Tufts University School of Medicine Students Named 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society Scholars

BOSTON (May 15, 2014) — The Massachusetts Medical Society has recognized students from the state’s medical schools for their outstanding academic performance and community involvement, including four from Tufts University School of Medicine.  Fourth-year medical students Tess Jasinski, Angela Kang, Christian Pulcini, and Joshua St. Louis were named Massachusetts Medical Society Scholars for 2014. Each will receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Society.

“All of us at Tufts University School of Medicine are immensely proud of this year’s Massachusetts Medical Society Scholars,” said Harris A. Berman, M.D., dean of Tufts University School of Medicine and professor of public health and community medicine. “Tess, Angela, Christian and Joshua have demonstrated the highest level of achievement in the classroom, in their clinical training, and in the community.  Following their graduation from Tufts, we know they will go on to become talented and caring doctors in their chosen fields.”

Tess Jasinski – who is originally from Oak Park, Illinois – earned her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University,  majoring in child development.  As a medical student at Tufts, Jasinski volunteered at the Sharewood Clinic, which provides free health care to medically underserved populations, and mentored a pregnant teenager throughout her pregnancy through the Teen Obstetrics Patients and their Students (TOPS) program. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and received the Tufts University Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service.  After earning her medical degree, she will pursue residency training in general surgery at the University of Vermont. 

Angela Kang was raised in Mahwah, New Jersey and earned her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, where she majored in international relations and community health.  Kang is president of the Tufts University School of Medicine Student Council and has served as president of her class for three years. An avid runner, she ran and finished the 2014 Boston Marathon. After earning both her medical degree and a master’s in public health degree from Tufts, Kang will join the Yale Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Training Program in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Christian Pulcini was raised in Palmyra, New York and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester.  He also holds a Master’s in Public Health (M.P.H.) degree from Boston University and a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) from Loyola Marymount University.  As a medical student, Pulcini was selected for membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and is the Medical Student Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.  After graduation from Tufts, Pulcini will do his residency training in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.   

Joshua St. Louis was raised in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he majored in organismic and evolutionary biology.  In addition to his medical degree, St. Louis will also graduate with a Master’s in Public Health degree from Tufts this spring.  He is fluent in four languages and is the music director of Docappella, the School of Medicine’s a cappella group.  After earning his medical degree from Tufts, St. Louis will undergo residency training in family medicine at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. 

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 24,000 physicians and student members, educates and advocates for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and other publications covering 13 specialties. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country.

About Tufts University School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine is an international leader in innovative medical education. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine emphasizes rigorous fundamentals in a dynamic learning environment to educate physicians, scientists, and public health professionals to become leaders in their fields; contribute to the advancement of the sciences basic to medicine through discovery, research, scholarship, and communication, and join with our partner institutions to provide the best care to individuals and communities.

# # #