Congratulations to the winners of the following student awards for the 2020-2021 academic year:

• Samuel Montgomery, SMD ’21, recipient of the second annual Class of 1967 Joseph F. Smiddy, MD Altruism Award. The Class of 1967 established this award in recognition of the lifelong service of their classmate, Joseph F. Smiddy, MD. The award recognizes a fourth-year medical student who has demonstrated selfless service to the medically underserved and generosity in serving the community. As a medical student, he has been active with the UVA chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and has volunteered in the Discover Medicine program, which introduces high school students to medicine through hands-on exposure and mentorship from students and faculty. He has also served on UVA’s Health Community Call Line.
• Onyedikachi (Dika) Aligbe, SMD ’21,  co-recipient of the Maxwell C. Feinman, MD Class of 1954 Community Service Award. This award is presented annually to a fourth-year UVA medical student(s) who has performed outstanding community service in the Charlottesville area. Aligbe’s community service work includes serving her neighbors in Charlottesville as a member of the UVA SNMA chapter, including assisting with the annual sickle cell drive. She has also been involved with the UVA COVID-19 Community Call Line and UVA’s COVID-19 Community Testing Initiative.
• Daniel Giraldo Herrera, SMD ’21, co-recipient of the Maxwell C. Feinman, MD Class of 1954 Community Service Award. Giraldo Herrera has been involved in several outreach efforts of the UVA Latino Health Initiative, including the UVA Department of Medicine COVID-19 Community Testing, the Cardiovascular Initiative Project and Clinica Latina. He has also served as a volunteer interpreter for Sin Barreras.

Congratulations to Samuel, Dika and Daniel and all students who are making a difference through community service.

Learn more about our student awards and funds here.