
Fitz Tavernier Jr., M.D., MPH, has been inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society - University of Michigan Chapter. He was one of nearly 40 inductees — including 34 medical students, two faculty members, and three house officers — at a ceremony that took place Friday, February 10.
Tavernier, a CA-2 anesthesiology resident, was selected for membership based on his sustained academic and professional excellence, commitment to medical education, and service to the university.
During his time at the University of Michigan Medical School, Tavernier co-founded the company Jerk X Jollof and established an associated 501(c)3 nonprofit aimed at developing educational initiatives to increase both the retention and representation of underrepresented minorities within the STEAM fields. With that, he developed an annual scholarship for graduating high school seniors and undergraduates pursuing STEAM field.
He also has a strong passion for teaching and was awarded Professional Student of the Year by the University of Michigan’s NAACP Chapter and Chemistry Tutor of the Year from Michigan's Science Learning Center. As a resident, Tavernier is a representative on the Department of Anesthesiology’s DEI committee and has given talks to current medical student groups. He also has been invited to conferences such as the Student National Medical Association’s (SNMA) American Medical Education Conference, where he has served as both a panelist and a guest speaker.
Alpha Omega Alpha was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois by Dr. William Root as a medical society “organized for educational purposes exclusively and not for profit, and its aims shall be the promotion of scholarship and research in medical schools, the encouragement of a high standard of character and conduct among medical students and graduates, and the recognition of high attainment in medical science, practice, and related fields.” The Alpha Chapter at the University of Michigan was formed in 1907.