Past Award Recipients
Congratulations
Oscar Axel Gerdner was our 2010 First Place winner as a first year M.D. candidate and merit scholar with the Class of 2014 at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. In 2009 he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in psychology from Georgetown University, where he conducted empirical research culminating in a thesis entitled "Rights and Duties in the Wake of Medical Error Disclosure and Lawsuit Threat: that earned him departmental honors from the Department of Psychology. At Georgetown, he completed a minor concentration in Spanish and was fortunate enough to travel to Mazatlan, Mexico, where he spent the summer of 2008 teaching English as a volunteer in an imporverished, underserved community.
Michael Gibilisco was our 2010 Second Place winnder as a first year dental student at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He graduated in Spring of 2010 with a BS summa cum laude and Honors in an individualized major he created called: Social, Scientific, and Business Studies of Health. During his undergraduated education, he performed Computational Molecular Biology research with Dr. Craig Nelson and composed an honors thesis entitled "Strategic Analysis of a Small Private Dental Practice" about an oral surgery firm in Southwestern Connecticut; overseen by Rexford Santerre at the University of Connecticut School of Business.
In the future, Michael plans on opening a private dental practice, most likely specializing in orthodontics or oral surgery.
Our 2009 First Prize winner was Joshua Keagle, a student in the Masters in Public Health program at the Yale School of Public Health. A Veteran of the U.S. Marines, Joshua also had previous professional experience teaching middle school for Detroit Public Schools, and working as an import/export analyst for JPMorgan Chace Global Trade Services. His essay addressed the committee's topic "Transparency is an initiative which will enable consumers to compare quality and costs of healthcare services amoung providers. Please discuss the implications of transparency on hospitals and physicians in 2009 and the future."
Amy Livezey was our 2009 Second Prize winner. Amy received her BA magna cum laude in sociology from the University of Hartford in 1987. She spent five years with the State of Connecticut's Department of Social Services before joining Danbury Hospital in 1993. She is the Supervisor of Financial Counseling at Danbury, and is pursuing her Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Policy & Management, from New York Medical College. Amy resides in New Fairfield with her husband of 20 years, and their teen-aged daughter.
Robert Nelb is the 2008 undergraduate scholarship winner. Robert is a student at Yale University majoring in Ethics, Politics and Economics in Public Health and will be going on to a Masters in Public Health. Robert's essay responded to our question "Hospitalists: Evidence-based Medicine or Just Another Mirage?"
Daniel Henderson is the 2008 graduate scholarship winner. He is a student at the UConn School of Medicine. Daniel's essay examined the benefits of a Universal Health Care System both economically and socially.
Christina Tracy is the 2007 undergraduate scholarship winner. Christina is a Charter Oak State College student pursuing a B.S. with a concentration in Business Administration. Many of her courses are in Healthcare Administration specifically. She is currently employed by Community Health Network as a Senior Accountant in the Finance Department. Christina's essay responded to our question regarding Pay for-Performance trends in healthcare.
Taylor Spencer is the 2007 graduate scholarship winner. He is a UCONN student completing dual degrees in Public Health (MPH) and Medicine (MD). Taylor's essay also responded to our Pay-for-Performance trends in healthcare.
Misty Carroll is the 2006 undergraduate scholarship winner. Her essay responded to the question "Describe the principles of Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSAs). How are HSAs impacting employers and individuals both financially and with respect to choice, coverage and flexibility? Misty is a full-time student in the Physical Therapy program at the University of Hartford, where, according to the Department Chairman, she has maintained a strong academic record and "has taken a leadership role both in and out of the class setting.
Kelly Goodyear is the 2006 graduate scholarship winner. Kelly is employed by Community Health Network and is a part-time student in the M.S. in Healthcare Administration program at the University of New Haven. Her essay also responded to the question "Describe the principles of Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSAs). How are HSAs impacting employers and individuals both financially and with respect to choice, coverage and flexibility? Kelly is described by a Community Health Network Vice President as not only an exemplary employee and colleague but a compassionate and caring person who never forgets our core business goal.
Megan Smith is the 2005 undergraduate scholarship recipient. Her essay responded to the question "What do you see as the most significant challenge facing the healthcare industry today? What legislation or proposed legislation has the government, state or federal, offered for dealing with this issue? Do you believe that this legislation will contribute to resolving the issue? If so, describe how the situation has improved. Provide factual data to support your position. If not, what would you propose as an alternative solution and why do you believe this solution will be more effective?" She responded that the challenge was the shortage of healthcare workers.
Amy Czerniewski is the 2005 graduate scholarship recipient. Her essay responded to the issue "Discuss the implications of the shortage of healthcare delivery personnel on the delivery of patient care. Describe initiatives that have been used to address this issue. Offer your own practical and feasible solutions on reversing the trend."
Katie Forrester is the 2004 scholarship recipient. Her paper focused on creative approaches to help inform and educate high school students on the many opportunities in the healthcare industry today. If successfully implemented, these approaches may help alleviate the shortages we are experiencing today in many healthcare disciplines.