Medical students honored at 2026 Mizzou 18 Award ceremony

Three University of Missouri School of Medicine medical students were recently honored at the annual Mizzou 18 Award ceremony. Presented by the Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board, the award recognizes 18 outstanding Mizzou graduate and professional students in the last year of their degree eligibility.

Terrell Christian, Jr.

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Residency Match: Preliminary Surgery at Kaiser Permanente (California) and Integrated Interventional Radiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Maryland)
Mentor: Todd Vogel, MD – Division of Vascular Surgery

Ashwin Garlapaty

Hometown: Eureka, Missouri
Residency Match: Orthopaedic Surgery at MU Health Care (Missouri)
Mentor: Brett Crist, MD – Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Michaela Thomson

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri
Residency Match: Family Medicine at University of Chicago Medical Center (Illinois)
Mentor: Nathan Beucke, MD – Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Mizzou 18 Award winners are chosen for their world-class research, collaboration with faculty and staff, and their demonstrated leadership with undergraduate students. The Class of 2026 honorees represent a variety of degree programs, activities and organizations from across campus.

Each recipient also chose a Mizzou faculty or staff member to be recognized for the impact they have made on the lives of students.

Congratulations to Terrell, Ashwin, Michaela and the entire Class of 2026 Mizzou 18 Award recipients!