East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine celebrated commencement on Friday, with 88 students earning their Doctor of Medicine degrees – the college’s largest ever graduating class.
Commencement marks the start of a new chapter for the Class of 2026, 100% of whom matched into residency programs during Match Day in March. Overall, the class will continue their medical training across 29 states, including Tennessee, where 31 students will remain.
Of those staying in the Volunteer State, 14 will complete their residency with ETSU Health. Nearly half of the class will enter primary care residencies, further cementing the Quillen College of Medicine's status as a national leader in the number of graduates it trains for primary care practice.
In April, the college ranked among the top five in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for the number of its graduates practicing in underserved areas for the third consecutive year.
“Though commencement marks the end of many students’ time at ETSU, it also marks the beginning of a new chapter for each of our graduates, all of whom have chosen to dedicate their lives in the service of others,” said Dr. Bill Block, dean of the Quillen College of Medicine and ETSU’s vice president for Clinical Affairs.
The Class of 2026 also represents the first graduating class of Quillen’s Tri-TRAILS program, which allows students to complete their medical degree in three years and match into one of five ETSU Health residencies.
The directed pathway includes an additional eight weeks of clinical experience between the first and second year and the opportunity to complete the pre-clerkship preceptor experience with faculty within a chosen residency program. Tri-TRAILS (Team-based Rural Applied Learning System) includes the integration of basic and clinical sciences with opportunities for early clinical experiences, state-of-the-art interprofessional training and simulation, and multiple service learning and community outreach opportunities.
Dr. Brad Feltis, chair of the Quillen College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, served as the guest speaker.
On Thursday, the college recognized its student award winners in a special ceremony.
Kathryn Elisabeth Godwin received the Dean’s Distinguished Student Honor Award for demonstrating superb clinical skills and the potential for becoming an excellent physician. Godwin was also inducted as a member of the university’s prestigious 1911 Society, which recognizes the university’s most notable graduates from undergraduate, graduate and professional programs.
Godwin also received the H. Cowan Moss Family Medicine and Outstanding Performance Junior Surgical Clerkship awards.
The Leonard Tow Humanism Award was presented to Robin Owen Cotten IV. Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, this award is presented to the student, as judged by peers, who consistently demonstrates compassion and empathy in the delivery of care to patients; illustrates professional behavior by example; demonstrates cultural sensitivity in working with patients, family members and colleagues; adheres to professional and ethical standards; pays attention and is sensitive to the patient’s psychological well-being; and displays concern for the general welfare of the community.
Other awardees included:
• Shreya Visvanathan, Ann Tranum Hawkins Award for Excellence in Women’s Health
• John Tyler Meghreblian, American Academy of Neurology Award
• Ansam Ibrahim Qaddoumi, Cheryl L. McLemore M.D. Memorial Pediatrics Award
• Eric Beecham and Patrick Means, Department of Internal Medicine Award
• Mary Morgan Barron, Department of Pediatrics Award
• Abigail Grace Eastham, Dillard M. Sholes Society Award
• Gunnar Reed Dowell, Dr. Brandon Seaver Memorial Award
• Brian Larsen Wells, Dr. Henry Clay Reister Award
• Trevor Blake Phelps, Dr. Humera B. Chaudhary Memorial Award
• Samuel Asa Milhollin and Sarah Nicole Turnbull, Dr. Jay and Mina Mehta Family Award in Preventative Medicine
• Sean Montgomery, Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award
• Ashlyn Mackenzie Hodges-Wilkes, Hannah Tan and Godwin, Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Award
• David Robert Hollie, James Christopher Corbin Memorial Award in Psychiatry
• Mary Morgan Barron, Kevin Swabe Memorial Award
• Matthew Thomas Etts and Adam Nathanael, Merck Manual Award for Academic Excellence
• Kayla Nicole Willis, Phillip J. Hinton M.D. Career in Surgery Award
• Christian Dakota Blazer and Kristina Hope Gilliam, Ronald S. McCord M.D. Rural Family Medicine Award
• Evann Thomas Fowler, Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians Award
To learn more about the Quillen College of Medicine, or to apply, visit etsu.edu/com/.
