Eight University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey graduates from 2012 to 2013 have been honored with the Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., MD, Medal of Excellence. One of these graduates is Dr. Karim Yussef Helmy, a resident of Branchburg and an alumnus of Somerville High School.

More than four decades ago, Dr. Stanley Bergen became the founding President of UMDNJ, and his many contributions touched the lives of thousands of students, patients, faculty and staff. Dr. Bergens personal philosophythat dedication to compassionate care helps shape academic excellencebecame UMDNJs defining value. In his honor, the Board of Trustees annually recognizes one individual from each school whose activities inside and out of the classroom embrace Dr. Bergens vision to improve the health and quality of life of all of New Jerseys citizens.

Dr. Helmy, a 2013 graduate of New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) in Newark, was honored with the Bergen Medal of Excellence for his dedication to serving the medical school and the surrounding community. I am very honored and grateful to be the recipient of the Bergen Medal of Excellence, says Dr. Helmy. I have a deep appreciation for all of the support I have received from my family, friends, colleagues and teachers who have afforded me such exciting opportunities. It has been a privilege to work with and learn from such committed and talented people.

During his time at NJMS, Dr. Helmy has strived for academic excellence and achievement in his field. He participated in a summer fellowship program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and successfully applied for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Training Fellowship. Following that research year, he was awarded additional Howard Hughes funding to continue research at Sloan-Kettering. He was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Honor Medical Society, in his junior year.

Dr. Helmy is also known for placing an emphasis on service to the community.

Throughout his time in medical school, Dr. Helmy became active in a number of service organizations at the school and in the community: He mentored elementary-age children through the Early Start Mentoring Program; organized the Student Doctor Day program for local youth interested in the health sciences; educated residents at a Newark halfway house about personal health maintenance; and served as an elected member of student council, a group leader for the peer advising program, a student interviewer for the admissions office, and a member of the preclinical curriculum committee, which evaluates the courses from the first two years of medical school. In recognition of his compassion, sensitivity and respect for others, he was elected to the NJMS Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

This month, Dr. Helmy will begin his residency in Internal Medicine at Columbia/New York Presbyterian Hospital. I enjoyed learning clinical medicine, and I discovered a passion for Internal Medicine. My intention is to continue onto fellowship in Oncology, he says. I hope to build a career as a physician and a scientist both treating patients with cancer and helping to develop the next generation of therapies.

This years Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., MD, Medal of Excellence honorees are:

Karim Yussef Helmy, New Jersey Medical School Jessian Munoz, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Ivan G. Georgiev, New Jersey Dental School Catherine Madurski, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Chukwuemeka S. Nwigwe, School of Health Related Professions Laurie A. Huryk, School of Nursing Brittany Alexis Perry, School of Osteopathic Medicine Jermey Orlando Taylor, School of Public Health

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University of Medicine and Dentistry students honored with Medal of Excellence