward Delesky

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University,
Class of 2022

Edward Delesky was born in Bayonne, NJ, and raised in Jackson, NJ. He attended Rowan University, located in Glassboro, NJ, and initially pursued a career in chemical engineering. Edward was involved in several groups on campus, including serving as a captain on the NCAA Division III Track and Field team and supervisor to the Admissions Ambassadors. Along the way, he learned that the impact he wanted to have on others needed to be at a personal level and decided to explore careers in healthcare. He discovered that medicine offers a unique blend of humanism and science, coupled with the endeavor of lifelong learning. He changed his major and graduated with a BS in biochemistry. He was awarded the American Chemical Society Award for obtaining the highest GPA in the graduating class. 

Edward is currently a fourth-year medical student at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), located in the underserved and vibrantly diverse community of Camden, NJ. Outside of the clinical realm, Edward’s most salient efforts were seen in his volunteerism and tutoring. He worked with at-risk youth in Camden by helping to develop an after-school tutoring and mentorship program named “Homework Heroes.” The beautiful, genuine relationships made here were formative in his decision to pursue family medicine as a career. In addition to these efforts, Edward functioned as CMSRU’s primary Step 1 tutor, and he launched a study to evaluate the use of online tutoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was recognized with Excellence in Community Service awards and was subsequently inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and Gold Humanism Honor Societies.

In the future, Edward aims to be a compassionate physician-healer who provides excellent health partnership with his patients and generations of their families. He recently matched in family medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. As a family medicine physician, Edward plans to practice full spectrum primary care, with special interests in sports medicine, addiction medicine and primary care psychiatry. Edward plans to continue to foster his passion for education after his training by returning as a faculty member to teach physicians of the future. In his free time, Edward enjoys many outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and kayaking. He has a goal to see all the National Parks. He cherishes time with his friends and family. He also loves sports and is a painfully loyal fan of the New York Mets.

Roberta Hutton

Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine,
Class of 2022

Roberta Hutton grew up in Colorado with a love of the outdoors. She went to Princeton University, studied Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and ran Division I track and cross-country. Her research endeavors included studying knowledge of vector-borne diseases and healthcare-seeking behavior in Medellin, Colombia. She pursued an MPH at Vanderbilt University, where she focused on monitoring and evaluation, and program implementation. She worked in western Honduras to support the rural healthcare system before pursuing medical school.

As a member of the inaugural class at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Roberta demonstrated her dedication to improve medical education through developing a Medical Spanish elective, and by being selected to represent her peers as both the Phase 3 representative to the Medical Education Committee and the Human Dimension Program Council. She applied her data management and program evaluation skill set to lead the Quality Improvement Initiative at the Hackensack University Medical Center for the national Medicare and Medicaid program, Accountable Care Community Program. Roberta continues to balance athletic and academic pursuits in medical school, competing in multiple road races and placing at the top of her age group, while continuing her full course load. She founded the school running club to help support her fellow classmates, as she recognized the importance of exercise for a sustainable career in medicine.

In June 2022, Roberta will be starting residency for general surgery at the University of Miami - HCA Florida JFK Hospital in Atlantis, FL. She plans to continue her work in quality improvement to make a tangible difference in healthcare while addressing barriers to quality surgical care.

Olivia Joseph

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine,
Class of 2022

Olivia Joseph was born in Freehold, NJ, and was raised for the greater part of her life in Tappan, NY. In high school, curiosity led her to shadow at local dental offices, which fostered a passion for dentistry. She learned that, frequently, there is never “no solution” to a patient’s concerns. Rather, there are often multiple options for treatment. While these options can vary in several factors, including cost, time, benefits and risks, patients are often provided multiple avenues for resolution of their dental problems. It was the desire to be a healthcare provider that can confidently treat patients and address their problems to lead to a happier and more confident version of themselves that led Olivia to pursue a career in dentistry.

Olivia began her higher education in biology at Stony Brook University (SBU). She was involved in research and various organizations. Her work in biochemistry research investigating novel anti-nociceptive agents to treat chronic pain led to co-authorship of three published papers. She was heavily involved in the Pre-Dental Society, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI). Additionally, she was member of Stony Brook University Junoon, an Indian fusion dance team, and competed in several dance competitions. She graduated SBU with Summa Cum Laude honors distinction.

Olivia is a fourth-year student at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM). During her time at RSDM, she was selected to serve as a member of the Honors Council, as well as a Student Ambassador for prospective dental students. Olivia is a member of the American Student Dental Association and has worked as a member on the executive board for two consecutive years. She currently is the Vice President of the Indian Student Dental Association (ISDA), where she manages the executive board and helps coordinate various community service,

tutoring and social events. She has conducted a retrospective study investigating the correlation between sinusitis and various respiratory factors in the radiology department and is also aiding in an orthodontic resident’s master’s research project exploring a modified orthodontic bracket bonding protocol.

Following dental school, Olivia will begin specialty training in orthodontics at RSDM. In the future, she hopes to work as an orthodontist in private practice. When possible, Olivia would like to provide orthodontic treatment free of charge or at discounted pricing to underserved populations. In her free time, Olivia enjoys spending time with loved ones, reading, drawing, hiking and is currently learning how to furniture flip.

Kouji Kikuyama

Rutgers School of Health Professions,
Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2022

Kouji Kikuyama was born into a family of Okinawan and Peruvian roots. Being born in Ageo, Japan, and subsequently moving to the United States with his family at a young age, he learned about the importance of diversity and cultural competency. As a child, he was initially intimidated by healthcare visits due to the language barrier. However, once he became fluent in English, he began to enjoy accompanying his parents to their medical appointments to help translate for them. The experiences he had as a young immigrant influenced him to seek a rewarding career helping others.

Kouji attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick and obtained a BS in exercise science and applied kinesiology. Originally planning to become a physical therapist, he later realized his passion for medicine while volunteering as an EMT in Hoboken, NJ. He would later be accepted into the Rutgers University Physician Assistant Program (RUPA), where he was presented with many opportunities to become involved in community service. One of his favorite aspects of the program is the HOPE clinic, a primary care clinic in Plainfield, NJ, run by the RUPA faculty and students to provide free healthcare to the uninsured, mostly Spanish-speaking population. By using his native Spanish language, he helped many patients within the community feel connected with the staff and helped them feel comfortable, safe and heard during office visits.

Kouji’s goal is to work in underserved communities, which is a result of his upbringing. He would like to give back to high-needs communities and help educate patients about health issues to combat health disparities. He will work as a physician assistant at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center emergency department, and hopes to eventually help run a free clinic for patients without insurance. Outside of medicine, Kouji likes to stay active by playing soccer (he is a fan of FC Barcelona), playing guitar and trying out new recipes he finds on YouTube. 

Ila Nimgaonkar

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,
Class of 2022

Ila Nimgaonkar moved to New Jersey at age 10 after living in Chicago, India and France. She developed a love for studying viruses during her time as an undergraduate at Yale University and as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Inspired to pursue a career in biomedical research, she joined the eight-year MD/PhD program at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Princeton in 2014. She completed her PhD in the Ploss Laboratory at Princeton, studying and discovering new therapies against hepatitis E virus. During her clinical years at RWJMS, she was inducted into the Junior Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and Gold Humanism societies.

Ila’s biggest passion outside of research has been volunteering at her school’s free clinic since 2014, where she has worked to provide social services to patients, fundraise money for medications, and start a Spanish mental health support group. She was named a Health Care Hero by Rutgers in 2020 for her work providing virtual care during the COVID-19 lockdown and is currently a candidate for the Distinction in Service to the Community track.

In her future career, Ila hopes to become an infectious disease physician and patient advocate, discovering better ways to prevent and treat devastating viral infections that often disproportionately affect disadvantaged and minority populations. She will be starting her internal medicine residency at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, in June 2022. Outside of work, Ila loves doing yoga, solving crossword puzzles and thinking of puns to name her sourdough yeast (currently “Beauty and the Yeast”).

Anjani Patel

Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine,
Class of 2022

Anjani Patel was born in Flushing, NY, and raised in Edison, NJ, by her parents and grandparents, alongside her older sister and younger brother. From a young age, she was introduced to the world of medicine as she spent many summers volunteering at her local cultural center during their annual health expos. Although she would help minimally by handing out pens to the elderly, she was intrigued by the healthcare workers' enthusiasm, care and communication. Those early experiences and observations sparked her interest in medicine and, as a result, Anjani decided to pursue a degree in cell biology and neuroscience at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. She fell in love with the people and the vast opportunities available at her fingertips to pursue a career in medicine. After a shadowing opportunity at a local hospital and witnessing the camaraderie and teamwork of the doctors, Anjani knew that practicing medicine and taking care of people at such a vulnerable time in their life was a passion of hers.

Anjani is currently a fourth-year student at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ. Apart from studying, Anjani devoted most of her time towards mentorship, student government and community service. She tutored and mentored the underclassmen in various medical subjects and offered advice she wished she had known when she was in their shoes. Anjani was nominated and elected by her colleagues to serve as 2nd Vice President during her second year and subsequently elected as Student Council President during her third year of medical school. As the COVID-19 pandemic started at the same time as her presidency, Anjani faced new challenges affecting medical education. She held positions on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and national Council of Student Government Presidents (COSGP) association, where she served as a Regional Wellness Director. She also worked closely with her school administration and colleagues to fight the pandemic. Anjani also served as the Student Site Lead for the Rowan Medicine Vaccine Clinic, successfully administering over 55,000 COVID vaccinations to the South Jersey community. The challenging year further solidified Anjani's love for leadership and passion for medicine.

Outside of medicine, Anjani enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog, Milo. She is a Bollywood enthusiast and hopes to be trained in Indian classical dance! Anjani is excited to start her residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, this upcoming June. She hopes to continue her love for teaching and mentorship by pursuing academic medicine.

Kristin Riddle

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School,
Class of 2022

Kristin Riddle is a northern New Jersey native who was raised in Haworth, NJ. Her interest in medicine was sparked at a young age after a visit to the emergency room. Numerous volunteer and shadowing opportunities in the medical field since that visit confirmed her unwavering desire to pursue a career in medicine. Kristin earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from New York University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the National Academic Honor Society, and Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in psychology.

Kristin is currently a fourth-year medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). She was recently inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society and awarded the designation of Rutgers Rising Star. She is currently a peer mentor for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Minority Mentorship Program, AOA Mentorship Program, and Embracing New Goals to Adapt, Grow, and Evolve (ENGAGE) Program. She is a wellness coach for NJMS Peer Wellness, a co-lead for the American College of Physicians of New Jersey (ACP NJ) Student Committee, and a student researcher.


Kristin is an aspiring med-peds physician who looks forward to providing care to patients of all ages. She aims to practice as a hospitalist and primary care physician at an academic institution and work with underserved communities. She hopes to have a role in medical education as well as serve as a mentor to both students and residents. After graduation, she will begin her residency in the combined internal medicine and pediatrics program at Rutgers NJMS. Outside of her studies, Kristin enjoys hanging out with her family and friends, cycling indoors and outdoors, playing boardgames, hiking, going to sporting events and playing with her dog, Ellie.

Anna Tas

Seton Hall University School of Health and Medical Sciences,
Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2022

Anna Tas was born and raised in Tewksbury, NJ, and currently resides in East Windsor, NJ. After graduating from Amherst College in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Anna decided to return to her NJ hometown to work as a 5th grade teacher at her former middle school. Through her time teaching, Anna’s love for science grew, and Anna realized that the best way to serve her community would be to engage with science through healthcare as a physician assistant.

Anna is currently in her final year of the Masters in Physician Assistant Studies program at Seton Hall University. During her time in graduate school, Anna was selected to work as a graduate assistant, where she is able to combine her passions for teaching and medicine. She enjoys working with the first- and second-year PA students, assisting in the anatomy cadaver lab, guiding students through physical exam skills and reviewing tough lecture material. Anna would love to one day become a professor to continue furthering the education of future physician assistants.

Since science and healthcare are inextricably bound, Anna is committed to being a part of healthcare research. In college, she completed an honors thesis on the behavioral and pharmacological approaches to the treatment of trichotillomania. Currently, as part of her master’s thesis, she is serving as the principal investigator in a research study looking into the factors influencing sunscreen use, including age, race, sex, education level, income and personal/family history of skin cancer. Anna strives to be an active participant in the research process, uncovering and analyzing data that can improve, and perhaps save, her patients’ lives.

After graduation, Anna is eager to use all that she has learned to practice as an empathetic and effective emergency medicine physician assistant. She looks forward to treating the whole patient, deeply engaging with science as a tool to improve lives and continuing to serve and support her community and the state of New Jersey at large. Outside of medicine, Anna enjoys watching horror movies, eating sushi, and spending time with her husband, Elliot, and their pets, a dog named Luke and a cat named Calvin.

Marshall Yuan

Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy,
Class of 2023

Marshall Yuan was born in Silver Spring, MD, and lived in several states, including WI, CA and TN, before arriving in Bridgewater, NJ, at the age of seven. He fostered an early interest in medicine and the pharmaceutical sciences as his father worked as a chemist for the pharmaceutical industry. During high school, he was heavily involved in community service at his local Chinese school, library and hospital. Motivated by curiosity for the sciences and desire to serve the community, he matriculated into the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University.

During his time in pharmacy school, Marshall actively worked to help provide for the underserved populations in New Brunswick. He volunteered for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and participated in diabetes and blood pressure screening clinics in the area. Driven by the needs of this population, he also worked on NJSHP’s Quarters4Meds, a project targeted at raising money for people who could not afford their essential medications. He has also performed research into the protective effects of melatonin against acute kidney injury and is eager to discover more novel treatment options.

Marshall is currently set to graduate from pharmacy school in May 2023. Upon graduating, he will attend the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to earn his medical degree. As a student of both professions, he hopes to optimize patient care by bridging gaps in healthcare. He plans to integrate a physician’s training in pathophysiology with his pharmacy experience to devise creative research approaches. As a future practicing doctor, he intends to use his pharmacy background to navigate complex patient profiles to provide comprehensive care. Outside of pharmacy, Marshall enjoys dancing, practicing piano, cooking and spending time with friends and family.