Innovators, healers, bridge-builders: UC College of Medicine students earn prestigious 2026 honors

Sarah Geraghty, MD

Sarah Geraghty, MD, one of the College of Medicine's newest Doctor of Medicine graduates, is one of only two students across the entire university to receive the 2026 Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence.

Geraghty's UC journey spans eight years - four as an undergraduate in the medical sciences program and four in medical school - a path that deepened her commitment to service-guided leadership and patient-centered care. A member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, she is recognized by her peers as someone they would trust with the care of their own families. She is also a certified Spanish medical interpreter and qualified bilingual staff member, credentials she has integrated directly into her clinical work to better serve patients from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

One of the defining milestones of her time in the College of Medicine was developing a curriculum to prepare medical students for working with interpreters before entering the clerkship year - a program she designed, built and taught herself and later presented at Grand Rounds.

Dawn Bragg, PhD, associate dean of student affairs at the College of Medicine, sums up what Geraghty has brought to the institution: "Her record of excellence, leadership, compassion and service exemplifies the qualities we strive to cultivate in future physician-leaders."

This summer, Geraghty will begin her residency in medicine-pediatrics at Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center. To those just beginning their UC journeys, she offers this: "Being a Bearcat is a privilege. You will learn a tremendous amount here. I encourage you to be curious, kind and open-minded. You are always more than your grades or your academic success, so dedicating time to your passions is key."

During her time at UC, Geraghty has been actively involved with the UnsCripted Medicine Podcast, the Gold Humanism Honor Society, the Medical Spanish Latino Health Elective, Bearcat Mentors and National Med-Peds Residents' Association.

Rosalyn Davis

Rosalyn Davis graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Science in public health and a Bachelor of Arts in French - spanning both the College of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences - along with certificates in business French, French/English translation studies and global health.

Davis' undergraduate years have been shaped by a commitment to crossing boundaries - linguistic, cultural and geographic. She earned a B2 level French language certification through the DEFLE program in France and completed the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship Program in Tanzania, where she studied Swahili. Her international engagement has also taken her to Brazil, Vietnam and Botswana. At home, she has served as an adviser with the Madeira 4-H Club and been involved with One for the World.

Victoria Cullen, assistant director of the University Honors Program and coordinator of the Biomedical Research and Mentoring Program (RaMP), describes Davis as "a student guided by empathy, curiosity and a vision for a healthier, more just world." Looking ahead, Davis plans to pursue a PhD in global zoonotic epidemiology, with aspirations to contribute to the work of organizations such as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Advika Sumit

Advika Sumit graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Science in medical sciences and a minor in entrepreneurship - a pairing that reflects exactly how she has approached her four years at UC: as an innovator committed to building systems that serve people more fully.

Sumit founded the Brain Tumor Center Companionship Program at UC Health after recognizing the emotional isolation many neurosurgery patients experience during their care. What began with a single observation grew into a 50-plus volunteer support network, developed in collaboration with volunteer boards and head neurosurgeons and is now expanding across departments. She also conducted a spinal surgery readmissions study linking clinical data with county-level social determinants of health, producing machine learning models and a clinician-facing dashboard to flag readmission risk - work she presented nationally at both the American Medical Informatics Association and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Additionally, she developed a 3D model for a joint American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/American Broncho-Esophagological Association workshop to help physicians better understand vocal fold injuries and the healing process. As President of Global Health Advocates, she organized seminars, hosted debates on health disparities and fundraised for global clinics.

Liran Oren, PhD, associate research professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, describes Sumit as "a student whose work across disciplines - spanning engineering, medicine and public health - demonstrates her commitment to using knowledge not for recognition, but for impact."

At the heart of all of it, Sumit says, is something simpler than any data set or device: "I remember the patients who looked up at me with something they hadn't felt in a long time: hope. Hope that they could breathe again. Hope that they could face their grief with renewed strength. Hope that, for once, their care would not be defined by their circumstances, their resources or what they lacked. This is the medicine I believe in."

After graduation, Sumit plans to attend medical school with a long-term goal of pursuing head and neck surgery while also serving in hospital leadership - working at both the clinical and systems level to improve patient care.

During her time at UC, Sumit has been an active member of Global Health Advocates, the University Honors Program, Connections Dual Admissions BS/MD Program, Students Consulting for Nonprofits (SCNO), the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Laryngeal Biomechanics Lab and Senior 100.