Western Reserve Hospital celebrated the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program’s 2024 residency graduates at a ceremony on June 17. 

Each year GME recognizes residency program graduates and educators for the culmination of years of formal education and training and pays tribute to the hard work of these truly dedicated individuals. Faculty and guests gathered at the Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls for the ceremony honoring 14 graduates.

Special faculty honors were also bestowed at the ceremony. Dr. Rick Gemma received the 2023-24 Surgery Faculty Award and Dr. Charles Fuenning received the 2023-24 Dr. Hitesh Makkar Medicine Faculty Award. 

Dr. Alicia Bianco was given the Resident Research Excellence Award, which recognizes the exceptional dedication and accomplishments of a resident who has gone above and beyond the requirements of scholarly activity during their residency.   The award is given to the resident who demonstrated outstanding research skills, a strong commitment to advancing medical knowledge, and a significant contribution to their field of study. It also acknowledges exceptional scholarly endeavors and highlights the recipient’s ability to formulate innovative research questions and disseminate their findings effectively, while aiming to inspire other residents to strive for excellence in research, encourage a culture of inquiry within the residency program, and recognize the importance of scholarly activity in advancing medical knowledge.

Congratulations to all of our 2024 honorees and all 2024 residency graduates: