UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences announces student and faculty award winners for 2026

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — North Dakota’s only interprofessional medical and health sciences college, the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS), presented a number of awards to its M.D. Class of 2026 medical students during its M.D. Commencement festivities on May 1 and 2. 

Several faculty were also honored with awards this past weekend. 

Of the roughly 1,700 physicians in North Dakota, more than 1,300 have clinical faculty appointments at the SMHS, said Marjorie Jenkins, M.D., M.Ed.H.P., FACP, vice president for health affairs and dean of the SMHS. 

“As a community-based institution, our School depends on the dedication and support of our clinical community faculty statewide,” said Jenkins. “We are deeply grateful to these physicians, many of whom are our alumni. Like those who came before these faculty, they provide invaluable teaching, training, and mentoring for our students and residents and work hard to help our School meet its purpose: To serve North Dakota, for the benefit of its people, and to improve the quality of their lives.” 

UND’s medical school leads all North American medical schools in such community appointments. 

FACULTY AWARDS 

The winners of the Dean’s Special Recognition Awards for Outstanding Clinical Faculty were: 

• Supha Arthurs, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with Sanford Health in Bismarck 
• Benjamin Axtman, M.D., Clerkship Director of Surgery with Sanford Health in Bismarck 
• John Bassett, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine with Sanford Health in Fargo 
• Dustin Evans, M.D., Clerkship Director of Surgery for our MILE program at Trinity Health in Minot 
• Stacy Longnecker, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine with Ortonville Area Health Services 
• Brett MacLeod, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with Altru Health System in Grand Forks 
• Rachel Marohl, M.D., Clinical Instructor of Obstetrics & Gynecology with Essentia Health in Bismarck 
• Amna Masood, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry with Sanford Health in Fargo 
• Heidi Philpot, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine with Altru Health System in Grand Forks 
• Michelle Placke, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine with Coal County Community Health Center in Beulah 

The graduating medical student class also selected the following outstanding physicians-teachers at each campus: 

• Timothy Pansegrau, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery - Southwest Campus, Bismarck  
• Kayla Estepp, D.O., Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine - Southeast Campus, Fargo  
• Kathleen Gallagher, M.D., Clinical Instructor of Surgery - Northeast Campus, Grand Forks  
• James Schmidt, M.D., Clinical Instructor of Family & Community Medicine - Northwest Campus, Minot 

STUDENT AWARDS

The North Dakota Medical Association Awards 

• Brailyn Weber, Fargo, N.D.
• Phillip Hoffarth, Shakopee, Minn.
• Cade O’Neill, Butte, Mont.

North Dakota Medical Association Alliance Awards 

• Abby Lund Da Costa, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Mikale Kuntz, Grand Forks, N.D.

North Dakota District Medical Society Awards 

• First District (Fargo): Brailyn Weber, Fargo, N.D., and Emma Weisner, St. Louis Park, Minn. 
• Third District (Grand Forks): Lincoln Kranz, Horace, N.D.
• Fourth District (Minot): Annie Ferguson, Snohomish, Wash.
• Sixth District (Bismarck): Nolan Christenson, Alexandria, Minn.

University Alumni Special Awards 

• Gretchen Anderson, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Jace Otremba, Lakeville, Minn.
• Jacob Tupa, Larimore, N.D.

Dr. John Wahl Memorial Rural Health Scholarship Endowment Award 

• Katie Ruff, Ashley, N.D.

Kokila and Raman Patel, M.D., Family Practice Award 

• William Fleck, Mandan, N.D.

North Dakota Academy of Family Physicians Award 

• William Fleck, Mandan, N.D.
• Regan Lawrence, Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada
• Jonah Muller, Bemidji, Minn.
• Madison Seifert, Bismarck, N.D.
• Nicole Sinclair, Fargo, N.D.
• Rebecca Solloway, Glenburn, N.D. 
• Jenna Steichen, Overland Park, Kan.
• Natalie Zinn, Lake Elmo, Minn.

George and Margaret Seaworth Scholarship Endowment Award  

• Nicole Virgin, Woodbury, Minn.

Dr. Frank E. Stinchfield Award 

• Brailyn Weber, Fargo, N.D.  

Dr. Nadim and Rola Kanafani Koleilat Award 

• Michael Burd, Grand Forks, N.D.

Welsh Award 

• Jace Otremba, Lakeville, Minn.

Lloyd S. Ralston, M.D., Memorial Endowment Award 

• Gretchen Anderson, Grand Forks, N.D.

Altru Clinic Senior Medical Student Award 

• George Beddow, Billings, Mont.
• Miriah Forness, West Fargo, N.D.
• Jacob Tupa, Larimore, N.D. 

Tiongson Humanities Award 

• Katherine Tomczik, Saint Cloud, Minn.

Dr. Louis B. and Thelma K. Silverman Medical Award 

• Bailey Engesether, Bagley, Minn.

Preceptor Recognition Student Scholarship in honor of Dr. Timothy Pansegrau 

• Camille Klindworth, Beulah, N.D.

Glasgow-Rubin Award from the American Medical Women’s Association 

• Jaelyn Baisch, St. Paul, Minn.
• Miriah Forness, West Fargo, N.D.
• Nicole Virgin, Woodbury, Minn.
• Brailyn Weber, Fargo, N.D. 
• Natalie Zinn, Lake Elmo, Minn.

School of Medicine & Health Sciences Medical Education Scholarship 

• Tatiana Roberts, Deland, Fla.

Robert C. Painter, M.D., Internal Medicine Award 

• Wyatt Hahn, Hutchinson, Minn.

American College of Physicians–Department of Internal Medicine Mack V. Traynor Award 

• Jaelyn Baisch, St. Paul, Minn.

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Senior Award 

• Emma Weisner, St. Louis Park, Minn.

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Recognition  

• Annie Ferguson, Snohomish, Wash.
• Kathryn Poolman, Duluth, Minn.
• Blair Stewig, Maple Lake, Minn.
• Alyssa Thielges, LaMoure, N.D.

Department of Neurology Senior Awards 

• Gretchen Anderson, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Cade O’Neill, Butte, Mont.
• Kelly Reishus, Frazee, Minn.

Department of Pathology Recognition 

• Chloe Bakkum, Moorhead, Minn.

Dr. Mike Schlosser Emergency Medicine Scholarship 

• Mikale Kuntz, Grand Forks, N.D.

Bradley Neil Meyer, M.D., Diagnostic Radiology Award 

• Nicholas Mathias, Kindred, N.D.

Dr. Erica Martin-Macintosh & Daniel Macintosh Scholarship  

• Matthew Anderson, Apple Valley, Minn.

Department of Surgery Senior Award 

• Carson Herbert, Thompson, N.D.

Michael Kaspari Recovery Award 

• Carissa Amundson, Moorhead, Minn.

Richard P. Stadter Excellence in Psychiatry Award 

• Phillip Hoffarth, Shakopee, Minn.

Joy M. Query Prize for Social and Behavioral Science 

• Nolan Christenson, Alexandria, Minn.

The Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Honorees 

• Gretchen Anderson, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Kajsa Anderson, Sebeka, Minn.
• Chloe Bakkum, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Michael Burd, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Lincoln Kranz, Horace, N.D.
• Nicholas Mathias, Kindred, N.D.
• Emilee Ohman, Grand Forks, N.D.

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Recognition 

• Matthew Anderson, Apple Valley, Minn.
• Kajsa Anderson, Sebeka, Minn.
• Jaelyn Baisch, St. Paul, Minn.
• Autumn Bertch, Carson, N.D.
• Whitney Carriveau, Mankato, Minn.
• Bailey Engesether, Bagley, Minn.
• Devin Evavold, East Grand Forks, Minn.
• Miriah Forness, West Fargo, N.D.
• Rachel Guyer, Rochester, Minn.
• Carson Herbert, Thompson, N.D.
• Phillip Hoffarth, Shakopee, Minn.
• Cade O’Neill, Butte, Mont.
• Jacob Tupa, Larimore, N.D.
• Nichole Virgin, Woodbury, Minn.
• Brailyn Weber, Fargo, N.D.
• Emma Weisner, St. Louis Park, Minn.
• Natalie Zinn, Lake Elmo, Minn.

Congratulations to all award winners.

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Brian James Schill 
Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations 
UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences 
701.777.6048 direct | 701.777.4305 office 
brian.schill@UND.edu  |  www.und.edu