Alumni

2009
	Jean Paul Font, MD Dr. Font was born and grew up in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He obtained his BA in chemistry with honors from University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. While in college, he was chosen to participate on the Minority Access Research Honor program of the NIH and the Summer Honor Undergraduate Research Program at Harvard Medical School. He then attended the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus where he obtained AOA honors during his junior year and graduated as valedictorian of his medical school class.
	Camysha Holmes Wright, MD Dr. Wright is a native Floridian. She obtained her BS in biology and graduated magna cum laude from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL. During college she was a McNair Research Scholar and also participated in the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program during her senior year. Through this program she was afforded the opportunity to attend an NIH Honors Research Course. She then obtained a Master of Public Health degree from Florida A&M University and graduated #1 in her class. She went to medical school at the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC where she graduated with AOA honors. She is married to Michael, and enjoys yoga, body-boarding, reading, and traveling.
2008
	Jeffery A. Buyten, MD 1998 - BS degree, summa cum laude, Microbiology, University of Oklahoma. 2003 - M.D. degree, University of Texas - Southwestern Medical School, Dallas with AOA honors. He and his wife Jenifer have a son, Jonah. His outside interests include sports (basketball, ultimate frisbee), music (played basooon in college), reading.
	Garrett A. Hauptman, MD Dr. Hauptman earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. He earned his M.D. degree from The University of Florida.
	Murtaza Z. Kharodawala, MD Dr. Kharodawala completed medical school in Detroit, Michigan at Wayne State University , where he graduated with AOA honors. Dr. Kharodawala grew up in Michigan with his parents and younger brother. His interests outside the medical field include sports and travel
2007
	Alan L. Cowan, MD Dr. Cowan completed his undergraduate training at Texas A&M University, receiving a degree in Business Analysis and Information Technology. He then attended medical school at UTMB in Galveston, Texas. During this time he was nominated for the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society, and completed several specialized clerkships at institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, and the Royal Hospital of London.
	Jacques Peltier, MD Dr. Peltier is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He attended medical school at Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport where he graduated with AOA honors. Dr. Peltier and his wife Heather have three children.
	Jing Shen, MD Assistant Professor, Dept of Otolaryngology, UTMB, July 2007 Dr. Shen was born and grew up in Shanghai, China. After she completed her high school education in China, she moved to Lake Jackson, Texas in 1992 with her family. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with high honors in biochemistry and molecular biology. She then attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas where she graduated with AOA honors. In June 2007, Dr. Shen completed her residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Upon completing her residency program, she was invited to join the faculty of the Department of Otolaryngology.
2006
	Sam J. Cunningham, MD, PhD Dr. Cunningham was born in Panhandle, Texas . After graduating from Panhandle High School, he attended Texas Tech University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. Dr. Cunningham attended the University of Texas Medical Branch Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences where he received a Masters of Science and Doctorate in molecular biology. After completing medical school at UTMB, Dr. Cunningham completed a one year research fellowship where he studied gene expression in laryngeal cancer.
	Sarah Rodriguez, MD Dr. Rodriguez is a graduate of UTMB medical school. She is married with three children. Her goal is to enter private practice.
	Steven Turner Wright, MD Dr. Wright is a graduate of Texas A&M University, with a BA in biology. He subsequently attended the UTMB School of Medicine where he distinguished himself and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. He has presented research on cartilage grafts and the AAFPRS national meeting in New York, September 2004, and he has published scientific and clinical papers in the Laryngoscope and other peer reviewed journals. After the completion of his residency, Dr. Wright plans to establish his own private practice.
2005
	Glen Porter, MD Dr. Porter grew up in Pinetop, Arizona. He is married to Jana Kunz and has four children, two of whom were born in Galveston. After graduating from Brigham Young University he attended Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed his surgical internship at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB) in the spring of 2001. Glen is very involved with his family and religious community. He likes to ski, jog, read, and sail. His research has been in the area of wound healing. He presented at the 2004 AAOHNS academy meeting on the effects of Mitomycin C on wound healing. He will be entering active duty with the Air Force after completion of his residency. (Jan. 2005)
	Shashidhar Reddy, MD, MPH Dr. Reddy graduated from Lousiana State University medical school as a member of the 6 year accelerated Medical Studies Program, with a Bachelor of Science and MD degrees with AOA honors. He simultaneously obtained his Masters in Public Health from LSUMC-New Orleans. Dr. Reddy's current research includes “Effect of gentamicin or unilateral canal plugging on the vestibulo-ocular reflex after unilateral labyrinthectomy.” Part of this study was presented at the XXIII International Congress of the Barany Society, in Paris France in 2004. Dr. Reddy plans to enter private practice (January 2005)
	Gordon Shields, MD