- College of Medicine Medical Students
UCF College of Medicine student Ricardo A. Molero Bravo, M.S. recently received the prestigious Chairman’s Recognition Award from the Florida Department of Health’s Board of Medicine. The award honors those who exemplify the professionalism, moral character, compassion and intellect essential to be future leaders of the medical profession.
Ricardo, a rising M-4 student, has worked on clinical rotations with Florida Hospital’s Gynecologic Oncology (FHGO) Department. He has also participated in research with the physicians and scientists there. “It’s really great to be recognized by the chairmen,” Ricardo said. “These are some of the top people when it comes to medicine in Florida.” Ricardo also co-authored a peer-reviewed research article with FHGO Medical Director, Dr. Robert W. Holloway and Director of Clinical Research, Dr. Sarfraz Ahmad.
“Ricardo has been an outstanding medical student who helped in our research investigations related to the use of a FireFly camera,” Dr. Ahmad added. “The camera detects sentinel lymph nodes during robot-assisted hysterectomies for patients with uterine malignancies.” Ricardo hopes to enter an OB-GYN residency next year, and eventually do a fellowship in oncology. He hopes to one day treat gynecological cancers and contribute to the research in the fight against the disease.
Rising second-year student Shimoni Kacheria has also received an award for her work with gynecologic oncology. She is the winner of the Dr. Robert C. Knapp Student Award from Hearing of Ovarian Whisper (HOW) Foundation. The $3,000 scholarship is given to a student who wants to pursue a career in gynecologic oncology. Shimoni has shadowed physicians at FHGO during surgeries and patient consults, and also assists with research. “This has been a wonderful learning experience in the clinical and research setting,” Shimoni said. “The field of gynecologic oncology is appealing to me due to the increasing research and advancement in this field in terms of diagnosis as well as treatment including better outcomes for patients.”
Shimoni will continue her work with Florida Hospital as part of her FIRE (Focused Inquiry and Research Experience) Project at the College of Medicine. First- and second-year students all choose a subject to research with the help of physicians and scientists from across Central Florida. She also worked with Dr. Holloway and Dr. Sarfraz at Florida Hospital. “Shimoni has been a hard-working medical student and we are delighted that the HOW scholarship and FIRE project experience would provide her an excellent externship that may hopefully lead to a career in the sub-specialty area of gynecologic oncology,” he said.
Shimoni is expected to present her research at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting in March 2014. The project will focus on increasing the quality of life for patients who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer.