HONOREE

Siham Sherif, a third-year Master of Occupational Therapy student, is known across her department for her academic excellence, professionalism, and commitment to the community. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the program, while also participating in many leadership and volunteer activities.

Prior to becoming a student at UTHSC, she founded and was president of the Eritrean-Ethiopian Student Association (in 2019) at the University of North Carolina, was a tutor in a Gross Anatomy lab, and was a supervisor of Facilities and Operations at the UNC Campus Recreation Center.

Siham has demonstrated excellence in scholarship since her didactic coursework. She and several classmates presented a poster at the 2022 Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference titled, “Effects of Sensory Intervention on Neurological Development in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Critically Appraised Topic.”

She is a board member of the Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center, a student-run pro-bono clinic for uninsured or underinsured Tennesseans, and served as the secretary of the Delta Zeta Chapter of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s honor society, Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE). Siham also served as a gross anatomy teaching assistant, providing support to occupational therapy and physical therapy students.

In addition to exhibiting leadership at UTHSC, she also volunteers at the Memphis Islamic Center, where she has helped set up and run community health fairs, COVID vaccination events, and dinners for families in need during Ramadan. She is also a Youth Head Soccer Coach, where she works with children ages two to eight years old.

Savannah Bush has truly distinguished herself in outstanding academic achievement and community service. At UTHSC, she has undoubtedly excelled academically while being professional and engaged as a student leader. She is a fourthyear student in the College of Medicine and will graduate with the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in May 2023.

Savannah is not only a scholar, but she also gives back. She serves on the Wellness Committee, a student-led group that is essential to helping students manage the responsibilities of medical school in a healthy way. Savannah shows compassion to fellow students as the Class of 2023 Aid for Impaired Medical Student (AIMS) representative and as a member of the Diversity Coalition. As an advocate for student success, Savannah represents the College of Medicine as a member of the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR). Through her work with OSR, she provides necessary input to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and its Council of Deans, impacting the medical student community at UTHSC and across the nation.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Savannah works with student leaders to select speakers for the Inspire Series which invites notable physicians to share their passion and drive for medicine, emphasizing humanism and mentorship, to combat apathy and build resilience to burnout. After graduating, she plans to begin residency in pediatrics and hopes to have a career in medical education.