Awards and Recognition

Two University of Minnesota Medical School faculty members, Rahel Ghebre, professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, and Leslie Morse, professor and head of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, have been selected to join the 2021-22 class of fellows from the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program for women at Drexel University College of Medicine. The highly prestigious ELAM fellowship is the only program in North America focused on preparing women in medicine for roles in senior leadership. The program is designed to provide relevant experience for leadership in dentistry, schools of medicine, public health, and pharmacy. This year, 73 women were selected to join the program, the largest class in its history. 

William Robiner, professor in the Department of Medicine, has been honored with the Toy Caldwell-Colbert Award for Distinguished Educator in Clinical Psychology for his commitment to education and mentorship of junior psychologists.

In recognition for offering free subscriptions to his Digital Pathology Virtual Microscope Slide Database, Stephen Wiesner, associate professor, Medical Laboratory Sciences, has received the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) Theriot Award. Because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on hundreds of clinical training sites across the country and internationally, numerous subscribers stated they could not have continued teaching without access to this critical resource, preventing delays in graduation for numerous laboratory science students in a time of great need.

University Libraries has received a grant from the State of Minnesota through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Minnesota Historical Society for Minnesota Landscapes: Documenting Environmental History through Archival Sources, a year-long project to examine and describe archival collections related to Minnesota’s environmental history and climate.

Findings and recommendations from a paper, "Social Determinants of Health: Nursing, Health Professions, and Interprofessional Education at the Crossroads”, commissioned by the National Academy of Medicine and produced by the U of M’s National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education contributed to the academy’s report, "The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity." The report sets the gold standard for the profession in the area of health equity for the decade to come. It explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, using technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030. It builds upon the National Center’s experience supporting nurse-led community-academic collaborations.

The Hennepin-University Partnership's (HUP) project to connect the Hennepin County Elections Division with University of Minnesota student volunteers to process absentee ballots has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The award honors innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. Learn more about the partnership.

Jill Foster and Susan Kline are quoted in the Healthline story, “What Our Future Looks Like in a Post-Pandemic COVID-19 World”; Eli Sagor spoke with CBS Local about why there seem to be so many “helicopter seeds” on the ground this year; David Hacker is quoted in an MSN story about what day was the deadliest in U.S. history; research by Stephen Burks is cited in an NPR Planet Money story, "Is There Really A Truck Driver Shortage?"; Jon Oliver is quoted in a CBS Local story about how to prepare for a busy tick season; Randal Barnes is quoted in the Discover Magazine story, “Your Perfect Lawn Is Bad for the Environment. Here's What to Do Instead”; Michele Allen is quoted in a Wisconsin Public Radio story about the desire of local governments to address the health impacts of racism; Keith Mayes is interviewed by KARE 11 about what has and hasn’t changed in the year since George Floyd was murdered; Jodi Dworkin is interviewed in The Current about cutting back on screen time as a family; Aaron Sojourner is cited in the Wall Street Journal about the how this economic recovery is different; Ronald Krebs is quoted in the Star Tribune editorial, “A political but not policy shift in Israel”; Michael Wilson is quoted in the Gizmodo story, “Will We Ever Be Able to 'Talk' With Our Pets?”; subscribe to more media coverage of the University through the newsletter, Today’s News, a systemwide publication from the Office of University Relations.    

With the creation of a new, $50 million endowed scholarship fund, the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management is now better able to attract, retain, and train top scholars who will become future business leaders in Minnesota and beyond. The Carlson Centennial Scholars Program, funded by 15 donors, offers generous scholarship packages to new students. Undergraduate scholarships are renewable for four years while graduate student scholarships last for the duration of the student’s program. Named in honor of the school’s 100th year, Centennial Scholars also receive a stipend for the required international study experience and specialized programming to complement their studies.

With support from a $4.3 million National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grant, the University of Minnesota will be the home of a new Interdisciplinary Consortium for Astrobiology Research (ICAR) program that explores the origins of life. Led by Burckhard Seelig, an associate professor in the College of Biological Sciences, the global research effort includes scientists from five institutions. The collaborative research team will work in the lab and with models to generate potential scenarios for the rise of proteins.

School of Public Health associate professor Rachel Hardeman has been honored with a Bush Fellowship, which recognizes people for their accomplishments, commitment to inclusivity, and potential to do even more for their communities. Hardeman is a nationally known reproductive health equity researcher and Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity. he fellows receive up to $100,000 to use for education and experiences they choose to become more effective and equitable leaders.