The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is delighted to introduce you to the students who wrote the 2026 winning essays of the Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest, which is open to medical, nursing, and, for the first time this year, graduate psychology students. Read the announcement here and learn more about the students, below.
First Place
“The Shape of a Self”
Mohamad Adada
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Mohamad Adada
Mohamad Adada is a third-year medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. He earned his undergraduate degree in public health from the University of Florida. Before medical school, he worked as an operating room assistant at Cleveland Clinic Florida, where he supported orthopedics and neurosurgical cases through room preparation, patient positioning, and operative equipment management in a high-volume surgical environment. He currently serves as Director of the Central Florida Orthopedics Conference. His interest in the medical humanities was shaped by four years as a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline operator and trainer, where he learned that careful listening can be its own form of care. His writing reflects a desire to understand how illness can alter not only function, but personhood. Outside of medicine, he enjoys weightlifting, charcoal grilling, and hiking.
“Hear Her: Before the Silence”
MiaLisa Mossay
Florida State University
MiaLisa Mossay
MiaLisa Mossay is a first-year Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science student at Florida State University. She has experience spanning ambulatory outpatient care, forensic health, and perinatal care. She currently leads care teams across women’s health, pediatrics, immunization services, and primary care nursing operations. Over more than 17 years of service in the United States Air Force, she found her passion for improving care for patients across various stages of life. Helping patients one encounter at a time was meaningful, but she wanted to reach further and ensure care was strengthened at every level. Along the way, she saw how often nurses themselves go without the mentorship and support they need. This realization led her to complete a Master’s in Nursing Education. She stays active in nursing organizations to bring evidence-based change back to her team and patients. Her doctoral work centers on perinatal mental health among military-connected service women, alongside efforts to address gaps in mental health access and evidence-based care for vulnerable populations and veterans in remote settings. She believes in providing compassionate care to patients during vulnerable moments and supporting nurses in order to protect the human connection that makes healing possible.
“From the Chart to the Heart”
Jermon Drake
University of Pittsburgh
Jermon Drake
Jermon Drake is a seventh-year student in the Clinical and Biological and Health Psychology PhD program at the University of Pittsburgh, currently completing his clinical internship in the neuropsychology track at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. He values working collaboratively with patients to provide evidence-based care that identifies personal strengths, growth areas, and strategies for managing cognitive, behavioral, and other challenges. He believes patients bring their own expertise to treatment, and he advocates for patient-centered care that emphasizes respect, humility, and compassion. Outside of clinical practice and research, Jermon enjoys tennis, martial arts, and photography.
Second Place
“At Eye Level”
Shriya Veluri
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine
Shriya Veluri
Shriya Veluri is a rising PGY-1 integrated interventional radiology resident who is especially passionate about making comprehensive, quality-of-life-enhancing care accessible to all. She earned an MD from UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine and an MPH from UT Health Houston School of Public Health. Her experiences in patient education, advocacy, and community-based service have shaped her commitment to humanistic, equitable care, which she hopes to carry forward throughout her training and into a career dedicated to expanding access, dignity, and innovation in medicine.
“Five More Minutes”
Michael Maloney
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Michael Maloney
Michael Maloney is a registered nurse and veteran who brings a unique blend of disciplined military leadership and a strong advocacy for patient-centered care to the field of nursing. His military career began with an enlistment as an Emergency Care Specialist in the Missouri National Guard. He graduated with his BS in Biology at Truman State University as a Distinguished Military Graduate. Following graduation, he was commissioned as an Army Medical Service officer. Michael was medically retired as a Captain in 2023 and is proud to have served honorably in the Armed Forces for eight years. Transitioning his tactical leadership and medical experience into frontline healthcare, Michael graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May 2026. Michael has accepted a position as an emergency care nurse with North Kansas City Health, where he looks forward to bringing his commitment to high- quality, evidence-based care to the Kansas City community. An outdoor enthusiast and lifelong runner, he spends his free time mountain biking, playing the piano, and training for his next marathon.
“The Weight of a Word”
Serena Bradshaw
Howard University
Serena Bradshaw
Serena Bradshaw, a Miami native, is a new Counseling Psychology Ph.D. graduate of Howard University. She earned her undergraduate degree with a double major in Psychology and African American Studies from Florida State University. Clinically, Serena centers underserved and marginalized populations but considers herself a generalist. Her extensive clinical footprint spans individual therapy, group therapy, and psychological assessments across public charter schools, community mental health, private practice, a university counseling center, and now even an intensive eating disorder clinic. Grounded in the belief that everyone deserves to be emotionally well, she is driven throughout her clinical work by a mission to help clients feel deeply seen, heard, and liberated from shame, negative emotions, trauma, and other patterns or experiences that may be holding them back. Academically, her doctoral research explored the intersections of spirituality, relationship satisfaction, and depression endorsement in professional Black women. As a future licensed psychologist, Serena plans to establish a thriving private practice and build a wellness brand to maximize her impact through her skillset and systemic advocacy. In her leisure time, she loves traveling, elevated experiences, and a great workout class with nice music.
Third Place
“Its Own Kind of Saving”
Hannah Willmott
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Hannah Willmott
Hannah Willmott is a medical student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine–Northern Kentucky Campus with a passion for dermatology, preventive medicine, and community health. She is the founder and president of Glow Safe Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sun safety education and skin cancer prevention, particularly in underserved communities. Hannah earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Health Science from the University of Kentucky, graduating summa cum laude. She is committed to combining clinical medicine, education, and advocacy to improve public health and expand access to preventive care.
“The Nurse I Never Met”
Katherine Jannusch
Texas Christian University
Katherine Jannusch
Katie Jannusch is a recent summa cum laude graduate of Texas Christian University’s nursing program and a newly licensed registered nurse. This fall, she will begin the Master of Science in Nursing program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, where she will pursue her goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. Katie’s passion for nursing was inspired by the compassionate care her late sister received from a NICU nurse named Maddie, whose kindness left a lasting impact on her family during an unimaginably difficult time. That experience continues to shape Katie’s commitment to providing empathetic, patient-centered care. Outside of nursing, she enjoys baking, reading, practicing yoga, and spending time outdoors.
“Just Show Up”
Jean Pauline Serrano
University of California, Santa Barbara
Jean Pauline Serrano
Pauline Serrano is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her clinical training spans school-based mental health, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessment, and culturally responsive care for children and adolescents navigating adversity. Across these settings, she has developed a commitment to understanding youth within the relationships, cultures, and systems that shape their lives. Her research centers youth perspectives on the family, school, and community supports that contribute to their well-being, as well as the extent to which interventions and assessments reflect their lived experiences. Through this work, she seeks to advance mental health systems that are evidence-based, equitable, relational, and responsive to the people they are intended to serve. Pauline also teaches undergraduate psychology courses at California State University, Northridge and California State University, Fullerton. She plans to pursue a career as a professor, clinician, and researcher dedicated to improving mental health care for children, adolescents, and their families.
