CMU medical students create new award to recognize outstanding instruction from residents and fellows

A group of medical students from the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University recently formed a Resident Teaching Award Committee and launched the Fired Up! Resident Teaching Award. The purpose of this award is to celebrate residents and fellows who provide outstanding support through teaching, student mentorship, and by fostering a positive clinical learning environment.

“Mentorship and teaching are some of the most crucial aspects of medical education, especially in the clinical years,” said committee member Angela Shehu. “I felt strongly about joining the committee to create this award because the residents we work with already have so much on their plate, and yet they still go above and beyond to facilitate our learning while we adjust to our new clinical roles. I have been lucky to have worked with exceptional residents that have made an effort to not only help me during my rotation but also offered support and advice for residency applications, Step 2 studying, [and more].”

Nominations are submitted by third- and fourth-year medical students throughout the academic year and reviewed three times annually.  The committee, which includes student representatives from each clinical campus, evaluates the submissions and selects up to six recipients during each review cycle. Selection is guided by the positive impact the nominee has had on learners and influenced, in part, by campus size, residency program presence, and student–resident interaction opportunities.

“Many of us can point to residents who took extra time to answer questions, involve us in patient care, provide thoughtful feedback, or help build our confidence during rotations, stated committee member Jessica Liu. “Those interactions have a lasting impact on our growth as future physicians. We created this award because residents are some of the most impactful teachers in medical training, helping bridge the gap between the classroom and patient care while modeling resilience and compassion.” 

For the inaugural award cycle, the committee received 27 nominations from students across the college’s clerkship locations. After thoughtful review, the winners of the first Fired Up! Resident Awards are:

• Joseph Jolly, M.D. – an emergency medicine resident at CMU Medical Education Partners in Saginaw.
• Kassra Taghizadeh, M.D. – a general surgery Rresident at CMU Medical Education Partners in Saginaw.
• Keith Bouffard, D.O. – an internal medicine resident at CMU Medical Education Partners in Saginaw.
• Samer Dubaisi, D.O. - an internal medicine resident at Henry Ford St. John Hospital in Detroit.
• Adil Mohammed, M.D. – an internal medicine resident at CMU Medical Education Partners in Saginaw.
• Karanvir Takhar, D.O. – an internal medicine resident at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph.
  

In acknowledgment of their dedication and achievement, the award winners will receive a certificate of recognition and a $50 gift card with gratitude for their outstanding commitment to medical education and training.

The Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University was founded in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, in 2010 and was named by Covenant HealthCare in 2025.  The college will soon be moving to its new home in the CMU MyMichigan Health Medical Education building on the MyMichigan Health campus in Saginaw.