2016 Academic Year Closes with Graduation Dinner and Awards Celebration
June 2016
The 2016 Emory Urology Residents Graduation Event was held on the evening of June 26 at Magnolia Hall in Piedmont Park, where Emory Urology members gathered to commemorate the achievements of faculty and the graduating class. The outgoing chief residents were Andrew Michigan, MD, Paymon Nourparvar, MD, and Aaron Weiss, MD; the graduating pediatric urology fellow was Michael Garcia-Roig, MD; and the graduating reconstructive urology fellow was Paul Espy, MD.
The celebration began with John Petros, MD, Professor of Urology, presenting then-PGY3 resident Jeffrey Pearl, MD, with the Resident Academic Achievement Award, and Jeff Carney, MD, Assistant Professor of Urology, conferring the Cooner Award for Excellence in Patient Care on Dr. Weiss. In its 22 year history, Dr. Weiss was only the second resident to receive the prestigious award two years in a row, the first being Murphy Townsend, MD, in 1996 and 1997. Later in the program, Dr. Weiss also received the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons Award.
At the conclusion of the main entree, Edwin Smith, MD, former Director of the Emory Pediatric Urology Fellowship, presented Dr. Garcia-Roig with the pediatric fellowship certificate, and Dr. Carney presented Dr. Espy with the reconstructive fellowship certificate. Dr. Garcia-Roig has joined Georgia Urology, PC, and Dr. Epsy is now affiliated with WellStar Medical Group in Marietta.
The awards ceremony continued with Wolfgang Cerwinka, MD, the new Director of the Emory Pediatric Urology Fellowship, presenting Dr. Smith with the Faculty Service Recognition Award. As the prior director of the Pediatric Urology Fellowship, Dr. Smith was instrumental to the program receiving its first ACGME accreditation in 2000, an accreditation that was recently renewed for ten years.
Chad Ritenour, MD, Professor of Urology, then presented the graduating chiefs with their certificates, after which the chiefs honored Peter Nieh, MD, Associate Professor of Urology, with the Resident Education Award. A veteran urologist with clinical and research interests in urological oncology, urinary diversion, cryotherapy, stones, endourology, and minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Nieh joined the Department in 2003. He held prior positions at Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Connecticut, and Lahey Hospital. In a group statement, the chiefs attested: "Dr. Nieh has a track record committed to resident education, is very patient, and is an excellent teacher in the operating room. It was a pleasure to work with him this year."
The final award of the evening was the Distinguished Alumni Award, which Emory Urology Chief Martin Sanda, MD, presented to Bruce Green, MD, Class of 1975.
As is the tradition, the event closed with the always hilarious yet bittersweet chief resident roast and rebuttal.
A few weeks after the graduation, the three former chiefs passed the Qualifying Examination (Part I) for the American Board of Urology, maintaining the 13-year, Emory Urology standard of a 100% pass rate for graduates. Dr. Nourparvar is now with WellStar Medical Group in Marietta, Dr. Michigan is affiliated with Urological Associates of Savannah, and Dr. Weiss has joined our faculty as an Assistant Professor of Urology.
