Twenty-two UF medical students recently were recognized for their academic prowess, research capabilities and personal character by election to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

As the only national medical honor society, AOA accepts only members from the top 25 percent of their class, based on their grade-point averages from the third-year clinical clerkships. However, academic achievement is not enough to earn an induction.

Only 17 percent of the class can ultimately be elected, so faculty and residents attend a selection meeting to vote for new members based on personal character, humanism, research and service to the class, College of Medicine and community, said Patrick Duff, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and associate dean for student affairs at the College of Medicine.

“AOA is a unique distinction that is extremely valuable in helping the students secure the residency of their choice,” Duff said. “In fact, some specialties, such as dermatology, plastic surgery and orthopedics, have become so highly competitive that applicants who are not in AOA have a lower chance for acceptance.”

Peter Zavitsanos, a senior medical student, was inducted into both the AOA and the Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

“During medical school I placed educational achievement, service and humanism as priorities, and these goals helped me strive everyday to learn as much as I could and act in a way that I was proud of,” Zavitsanos said. “I seek to hold these values close and carry them with me for the rest of my medical career.”

The following students were inducted into the UF Beta Chapter of the AOA Society Class of 2014: