Awards and Recognition

Jane Kirtley is quoted in a New York Times story about a free speech and a fence with Black Lives Matter written on it; Joel Wu is quoted in a Star Tribune story about the debate around vaccine passports; Rebecca Wurtz is quoted in a Kaiser Health News story about more women than men getting the COVID vaccine; Michelle Phelps is quoted in a Washington Post story about policing in America in the midst of the Derek Chauvin trial; Akshay Rao is quoted in the Star Tribune about Minnesota companies weighing in among those supporting voting rights; Marc Jenkins is interviewed in the CBS Local story, “Why Are Vaccines Injected Into Our Arms?”; Christopher Uggen is quoted in a New York Times story about a woman sentenced to five years in prison for voting; Joseph Gaugler is quoted in a National Public Radio story about what is in Biden’s $400 billion plan to support families’ long-term health needs; Peter Makovicky is quoted in a Popular Science story about a newly discovered dinosaur.

The Distinguished McKnight University Professorship program recognizes outstanding faculty members who have recently achieved full professor status. The newly named Distinguished McKnight University Professors are: 

Russell J. D. Holmes, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, College of Science and Engineering

Panayiota (Pani) Kendeou, Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development

Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health

Vanessa G. Lee, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts

Dylan B. Millet, Soil, Water and Climate, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences

Michael J. Silverman, Music, College of Liberal Arts 

Mark J. Thomas, Neuroscience, Medical School

Learn more about each of the recipients. 

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is one of two hubs to receive a $4.5 million grant from the Veterans Health Administration to support an expansion in lung cancer screenings and research among veterans. Medical School researchers Chris Wendt and Mark Klein, who also practice at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, will lead the grant, along with a third researcher from the Omaha VA Medical Center.

Danielle Kilgo is quoted in The Independent UK about Minnesota journalists of color who are changing the way policing is covered in America amid the Derek Chauvin trial; Myron Frans and Ann Masten are quoted in a Minnesota Daily story about American Rescue Plan relief funds coming to the U of M; Joan Gabel is quoted in a Washington Post story about the mental health crisis on college campuses and how the pandemic is making it worse; Suzanne Driessen is quoted in the New York Times story, “Tools and Tips for Freezing Food So Nothing Goes to Waste”; Pinar Karaca-Mandic and Michael Osterholm are quoted in a National Public Radio story about what might be behind a potential fourth surge of COVID-19; Sophia Albott is interviewed for a KSTP-TV story about why shaming vaccine skeptics isn’t the best approach; Elizabeth Wrigley-Field is quoted in a USA Today story about COVID as the third leading cause of death in 2020; Roli Dwivedi is quoted in a Sahan Journal story about Minnesota imams battling vaccine hesitancy among the faithful; Jean Larson and Kristi Flynn are quoted in the Lake Minnetonka Magazine story, “Go Play Outside”; Yingling Fan is quoted in Time about whether public transit can survive the pandemic; Nicole LaVoi is quoted in the Christian Science Monitor about why more women are coaching men’s teams.

Eleven faculty at the School of Nursing were elected as Distinguished Fellows of the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in Nursing, the most ever in the School of Nursing’s history. The prestigious honor acknowledges their outstanding achievements and recognizes them as a leaders in the profession.

Carlson School’s COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project was recognized by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) as a 2021 Innovations that Inspire award winner. The COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project is a collaborative effort between the two centers within the Carlson School: the Medical Industry Leadership Institute and the Management Information Systems Research Center. The project collects, tracks, and publicly reports daily COVID-19 hospitalizations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data has uncovered important insights that can help states and hospitals better manage infection rates and patient caseloads.

The project was spearheaded by faculty members Pinar Karaca-Mandic, Soumya Sen, and Dr. Archelle Georgiou. Learn more about the project and the award.
 

Kristin Hogquist, the David M. Brown professor and vice chair for Research in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has been named a 2021 Distinguished Fellow by The American Association of Immunologists. Hogquist is one of 16 others to be recognized for dedicating over 25 years toward excellence in research, leadership and education.

Professor Deborah Roedder John has been named a Fellow by the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP), one of the most prestigious honors in her field. John, the Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Marketing, was one of just three to earn the distinction this year, the highest honor given by the organization. The award recognizes senior scholars who received a doctoral degree more than 15 years ago and who have made outstanding and unusual contributions to consumer psychology through both their research and their service. John is a leading expert in consumer behavior and specializes in consumer responses to brand and brand strategies, as well as children’s consumer behavior.  

University of Minnesota doctoral students Cassandra Silveira and Ryan Wold are the newest members of the John DePodesta Education Innovation Fellowship Program. The fellowship, a partnership between Minneapolis-based ECMC Group and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, is designed for U of M graduate or PhD students in business, public policy, sociology, or education, who will have the ability to test or develop plans to launch a new venture or co-design new programs in partnership with existing educational organizations that seek to improve the quality of postsecondary education. 

Erika Lee, Richard Lee, and Jigna Desai, are quoted in the Minnesota Daily story about anti-Asian violence in America; Kate Adamala is quoted in the New Scientist Magazine story, “Artificial life made in lab can grow and divide like natural bacteria”; James Kakalios is quoted in the Star Tribune about which superhero to call if the Suez Canal gets plugged again; Michael Osterholm is quoted in a Star Tribune story about how Minnesota confirmed the nation's first Brazilian COVID-19 variant case; Sally Berryman writes in the Rochester Post-Bulletin about gun violence as a public health crisis; Jane Kirtley is quoted in a BBC story about why the role of TV cameras could come into focus at the Derek Chauvin trial; Beverly Durgan, Lori Rothstein, Jocelyn Hernandez-Swanson, and Toby Spanier are featured in a Star Tribune story about Extension’s work, from ag to anti-racism; Michael Osterholm is quoted at STAT News about how Congress is working to prepare America to fight the next pandemic; Neil Carlson is the quoted in a CBS Local story, “U Of M Researchers Search For The Perfect Face Mask Fit”; Robert Tranquillo is quoted in a U.S. News and World Report story about U of M lab made heart valves that can grow with pediatric patients; Tucker Marks and Bill Doherty are quoted in a Minnesota Reformer story about how the pandemic has shown the flaws of American individualism; Emily Vraga is quoted in the Axios story, “COVID-19's misinformation wake-up call.”