A pair of TCOM graduates honored by the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
Two graduates of UNT Health Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine were honored by the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons with a pair of prestigious awards. Dr. Ray L. Morrison, Class of ’86, received the 2025 Guy D. Beaumont Award of Academic Excellence, while Dr. Vincent U. Ohaju, Class of ‘95, received the 2025 Humanitarian Award.
Dr. Morrison spent 25 years practicing general surgery in Tyler and Crockett, Texas, before transitioning to academic medicine. He joined Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Lynchburg, Virginia, as the founding chair of surgery and later served as assistant dean of clinical medicine, all while continuing clinical practice in nearby Bedford.
In 2018, he moved to Louisiana to help launch the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Monroe campus, serving as its founding dean.
Over the years, he’s held roles such as president of the TCOM Alumni Association and chief of staff at hospitals in both Tyler and Crockett. A veteran of the U.S. Army and former medic during the Vietnam era, Morrison recently assisted with the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training in Louisiana.
Dr.Ohaju is a trauma and acute care surgeon with more than 25 years’ experience. In this period, Ohaju has excelled in the care of the patients before him and the empathetic largesse of extending his medical knowledge and skills to the underserved population and those without access to basic health care. Ohaju emigrated from Nigeria in 1986 and began his college education at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, where he obtained his undergraduate degree in biology before coming to TCOM.
Early enough in his medical career, Ohaju began his enormous dedication to helping others beyond his regular employment. He volunteers early and often wherever he works and has dedicated a substantial amount of time to helping in Nigeria, where he was born.
His work in Nigeria began before his graduation from medical school and continued through some expected challenges with the re-establishment of open-heart surgeries in Nigeria after a 10-year hiatus – this work done at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. With the formation of VOOM Foundation (named in honor of his father, who passed away due to a lack of appropriate medical care during his undergraduate education), Dr. Ohaju has led to provision of cardiothoracic surgery and related care to Nigerians, with a focus on indigent patients and those with limited resources.
Today, VOOM Foundation is the primary provider of cardiothoracic surgeries at Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital, Oraifite, Nigeria, and other facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. His work to improve cardiothoracic care in Nigeria is exceptional and continues with plans to establish a dedicated center in Abuja, Nigeria.
Since its founding, the VOOM Foundation has conducted 47 medical missions, performed 341 open-heart surgeries, provided 10,924 non-cost patient screenings, donated 19,864 pounds of medications, and delivered 111,850 hours of educational training.
Both were honored at the recent ACOS Annual Clinical Assembly in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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