‘A significant achievement’

Twenty medical students from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine were recently inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

A special ceremony for the 2026 induction was held Oct. 20 at San Marino Club in Troy.

The event featured OUWB leadership, a keynote speaker, and Pamela Benitez, M.D., AOA Delta Chapter Councilor and Secretary, who welcomed the inductees and their guests. She called AOA induction “a significant achievement.”

“The importance of this event is to have an opportunity for the students to be with their families and friends who have supported them through this whole (medical school) endeavor,” she said prior to the ceremony.

“We want to showcase what Alpha Omega Alpha means not only to OUWB, but to the students and how important the achievement is to them,” she added.

Shayaan Aqil was among the five inductees from the OUWB Class of 2028.

“I’m grateful and honored to be recognized for this,” he said. “We have an amazing class and cohort so it’s a great feeling to be recognized even amongst them.”

“I’m happy to be here to be able to celebrate this with my friends and family,” he said.

AOA 101

AOA is an international society recognizing students, alumni, and faculty who dedicate themselves to the medical profession. A 2021 Journal of the American Medical Association article noted AOA membership “is the hallmark of academic achievement in undergraduate medical education, and AOA membership is associated with future success in academic medicine.”

AOA has 138 chapters in medical schools throughout the U.S. and has inducted nearly 200,000 members since its founding in 1902.

More than 50 Nobel Prize winners in physiology, medicine and chemistry have been AOA members. More than 30 of those were elected to AOA prior to earning the Nobel Prize.

The process of becoming inductees starts when students are invited to apply. Qualifying M4s must be in the top quartile of the class based on their first three years of medical school. For M3s, it’s the top 10% of the class and is based on the first two years of medical school. Quartiles are run in the beginning of August. (M3s who didn’t apply or weren’t accepted for induction in 2026 can still apply in their fourth year.)

For their applications, students are asked to list details about awards, leadership, community service, research publications and presentations, and involvement with professional organizations.

For 2026, a committee of nine then reviewed applications. Any identifying information was removed from applications, so committee members didn’t know who they were reviewing.

“These (OUWB inductees) are people who are not just meeting expectations, but they’re they students who are going to that greater extent to showcase how much of a commitment the have to medicine,” said Abhinav Krishnan, Ph.D., associate dean, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

‘Inspired and hopeful’

Benitez and Krishnan presented students with their AOA certificates and pins.

“It feels like an honor and a recognition of all the time and effort that goes into trying to excel and do well,” said Nelson Jones, one of 15 inductees from OUWB’s Class of 2027.

Jones also was appreciative of the opportunity to have his wife, Anna, be part of the event.

“I’m grateful to have my wife here because she definitely played a huge role in allowing me to do what I’ve done,” he said. “It’s been a team effort.”

Other students shared similar feelings.

M4 Eva Neuenschwander called her induction a “huge honor.”

“I’m really humbled because everyone here is so hardworking and passionate about medicine,” she said. “It means a lot … I’m honored.”

Neuenschwander’s husband, Dawson, beamed with pride as Eva’s name was called. Eva said he has been her “rock” and “really helped me through medical school.”

Similarly, M3 Shreya Srivatsan’s mother, father, and grandmother were all in attendance for the ceremony.

“My family is my support system … they’ve been with me through the ups and downs of medical school,” she said. “It means a lot that I’m able to share this night with them.”

“I’m super proud of her and all her achievements, especially this one,” said Nirmala Srvatsan, Shreya’s mother. “It’s nice … a good way to recognize the students who are getting inducted.”

Such feelings of pride for all the inductees were shared by Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, OUWB.

“It not only makes me feel proud, but also inspired and hopeful,” he said.

“This event truly shows us that there is still a passion, commitment, dedication, and desire to make things better.”

‘Not a betrayal …’

The keynote speaker was Michael Genord, M.D., managing director within the Health Plan Practice at VMG Health.  He previously served as executive vice president of Henry Ford Health and as president and CEO of Health Alliance Plan.

His presentation was called “From One Exam Room to the Whole Population.” Genord talked about how his commitment to patient care led him from practicing obstetrics and gynecology to health system and health plan leadership.

Specifically, Genord shared how after 16 years in clinical practice he became concerned that system barriers were keeping many patients from getting the care he recommended. In response, he pursued an MBA and moved into leadership — not because he had lost interest in medicine, but because he wanted to improve care for whole populations.

His message to the AOA inductees was that clinical practice is deeply valuable, but physicians can also serve patients by helping shape the systems around them.  Genord encouraged them to consider leadership roles to help make systems more accessible, equitable, and worthy of patients’ trust.

“It’s not a betrayal of your calling,” he said. “It might just be the fullest expression of it.”