APMA News - July/August 2019 - 20

Congratulations 2019 Students of the Year!
Every year, each of the nine colleges of podiatric medicine selects a
Student of the Year-a student who combines academic excellence
with service to his or her community and advancement of the podiatric profession. The winners at each of the nine schools then
go on to compete in the American Podiatric Medical Students'
Association (APMSA) National Student of the Year competition,
decided by the APMSA Presidents Committee. Read on for profiles
of these nine outstanding students and their exemplary contributions to their schools and the profession at large.

National Student of the Year
Alex Bischoff
Des Moines University College of Podiatric
Medicine and Surgery (DMU-CPMS)
Class of 2020
Bischoff is a fourth-year podiatric medical
student at DMU-CPMS and a graduate of Brigham Young
University. He is heavily involved in the community and at
DMU-CPMS, where he is a member of the Iota Chapter of
Pi Delta National Honor Society. He has also been published in Hallux Magazine, winning second place in the first
annual Hallux Magazine writing competition.

n Vanisaben Patel

Barry University School of
Podiatric Medicine (BUSPM)
Class of 2020
Patel possesses important qualities such as
compassion, dedication, and self-awareness, as well as the
professionalism to interact with colleagues to advocate for
the advancement of the profession. She has shown the ability to balance the challenges of academics with other school
activities while exceling in each area. Patel served as BUSPM
student body president and is currently an APMSA Delegate
representing the Class of 2020.
n Yessika Woo Lee

California School of Podiatric Medicine at
Samuel Merritt University
Class of 2020
Lee organizes events to help fellow students
20 APMA News July/August 2019

with academics. She assisted the first-year class in setting up
a practice objective structured clinical examination and attended its cadaver lab sections to support the students and
answer questions if needed. Lee participated in a medical
mission, serving in San Ysidro, CA, at the US-Mexico border. She consistently places the needs of her classmates and
peers before her own.
n Hendrik Ryan Tan

Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric
Medicine at the Rosalind Franklin
University of Medicine and Science
Class of 2020
Tan received the Dr. Philip Brachman Alumni Association
Scholarship for academic achievement, community outreach, and extracurricular involvement. He is currently a
candidate for admission into the Dr. William M. Scholl
Chapter of the Pi Delta National Honor Society. Tan was
selected to present his abstract poster at the APMA 2017
Annual Scientific Meeting (The National). Tan tutors students and also volunteers in the local community.
n Kristen Brett

Kent State University College of
Podiatric Medicine (KSUCPM)
Class of 2020
Brett has been a member of the Kent State
Student Ambassadors, a service organization comprised of the university's finest students, and has
served as a tutor for multiple courses while also being active in several athletic clubs, including women's basketball
and soccer. She regularly talks with students, in her class
and others, about how to succeed at podiatry school, clerkships, and boards. She helped organize the Annual Alumni
and Student Weekend, as well as other student-run events.
She serves as president of APMSA, allowing her to express
concerns and ideas at a national level. In addition, she lobbied on Capitol Hill on behalf of not only podiatric students, but also the podiatry profession as a whole.
n Frank Felix

Midwestern University Arizona
School of Podiatric Medicine (AZPOD)
Class of 2020
Felix started an AZPOD outreach initiative
to local undergraduate institutions and personally reached out to local prehealth advisors and clubs to

APMA News - July/August 2019

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