91ÖÆƬ³§

April 21, 2026

The annual Golden Apple Awards recognize outstanding service, teaching and mentoring by 91ÖÆƬ³§ faculty and professional staff. The honorees are nominated by each class of medical students, who vote to determine the award winners.

In a note sent to this year’s recipients, Charles B. Cairns, MD, Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean and senior vice president of medical affairs at 91ÖÆƬ³§, and senior vice president, Drexel Health Operations, thanked the award recipients for their “commitment to creating a rich and supportive learning environment” and helping “prepare the next generation of physicians to serve with humanity and humility.” 

This year, a Golden Apple has been named in honor of Cheryl Hanau, MD, professor and Richard Shuman, MD, Chair of the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, who has received about two dozen awards over her years of service. 

The 2026 Golden Apple Award recipients are:

Student Government Association Award

• Caroline Bush, MS (Philadelphia)

Student Body Award

• Homaira Azim, MD, PhD, Neurobiology & Anatomy (Philadelphia)
• Kathryn Veazey, PhD, MS (West Reading) 

Phase 1, Years 1 & 2

• Brian Murphy, PhD (Philadelphia)
• Cheryl Hanau, MD (Philadelphia)
• Esther Chernak, MD, MPH (Philadelphia)
• Homaira Azim, MD, PhD (Philadelphia)
• Kirsten Larson, PhD (Philadelphia)
• Kathryn Veazey, PhD, MS (West Reading)
• Patrick “Bill” Frank, DC (West Reading) 

Phase 2, Year 3

• Caitlyn Moss, MD (Tower Health, Reading Hospital)
• Jeffrey Andal, MD (Kaiser Permanente – Bay Area)
• Peter Thompson, MD (AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center)
• Syed Ashad, DO (UPMC – Harrisburg)
• Anas Atrash, MD (UPMC – Harrisburg)
• Shawn Mathew, DO (Resident; Tower Health, Reading Hospital)
• Nana Kwasi Appiah, MD (Resident; Reading Hospital)
• Abhishek Dutta, MD (Resident; St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children) 

Phase 3, Year 4

• Matthew Hartman, MD (Allegheny Health Network)
• Lorenzo Rafer, MD (Tower Health, Reading Hospital)
• Andrew Klobuka, MD (Allegheny Health Network)
• Neiman Paw, MD (Kaiser Permanente – Bay Area)
• James B. Reilly, MD (Allegheny Health Network)
• Rajesh Thirumaran, MD (Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital)
• Palwasha Zafar, MD (Resident; Allegheny Health Network)
• Ravishankar Ranganatha, MD (Resident; Allegheny Health Network)