Department of Surgery News

SIU Med School Announces Members for Honor Society

Nine new members have been inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.  All nine were inducted at the spring banquet for SIU’s Eta chapter.

Newly elected student members from the Class of 2011 are Blake Cohen, son of Brian and Pam Cohen of Dunlap; Minh-Bao Le, daughter of Thong and Minh-Tam Le of Waterloo; Adam Rodos, son of Jerry and Joyce Rodos of Western Springs; and Mary Sterrett, daughter of Paul and Marguerite Sterrett of New Baden.

Resident physicians from SIU training programs selected were Dr. Brooke French, a plastic surgery resident from Springfield; Dr. Masaya Higuchi, a family medicine resident from Japan; and Dr. Abiy Kelil, an internal medicine resident from Ethiopia.

Dr. Thomas Tarter, SIU associate professor of urology, was elected an honorary faculty member.  Dr. Roxanne Guy, a plastic surgeon in Melbourne, Fla., and 1977 graduate of SIU, was elected an alumni member. 

The AOA volunteer clinical faculty award was presented to Dr. Lynne Barkmeier, a vascular surgeon in Springfield and a volunteer faculty member with SIU since 1989.  Her nominators said Dr. Barkmeier “went above and beyond in teaching medical students.  She took time to explain each step of what she was doing and was happy to talk students through the procedures.”

Election to AOA is based on integrity, leadership, compassion and fairness and scholastic excellence.  The only national honor medical society in the world, AOA recognizes and works to perpetuate excellence in the medical professions.