The Distinguished Medical Student Award from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) is given to a medical student, in any year of training, for outstanding achievement, aptitude, or interest in pathology. The awardee is recommended for recognition by the pathology contact (department chair, program director, or faculty member) at a US allopathic or osteopathic medical school. Nomination period is now closed.
The CAP’s Distinguished Medical Student Award honors the student’s initiative in learning about pathology and participating in pathology-related activities. It intentionally elevates the specialty by leveraging the involvement of pathologists in medical students’ training as they interact prior to and during the selection process.
Criteria
The award is intended to be recommendation-based rather than application-based. While medical schools may have current award criteria and selection mechanisms, ultimately the pathology department chair, program director, or faculty member will recommend the medical student based on the student’s knowledge of/interest in pathology, participation in pathology electives, or activities revolving around pathology.
- The student may be in any year of medical training.
- The student should exhibit knowledge of and enthusiasm for pathology.
- The student should be involved in pathology courses, interest groups, electives, research, or a preceptorship associated with the medical school and/or other organizations outside the medical school.
- The medical school may, at its discretion, use selection criteria and mechanisms already in place in the institution.
- The medical school must complete and submit one electronic nomination to the CAP.
Certificate and Monetary Award
The CAP will provide a frameable certificate and a $250 monetary award to the recipient. These will be sent directly to the institution’s contact for presentation to the recipient.
Award Presentation
It is at the medical school’s discretion as to when to confer the CAP Distinguished Medical Student Award. Options might include giving it at the medical school graduation when excellence awards are presented, during pathology events so the medical student can be recognized with future pathology colleagues, or during interdisciplinary academic awards presentations. Each institution may decide the best time to present the award.
Each institution may decide the best time to present the award; however, it should be presented before the end of the academic year and prior to June 16, 2026. After that date, the CAP will publish the names of award recipients and their respective schools on cap.org.
2026 CAP Distinguished Medical Student Award Winners
The College of American Pathologists proudly recognizes 84 outstanding medical students as recipients of the 2026 CAP Distinguished Medical Student Award. Honored for excellence, leadership, and commitment to pathology and laboratory medicine, these students were nominated by physician mentors from institutions across the United States.
This national recognition highlights the achievements of future leaders in pathology and underscores CAP’s commitment to supporting medical student engagement in the specialty.
Here are the 2026 award winners:
Alexander Soloniuk, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Anna Reed ,George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Annalina Sanfelici, Downstate Health Sciences University
Ashley L. Cummings, Duke University Medical Center
Ashley Godoy, Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Augustin E. Beall, University of California Davis School of Medicine
Barbara Xiong, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Beneshia Robinson, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Bert F. Prince, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Bilal A. Ahmad, University Of Mississippi Medical Center
Brennan K. Burrows, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Bria Ward, Emory University School of Medicine
Brian McCrae, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Carson J. Hebert, Louisiana State University Health New Orleans School of Medicine
Charles J. Robbins, Yale University School of Medicine
Claire Allison, Old Dominion University
Clara C. Cousins, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Daniel Wankmuller, California Northstate University College of Medicine
Ean Plude, Indiana University School of Medicine
Ejun Dean, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Ekaterina Kravets, Northeast Ohio Medical University
Elijah L. Brazel, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Elinor C. Grage, Wake Forest School of Medicine
Emily Acton, University of Illinois
Emily Ballard, UT Southwestern Medical School
Emily Petroni, Vanderbilt Univeristy Medical Center
Emma D. Currin, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Erin M. Jyo, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii
Faith Parrilla, The University of Cincinnati
Griffin Hughes, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Haley Folmar, Uniformed Services University
Hannah Stechman, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – Pennsylvania
Hayley E. Sanchez, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Jacqueline Kunesh, The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Jesus Bazan Villicana, Washington University School of Medicine
Julia W. Yu, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Justin M. Liu, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Kait Marconi, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Karen Sem, University of Florida College of Medicine
Kasey Rigby, Nemours Children’s Hospital
Katy Flannery, Midwestern University – Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Kevin Murgas, Stony Brook University School of Medicine
Kyle Starost, Case Western Reserve University
Lawrence S. Chen, Tufts University School of Medicine
Lena Yu, Des Moines University
Lisa Su, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Lucy Shen, Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
MacKenzie Anderson, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mariah L. Schroeder, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Matthew Leung, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Megan McKerahan, Western University of Health Sciences
Melanie E. Zibrat, University of Arizona College of Medicine
Michelle Ji, WMU Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine
Michelle Yin, Tulane School of Medicine
Mortada Najem, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Nadia Anastasia Pardo, UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine
Nancy L. Chea, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Nathan T. Witteveen, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Neil S. Biswas, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Nicholas Cassidy, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Oluwatosin Ariwodola, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
Parsa Lessani, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Paul Gensbigler, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Philip Economou, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Priya Verbik, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Rachel Camarena, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Rebecca Park, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Health
Remy Braun, University of Kansas
Sanjana Guruswamy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Sarah Tran, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Shelsea Cabral, University of Texas Houston McGovern Medical School
Shonit N. Sharma, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Siddharth Venkatesh, Baylor College of Medicine
Songhee Han, University of Colorado
Sriya Vontela, Penn State College of Medicine
Sydney Sands, Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine
Trey Schexnayder, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport School of Medicine
Tyler Dzuba, University of Rochester
Veronica Martinez-Brockhus, University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
Victoria Reis, Florida Atlantic University, Schmidt College of Medicine
Vincent Lattanze, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
William G. Anderson, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – Georgia
William Hermann, Kansas City University
Yasmin A. Zuch, UC San Diego School of Medicine