This page celebrates recipients from the past ten years, highlighting their achievements and the spirit of each award. Explore the stores behind the honors and the individuals who brought them to life.
Robert Cochran Award
Robert C. Cochran, MD, a son of missionaries, spent his youth in China. After finishing school at Deerfield Academy and Princeton University, he went to medical school and joined the Navy. The majority of his career was spent at Bethesda Naval Hospital, where he rose to chief of surgery and tended to some of the most senior members of the government, including Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan. He eventually left Bethesda and joined the faculty at CAMC as a Professor of Surgery in 1986, where he remained for the rest of his career. Dr. Cochran was a staunch advocate of medical student education and served as the clerkship director for many years. He developed the model of educating medical students still used today, with weekly didactic sessions and active participation in resident conferences. This award was developed to honor his legacy after his passing in 2013. It is selected by the medical students to recognize the resident physician who displays excellence in teaching, patient care, student support, compassion, and availability. When medical students are asked to vote on this award, they must answer only one question: “Which resident’s performance would encourage you to choose surgery as a career?”
2017 – Ace O’vil, MD
2018 – Chelsea Knotts, MD
2019 – Shane Monnett, DO
2020 – Chelsea Knotts, MD
2021 – Chelsea Knotts, MD
2022 – Seth Williams, MD
2023 – Seth Williams, MD
2024 – Mark Zelmanski, MD
2025 – Zachary Uzzel, DO
2026 – Zachary Uzzel, DO
Lauren Armistead Award
Lauren Armistead, MD, was the true and rare human being totally committed to the ethical and altruistic principles of medicine. She grew up in North Carolina and attended Vanderbilt University before being accepted at West Virginia University for medical school. After graduating in 2005, she began her residency in general surgery at CAMC. She was tragically killed in a plane accident in December 2006. Dr. Armistead is remembered as a collegial, amiable and diligent resident who touched the lives of everyone she came into contact with. This award was developed in 2008 to memorialize her commitment to surgery and patient care. It is selected by the residents and given to the person who most embodies those traits. The residents who have earned this award over the years have consistently been kind, helpful and dedicated to the practice of surgery.
2017 – Nicholas Sheets, MD
2018 – Jade Gallimore, DO
2019 – Chelsea Knotts, MD
2020 – Chelsea Knotts, MD
2021 – Chelsea Knotts, MD
2022 – Deena Hossino, MD
2023 – Deena Hossino, MD
2024 – Seth Williams, MD
2025 – Seth Williams, MD
2026 – Nathaniel Anderson, MD
Resident Excellence Award
The Resident Excellence Award is an award selected by the faculty. It recognizes the resident who consistently demonstrates attributes consistent with the surgical philosophy. These attributes include diligence, availability, attention to detail, maturity, attitude and efforts toward personal growth and politeness and respect to colleagues, hospital staff and most importantly to the patient.
2018 – Jade Gallimore, DO
2019 – Jade Gallimore, DO
2020 – Jade Gallimore, DO
2021 – Kim Seal, DO
2022 – Ed Tobin, MD
2023 – Ed Tobin, MD
2024 – Ed Tobin, MD
2025 – Nathaniel Anderson, MD
2026 – George Wilson, DO
James P. Boland Award
James P. Boland, MD, FACS, was born and raised in Pennsylvania, where he graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1956. He completed his residency in General Surgery at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia and his fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX. You may have heard of Parkland Hospital, infamous for caring for President Kennedy in 1963. Dr. Boland helped care for Governor Connally, who was also wounded during the assassination. Dr. Boland became a founding member of the Department of Surgery in Charleston, where he helped refine the surgical residency program. He served as the Chairman of the Department of Surgery up until his death in 2011. His legacy lives on in the lives of those he trained, and to honor his memory, the James P. Boland Award was developed. This award is given annually to the surgeon who has made the greatest impact on surgical education.
2017 – Bryan Richmond, MD
2018 – Benjamin Dyer, MD
2019 – Michael Elmore, MD
2020 – Bryan Richmond, MD
2021 – Benjamin Dyer, MD
2022 – Jade Gallimore, DO
2023 – John Deluca, MD
2024 – Benjamin Dyer, MD
2025 – Patrick Suggs, MD
2026 – Jeffrey Lawrence, MD
