The School of Medicine Dean’s Office held its faculty awards ceremony on January 17, 2024 in the Claude Moore Medical Education Building. This annual event recognizes faculty for their lasting impact on the success of our students and trainees, patients, colleagues, and the advancement of science and medicine. Check out these photos of the event and watch the recording of the awards presentations.
“These distinguished awards acknowledge the amazing dedication and commitment of our faculty to teaching, education and mentorship, clinical excellence, research excellence, and leadership,” says School of Medicine Dean Melina Kibbe, MD.
The ceremony also honors endowed professorship electees. Endowed professorships are made possible by generous gifts from donors, which allows the School of Medicine to recruit and retain some of the best and brightest physicians and scientists in the world. “The School of Medicine endowments are vital to our community and our mission and they strengthen everything we do,” states Kibbe.
The awards ceremony was attended by about 100 awardees and their families, department chairs, nominators, and committee members. Dean Melina Kibbe, MD, provided a welcome and opening remarks. Awards were presented by Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development Sue Pollart, MD, Timothy Bender, PhD; Meg Keeley, MD, Monica Lawrence, MD, Jeff Martens, PhD, Kate McManus, MD, Dana Redick, MD, Mike Ryan, MD, and Megan Tracci, MD.
Recipients were thrilled and deeply honored to be acknowledged for their dedication and commitment to teaching, education and mentorship, clinical excellence, research excellence, and leadership.
Enjoy these photos from the event!
Read How Some Honorees Reacted
“I am honored to receive recognition for my contributions to medical education at the University of Virginia. To be included in the list of Harrison Distinguished Educators, who have left an indelible mark on this institution, is both humbling and inspiring. As I reflect on my journey, I am grateful for the mentors among them who have influenced my teaching style. When I first arrived nearly 15 years ago, my aspirations were centered around clinical practice and research. However, the transformative experience of teaching captivated me, and with incredible support from deans, department chairs, and division chiefs, I have been able to pursue my passion for education. I consider myself fortunate to have a position at UVA that not only allows me to practice medicine, but also affords me the opportunity to impart these invaluable lessons at the UME, GME, and CME levels.” —Neeral Shah, MD, Professor of Medicine/GI, David A. Harrison Distinguished Educator Award winner
“Receiving the Sharon Hostler Women in Medicine Leadership Award is particularly meaningful to me as I was fortunate to have worked with and been mentored by Sharon Hostler when I was a junior faculty member. She was a wonderful role model and I would be delighted to contribute even a fraction of what she has done for faculty development and supporting women in medicine.” —Pamela Mason, MD, Professor of Medicine, Sharon L. Hostler Women in Medicine Leadership Award winner
“I am appreciative to the faculty who nominated me and grateful to the Dean’s Office for selecting me for this award. It is an honor to receive this inaugural award and to be reminded that even small acts of mentorship, guidance and advocacy can have a profound effect on the careers of other faculty. In my own career I have benefitted greatly by having wonderful mentors and I have welcomed the opportunity to serve in this role for others.” —Mark Conaway, PhD, Professor of Public Health Sciences, Dean’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentorship winner
“We are very excited to have the research and outreach of our Community-Based Health Equity Research Program recognized by Dean Kibbe and the School of Medicine. Our research directly impacts the lives of children and adults living in the rural communities of the Cancer Center’s catchment area by helping reduce risks for cancer including obesity, increasing screening rates, and improving the quality of life of cancer survivors. The team science success of our program faculty are largely attributed to the dedication of our professional staff and post-doctoral associates, as well as our collaborations with many other academic and community partners.” —Jamie Zoellner, PhD, Professor of Public Health Sciences, Becca Krukowski, PhD, Professor of Public Health Sciences, and Kathleen Porter, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences, Community-based Health Equity Research Program (CBHE) Team, Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, Team Science winner
View the full list of 2023 School of Medicine faculty award recipients and endowed professorships on the Faculty Affairs & Development website.
Watch the awards presentation recording.
Nominations for Next Year’s Awards
Planning is already underway for next year’s awards. The Office of Faculty Affairs and Development will send a Call for Nominations to the School of Medicine in the next week, with nominations packets due March 25, 2024.
Learn more about the criteria and nomination process for each award.
Filed Under: Faculty, Featured, Honors & Awards