Celebrating the Class of 2026: PM&R Graduation and Awards
On June 12, 2026, the UT Southwestern PM&R Department celebrated its Class of 2026 resident graduates, along with brain injury medicine fellowship graduate Chiamaka Sonubi, M.D., and interventional spine and musculoskeletal fellowship graduate Trevor Mordhorst, M.D.
The celebration took place at Union Station in the heart of Dallas. The night was filled with joy, laughter, and celebration of the graduates’ many accomplishments during their training at UTSW PM&R.
Numerous awards were presented to faculty and residents. The UTSW PM&R Faculty Attendings of the Year awards went to Karen Kowalske, M.D., and Haibi (Daniel) Cai, M.D. Dr. Kowalske, who has been an integral part of UTSW PM&R for many years, called this one of her greatest accomplishments, as she had never won the award before.
Resident Awards
- Amanda Seemann, D.O. – Highest Self-Assessment Exam (SAE) score
- Josh Kaseff, M.D. – Highest EMG SAE score
- Casey Salandra, D.O., Imran Murtuza, M.D., and John Hunton, M.D. – Best Resident Research Award
- Imran Murtuza, M.D. – Arete Award (Altruism)
- Imran Murtuza, M.D. – Senior of the Year
After the awards presentation, Kelly Scott, M.D., our Residency Program Director, gave heartfelt thank yous, congratulations, and goodbyes to the graduating senior residents. A special thank you was given to the former chief residents – Lindsey Kim, M.D., Imran Murtuza, M.D., and Casey Salandra, D.O. – for all their hard work.
Graduating Residents: Where Are They Going?
- Casey Salandra, D.O. – University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Pain Medicine Fellowship
- Joshua Kaseff, M.D. – University of Colorado Pediatric Rehabilitation Fellowship
- Alejandro Rodriguez, M.D. – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare (UCLA) Pain Medicine Fellowship
- Mia Robb-Stahler, D.O. – Medical University of South Carolina Pain Medicine Fellowship
- Lindsey Kim, M.D. – University of New Mexico Non-operative Sports Medicine Fellowship
- Lauren O’Keefe, M.D. – Northwestern University – Woodstock General Rehabilitation
- Amanda Seemann, D.O. – University of Colorado Health Fort Collins Outpatient General Physiatrist
- Nguyen Tran, M.D. – Encompass Inpatient Rehabilitation, Arlington, TX
- M. Imran Murtuza, M.D. – Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Pain Medicine Fellowship
Lastly, the night concluded with the current Chief Residents – Niran Vijayaraghavan, M.D., Grace Meehan, D.O., and Jeremiah Ling, M.D. – presenting a special senior resident celebration with personalized AI-generated scenes encapsulating memories, values, and personalities of each of the graduating residents.
We congratulate all the graduates once again and thank them for their contributions to UTSW and their dedication and passion for learning during their time here!