Awards for the Class of 2026
A group of SMD'26 students at UVA have been honored with awards recognizing service and excellence
Seen above, clockwise from top left: Enkhee Dendev, Claire Thomas, Paul Clancy, and Lucie Lefbom)
The UVA Medical Alumni Association is proud to recognize the following Class of 2026 students for their commitment to community service and excellence. Below, you can read about these awards and find out what this recognition means to these deserving students.
Maxwell C. Feinman, MD, Class of 1954 Community Service Award: Enkhee Dendev
Established by the Class of 1954 and presented annually to a fourth year UVA medical student, this award recognizes a student who has performed outstanding community service in the Charlottesville area, including surrounding counties. Determination of the award recipient is based on the quantity and quality of service and the student’s impact on the community.
“Community service has been the heart of my medical school journey and the most transformative part of my growth. Through my work with Cville Tulips Health Education, the Haven Women’s Health Clinic, and the Birth Sisters of Charlottesville, I have learned that advocacy is inseparable from medicine. These experiences have allowed me to learn from and walk alongside diverse patients and families, reminding me that medicine is not just about treating illness but also about building trust, dignity, and belonging. Receiving this award is a deeply meaningful honor. It affirms the values that inspired me to pursue medicine and encourages me to carry forward a lifelong commitment to service, equity, and advocacy for the patients and families I will be privileged to serve.” – Enkhee Dendev
Patricia F. and Garrett E. Ruhl Psychiatry Award: Claire Thomas
This award recognizes excellence during the psychiatry clerkship and a demonstrated commitment to entering the field of psychiatry. The Ruhl Family, including alumna Parker Ruhl, MD ’06, established this endowed award in memory of their mother, Patricia, who died in June 2021 and in honor of their father, Col. (Ret.) Garrett E. Ruhl. The fund was established to support mental health education in medical training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
“I am deeply grateful for this recognition and inspired by the purpose behind it. In my career, I hope to help patients like Patricia Ruhl find greater comfort, empowerment, and meaning in their lives. Thank you for believing in students like me. Your support motivates me and puts strong wind in my sails as I approach residency and continue training to become a skilled psychiatrist. Within the field of psychiatry, I am especially drawn to consultation-liaison psychiatry and psycho-oncology after my formative experiences caring for my mom and others living with cancer.” – Claire Thomas
Class of 1967 Joseph F. Smiddy, MD Altruism Award: Paul Clancy and Lucie Lefbom
In 2020, the Class of 1967 established this award in recognition of the lifelong service of their classmate, Joseph F. Smiddy, MD. Beginning in 2025, the award will be presented to two fourth-year medical student who has demonstrated selfless service to the medically underserved. Recipients are chosen for displaying reasonable self-sacrifice and generosity in serving others.
“One of the reasons that drove me to the medical field was seeing the transformative level of impact doctors can have on their communities. That same drive led me to start AdmissionsAcademy.org, where we help pre-health students explore career options and navigate the admissions process with accessible guidance. This award is both an honor and a reminder of Dr. Smiddy’s selflessness, an example of how we should all strive to be as future physicians!” – Paul Clancy
“Reducing the burden of language barriers in medicine is something I’ve been passionate about for many years. Here at UVA, I’ve been grateful to learn from and work with Dr. Max Luna who has worked really hard to provide care to Latino immigrants in Charlottesville, and I hope to take the lessons I have learned from him forward in my career to continue this work in other communities. This scholarship has really validated the efforts I have put forth thus far and has motivated me to keep working!” – Lucie Lefbom
