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The 2018 Karnezis Research Scholarship

An orthopedic surgeon at Advocate Health Care, Tom Karnezis, MD’88, is an active and generous alumnus. In 2017, Dr. Karnezis established the Karnezis Research Scholarship with two goals. The first is to recognize and reward achievement in research for a graduating student who is participating in the Senior Scientific Session. The second is to reduce debt for the recipient by applying funds towards student loans in order to reduce overall debt as well as future interest payments.

 

Dr. Karnezis with Ava Ferguson Bryan

 

This year’s recipient, Ava Ferguson Bryan, grew up in Dallas and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She spent four years after college earning a graduate degree in the humanities, working as a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, and completing pre-medical requirements before matriculating at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. While at Pritzker, Ava took a year off to conduct research in obstetrics and gynecology under the guidance of Julie Chor, MD, MPH, for which she received funding from both the Institute for Translational Medicine and the Alpha Omega Alpha Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship. A committed institutional citizen, Ava has been integrally involved in the admissions process, serving as a student member of the Admissions Committee as well as Revisit Co-Chair in 2017. Ava was a peer educator for multiple classes and has been active in Physicians for a National Health Program and the Ultmann Fund. Next year, Ava will continue her medical education at the University of Chicago Medicine as a resident in general surgery.

Thank you to Dr. Karnezis for his unwavering support of our students and their work, and congratulations to Ava for her award.