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Sean Bardenett, Samuel Schueler receive 2013 Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate Medical University students Sean Bardenett and Samuel Schueler have been awarded the 2013 Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence from the State University of New York. They were recognized by SUNY for their strong records of academic excellence, leadership, campus involvement and community service.

Bardenett and Schueler are among 243 SUNY students this year to receive the award that consists of a certificate and a medallion, traditionally worn at Commencement.

“By exhibiting excellence in class, on campus, and in their local communities, the recipients of our Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence truly represent the power of SUNY,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher.” We honor them with great pride.”

Sean Bardenett

Bardenett will receive a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree during Commencement May 19. After graduation, he will continue his training with a sports medicine residency in Texas, where he will specialize in sports physical therapy. Next year, he will work with athletes at the Division I college and professional levels.

“I am very honored to receive this award and would like to thank everyone at Upstate for all the opportunities that they have afforded me,” said Bardenett.

Bardenett’s involvement in state and national professional organizations resulted in his participation in the New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA) leadership Development Workshop. He also served as a Central District student representative to attend the NYPTA Board of Directors Assembly. He has been active in working to lobby for and advance the profession of physical therapy through activities in both the state and national professional organizations.

He is distinguished as inaugurating and serving as a lead investigator on the first group of Upstate DPT students to conduct independent research. The study Bardenett and two of his classmates conducted examines the use of injury prevention screening in high school athletes.

Bardenett was selected two years in a row from numerous applicants as a teaching assistant for Upstate’s Movement Analysis Class to teach first- and second- year DPT students. He volunteered in Upstate’s gross anatomy laboratory helping to lead DPT and medical students through their dissections in the cadaver lab, as well as assisting the Syracuse University assistant team physician in teaching local physical therapists in the continuing-education setting.

Committed to improving the quality of life in Central New York, he has volunteered over the past three years at Southwest Community Center, where he organized activities for inner-city youth. He has revitalized and taught the Upstate Boot Camp held for students and employees at Upstate’s Campus Activities Building for two years. He has participated in the Upstate Book Drive and volunteered at the Move Along 5K race held by Upstate’s Physical Therapy Club and has worked to develop the location for Upstate’s Pro-Bono Physical Therapy Clinic.

Bardenett, a native of Onondaga Hill in Syracuse, is a 2006 graduate of Westhill High School. He received a B.S. in biology from SUNY Geneseo in 2010.

Samuel Schueler

Schueler will receive a Doctor of Medicine degree at Commencement May 19. He will begin his residency in internal medicine at Boston University Medical Center.

“I’ve had amazing mentors and inspiring peers in my time at Upstate,” says Schueler. “This university and community have taught me a lot. I am very grateful to everyone who invested time in helping me grow as a clinician, researcher, leader, volunteer, and person. I am fortunate to have had opportunities to contribute, and appreciate being recognized by SUNY.”

Schueler is currently in Nicaragua, where he is volunteering at a health clinic, while furthering his understanding of the region’s culture by learning Spanish. He says his goal is to be skilled enough in the language to treat Spanish-speaking patients during residency and beyond without needing a translator.

While at Upstate, Schueler’s leadership accomplishments have earned him numerous awards and national recognitions. He received a 2012 American Medical Association Foundation Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award, and in 2012, was accepted in the Gold Humanism Honor Society for demonstrating excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service.

He served as president of the Upstate Student Government for two consecutive years; co-founder and editor of the Upstate of Mind magazine; president of the Community Outreach & Preventive Education organization; a student advisory dean; student government representative for the College of Medicine; and assistant project leader of the Gold Humanism curriculum.

His community service is extensive. He has participated in the Keys for Cancer fundraiser; volunteered at Booth House, a facility for homeless and troubled teenagers; and at the Salvation Army After-School program. He also has organized free, public pediatric health fairs and volunteered at free community health clinics.

In 2012 he served as a summer intern/research assistant at the NIH’s National Cancer Institute, Urologic Oncology Branch, and in 2012, his case report was accepted for poster presentation at the 20th European Congress of Psychiatry.

Schueler, a native of Camillus, N.Y., is a 2005 graduate of West Genesee High School. He received his B.S. in biology and society, with a minor in nutritional sciences, from Cornell University in 2009, graduating magna cum laude.

Caption: Sean Bardenett, left, and Samuel Schueler are winners of the 2013 Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence.

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