The Department of Anesthesiology held the 2023 Residents’ Graduation and Awards Ceremony on June 17 at the Champion’s Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Interim Department Chair Greg Janelle, M.D., Associate Chair for Education Timothy W. Martin, M.D., MBA, and many faculty, residents, and staff presented the end of the year awards and graduation certificates. The celebration marks the completion of the anesthesiology residency program for 25 of our residents before some transition into fellowships and teaching appointments with UF while others continue their education elsewhere or enter private practice.
Awards were given in a number of categories to recognize exceptional achievements. Shahrukh Bengali, M.D., was honored multiple times for his efforts, including as Best Resident, Outstanding Senior Resident, for Outstanding Achievement in Critical Care Medicine, and as the Michael E. Mahla Exceptional Resident of the Year. For faculty, Basma Mohamed received the Best Faculty Member and AEO All-Star awards and was recognized for her contributions to the Resident Academic Days. The full list of award recipients is below.
Graduating resident John Harger, M.D., recipient of Outstanding Achievement Awards in both Acute Pain Medicine and Non-Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA), appreciated his time in the program. “It’s been great. We got some really good clinical experience and have seen a lot of pathology. We got to take care of a wide array of people and the training is also unique.”
Andrey suprun, m.d.
“It’s an excellent clinical experience. As a tertiary referral center, we see things that other residents wish they could see before graduating.”
“It’s an excellent clinical experience,” said graduating resident Andrey Suprun, M.D., recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Multispecialty Anesthesiology Award. “As a tertiary referral center, we see things that other residents wish they could see before graduating.”
Nearly 200 people were on hand to celebrate, from family members who flew across the country to spouses and loved ones. Applause and smiles were plentiful as the graduates spoke about their journeys, thanking those who helped them succeed. Many residents spoke specifically about the family environment at UF as being an important and appreciated part of their experience.
“I love it here,” said graduating resident Melissa Petit, M.D., the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Liver & Transplant Anesthesiology Award. “We have a really big class, but I still feel like we all became really good friends. Even when scattered to new rotations every month, we have a group chat which is always going, and everyone would text or call with questions any time, day or night. It’s been a really good experience.”
“There is a really strong family feel here,” said graduating resident Trevor Sudweeks, D.O., who received an Outstanding Achievement in Acute Pain Medicine Award. “The program here has been incredibly supportive. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with for residency.”
Congratulations to each of our 25 resident graduates of the class of 2023!
Chair’s Awards
These recipients were selected by Greg Janelle, M.D., FASE, FASA, for outstanding service to the department.
best faculty member
Basma Mohamed, MBChB
Best Resident Award
Shahrukh Bengali, M.D.
Chair’s Quality Award
Lawrence Caruso, M.D.
Chair’s Research Award
Cameron Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Unsung Hero Award
Michael Arnold, D.O.
Chair’s CRNA Award
Lance Tabb, CRNA
Chair’s CAA Award
David Biel, CAA
Outstanding Resident Awards
The recipients of these awards were selected by departmental faculty.
Outstanding Senior Resident
Shahrukh Bengali, M.D.
Outstanding Junior Resident
Michael Jones, M.D.
Division Awards
These recipients were selected by the faculty in each division for outstanding achievement.
Acute Pain Medicine
John Harger, M.D.
Acute Pain Medicine
Alisha Shah, M.D.
Acute Pain Medicine
Trevor Sudweeks, D.O.
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Jennifer Bromwell, D.O.; Tatsiana Kryvitskaya, M.D.; Jack Schneck, M.D.
Critical Care Medicine
Shahrukh Bengali, M.D.
Critical Care Medicine
Tony Boateng, M.D.
Critical Care Medicine
Kyle Chan, M.D.
Critical Care Medicine
Kevin Marfiak, M.D.
Liver & Transplant Anesthesiology
Matthew McGee, M.D.; Melissa Petit, M.D.
Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine
Shahrukh Bengali, M.D.; Bryan Stevens, M.D.; Joshua Winegar, M.D.
Multispecialty ANESTHESIOLOGY
Andrey Suprun, M.D.
Neuroanesthesiology
Angela Bott, D.O.
Non-Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA)
John Harger, M.D.
Obstetric Anesthesiology
Scott Smith, M.D.
Pediatric Anesthesiology
Karolain Garcia, M.D.; Matthew McGee, M.D.; Nicholas Rahn, M.D.
Perioperative Anesthesiology
Olesia Merinova, M.D., Ph.D.
Transition to Practice
Christopher Massengill, M.D.
VA
Matthew Frakes, D.O.
Resident and CRNA/CAA Awards
These recipients were selected by the residents and our CRNAs and CAAs.
Exceptional CRNA or CAA of the Year
Taja Fricker, CRNA
Distinguished Team Player
Matthew Frakes, D.O.
Michael E. Mahla Exceptional Resident of the Year
Shahrukh Bengali, M.D.
CRNA and CAA Choice Resident of the Year
Matthew Frakes, D.O.
Teaching Awards
These recipients were selected by the graduating residents.
T.W. Andersen Teacher of the Year
Thomas Austin, M.D.
Haven M. Perkins Lifetime Teaching Award
Barys Ihnatsenka, M.D.
Anesthesiology Education Office Awards
With the culmination of the first year of our Resident Academic Days (RADs), the Anesthesiology Education Office honored some faculty who went above and beyond in aid to the education of our residents this year.
- Resident Academic Days Service Awards (for participation in 4 or more RADs): Cole Dooley, M.D.; Brenda Fahy, M.D., MCCM; Michael Fowler, M.D.; Amanda Frantz, M.D.; Sebastian Gatica-Moris, M.D.; Isaac Luria, M.D.; Basma Mohamed, MBChB; Yong G. Peng, M.D., Ph.D.; John Santiago, M.D.; Jeff White, M.D.; Peggy White, M.D.
- AEO All-Star Award: Basma Mohamed, MBChB; Cameron Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Resident Graduates
See a list of our 2023 graduates below and where they are going next.
Juan Acosta, M.D. – UF Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship
Shahrukh Bengali, M.D. – UF Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship
Ryan Cook, D.O. – Private practice at Anesthesia Medical Group in Nashville, TN
Hayden Dohnalek, M.D. – Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University
Lida Esfandiary, M.D. – Private practice at Mercy Health – Fairfield in Cincinnati, OH
Matthew Frakes, D.O. – UF Cardiothoracic Fellowship
Karolain Garcia, M.D. – Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
John Harger, M.D. – Private practice with Ozark Anesthesia Associates in Springfield, MO
Christopher Massengill, M.D. – Private practice at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL
Matthew McGee, M.D. – U.S. Navy at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Andrew Neff, D.O. – Private practice at Mountain West Anesthesia in Lehi, UT
Dharam Persaud-Sharma, M.D., Ph.D. – Chronic Pain Fellowship at Penn State University
Melissa Petit, M.D. – Faculty at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Nicholas Rahn, M.D. – Pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Matthew Reed, M.D. – Private practice at Anesthesia Practice Consultants in Grand Rapids, MI
Jesse Revenis, M.D. – Private practice at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, FL
Miguel Rovira, M.D. – Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Duke University
Jack Schneck, M.D. – Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship at the University of Minnesota
Talles Sidronio, M.D. – Adjunct Faculty at UF Department of Anesthesiology
Colby Skinner, M.D. – Chronic Pain Fellowship with the University of Miami
Scott Smith, M.D. – Private practice at Mountain West Anesthesia in Lehi, UT
Bryan Stevens, M.D. – UF Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship
Trevor Sudweeks, D.O. – Private practice at Anesthesia Associates in Spokane, WA
Andrey Suprun, M.D. – UF Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship
Joshua Winegar, M.D. – UF Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship
Learn more about our residency program.
