Honoring the spirit of medicine and the power of community, the inaugural Golden Keeper Banquet & Awards ceremony on April 18 in downtown Wichita recognized medical students for all they have achieved, as well as faculty, resident physicians and staff, who have served as steadfast guides along students’ paths to becoming the most caring and compassionate physicians possible.

The formal event, which took place at Hyatt Regency Wichita, comes at a “particularly meaningful moment,” since the medical school is just over one year from the opening of the Wichita Biomedical Campus and the expansion of its four-year class, said Laura Tapati, M.D., dean of KU School of Medicine-Wichita. She called the new event “a huge success” and extended gratitude to the Nola Bosin Kimble Estate for allowing the medical school to use the Blackbear Bosin Keeper of the Plains image. The ceremony was also a celebration of everyone who has contributed to creating a close-knit community at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.

“It was such a joy seeing our faculty, residents and student body recognizing one another for their shared dedication to learning and teaching,” Tatpati said. “I am deeply grateful to our Academic & Student Affairs office for creating this beautiful event that celebrates the excellence, mentorship and community that make KU School of Medicine-Wichita extraordinary.”

Bumi Braimah, who received the My Doctor Award and the Leadership & Professionalism Award for fourth-year medical students, said he was grateful and extremely humbled by the awards.

“The fact that so many of my well-regarded classmates and faculty think of me as being deserving of these distinctions is truly breathtaking,” he said. “I only hope that I can someday become as wonderful of a physician as they think I can be and continue to inspire others as they have done for me." 

Faculty and resident awards were presented by the Wichita Medical Student Assembly, with the Thor Jager, M.D., Award going to Samuel Akidiva, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine who also earned the award in 2016. The award, a longstanding tradition at KU School of Medicine-Wichita since 1976, is presented by the graduating class to a faculty member who stimulates student interests, recognizes individual differences and helps cultivate each student’s progress accordingly. Award recipients also portray personal and professional integrity through interactions with peers in community involvement.

For Akidiva, the real reward is seeing his students succeed, and he called it “an honor to see them grow” through challenges, from their first week of medical school to clinicals to residency and even returning to serve as consulting physicians. It’s “such a joy, personally,” he said, to be able to call on a former student who can now help take care of patients, and who has succeeded in practice.

“The reward is in the job itself,” Akidiva said, noting he sees his students as colleagues. “The reward is in teaching. I live for the lightbulb moments.”

Faculty awards:

• Dean’s Award for Clinical Teaching – Catherine Duncan, M.D., Pediatrics
• Thor Jager, M.D., Award – Samuel Akidiva, M.D., Internal Medicine
• Jayhawker, M.D., Award – Pedro Vivar Cruz, M.D., Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Jayhawker, M.D., Resident Award – Betsy Wall, D.O., Surgery
• Spirit of Wichita Award – Pedro Vivar Cruz, M.D., Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Spirit of Kansas Award – Anna Rempel, M.D., Family Medicine
• Outstanding Faculty Awards:
  • James Walker, M.D., Anesthesiology
  • Tessa Rohrberg, M.D., Family Medicine
  • Ashley Robbins, M.D., OB-GYN
  • Robert Wittler, M.D., Pediatrics
  • Kelsey Bourm, M.D., Radiology
  • Christopher Cassidy, M.D., Internal Medicine (Emergency Medicine)
  • Samuel Akidiva, M.D., Internal Medicine
  • Bradley Saunders, M.D., Orthopedics
  • Austin Armstrong, M.D., Psychiatry
  • Sarah Corn, M.D., Surgery

Outstanding Resident Awards:

• David Kurt, M.D., Anesthesiology
• Meagan Phox, D.O., Internal Medicine
• Matthew Van Engen, M.D., Orthopedics
• Tyler Weibelt, M.D., Psychiatry
• Betsy Wall, D.O., Surgery
• Anne Ast, D.O., Family Medicine
• Abigail Moshea, M.D., OB-GYN
• Catherine Duncan, M.D., Pediatrics
• Kyle Sturdy, M.D., Radiology

M4 Student Awards:

• My Doctor Award – Bumi Braimah
• Service to the Community & Beyond Award – Kavya Natesan
• Service to the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Award – Nola Tran
• Leadership & Professionalism Award – Bumi Braimah
• Janet M. Glasgow-Rubin Certificate of Achievement Award – Maggie Ziegler, Elana Goldenberg
• Merck Award – Alicia Farino, Erica Wunderlich
• William J. Smith, M.D., Award for Academic Achievement – Maggie Ziegler
• Janney Family Award – Cameron Wapp
• G. Czarlinsky Award – Madeleine Weishuhn, Dania Jumpa

Golden Keeper Awards:

The Golden Keeper Awards are a new award honoring a medical student from each class who exemplifies outstanding community service, professionalism and commitment to serving peers and the institution, fostering a culture of compassion, leadership and integrity. 2026 Golden Keeper Award recipients include:

• Talia Powers, Class of 2029
• Hassan Sohail, Class of 2028
• Connor Owen, Class of 2027
• Shayla To, Class of 2026

KUSM-W Department Awards:

• Anesthesiology – Cameron Wapp, Robert H. Robinson, M.D., Award; Jack Dubois, Karl E. Becker Jr., M.D., Award
• Internal Medicine – Bumi Braimah, Mahlon H. Delp Award; Anthony Nickel, Roscoe Falls Morton, M.D., FACP Memorial Fund Award
• Family Medicine – Dania Jumpa, Distinguished George E. “Ned” Burket, M.D., Family & Community Medicine Award; Brenda Aguirre-Apodaca, Conrad Osborne, M.D., Family & Community Medicine Award
• OB-GYN – Jaiden Minkevitch and Nicole Thurman, The Daniel K. Roberts Medical Student Award for Excellence in Women’s Health Care
• Pediatrics – Trent Edwards and Maggie Ziegler, Drs. Richard & Diana Guthrie Award for Excellence in Pediatrics
• Psychiatry – Maggie Ziegler, The Ronald L. Martin Clerkship Award; Namie Fotion, The Ronald L. Martin Elective Award
• Surgery – Jonathan Parrot, The George Farha Award for Excellence in Surgery

Outstanding Clerkship Award:

• The Department of Family & Community Medicine at KU School of Medicine-Wichita

View the photo album from the event.

Top, left: Bumi Braimah, at right, fourth-year medical student, greets Internal Medicine faculty members Cynthia Kibet, M.D., and Ali Jahansooz, M.D., during the Golden Keeper Banquet & Awards ceremony.

Above, right: Samuel Akidiva, M.D., associate professor, Internal Medicine, accepts the Thor Jager, M.D., Award from Dean Laura Tapati, M.D.

Above, left: From left to right, Dean Laura Tatpati, M.D., stands with medical students who received the Golden Keeper Award, including Connor Owen, Hassan Sohail, Shayla To and Talia Powers.