Ahmed Memon, MD, Resident Physician, Department of Internal Medicine

“Dr. Memon cares for his colleagues and the well-being of his co-residents, medical students, and interdisciplinary staff in the hospital. He makes daily "chocolate rounds" where he stops by all of the work rooms to check in on everyone and spread good cheer. He and his ward team (interns and students) wore basketball jerseys over their scrubs while on long call so they'd be ready for a busy shift! He is a genuinely kind and caring guy, and we are so thankful to have him in our residency program!”

Nominated by: Molly Hillenbrand

Alex Maus, Director of Educational Placements, College of Medicine

“Alex has worked throughout the pandemic to help numerous efforts needed to ensure students are able to participate in their clinical rotations. She was instrumental in coordinating PPE for students and developing policies.”

Nominated by: Danielle Weber

Alexandra Gillotte, Second Year Medical Student, College of Medicine

“As a student curriculum representative and SWC member, Alex passionately advocates for curriculum changes and wellness for her classmates. She is a champion for wellness as one of SWC's social media moderators and a Creating Caring Communities facilitator for the first year class. Alex is an exemplary member of the COM community.”

Nominated by:  Chelsey Miller

Alice Mills, MD, MPH, Director of Career Development, Office of Student Affairs

“Dr. Mills has expanded the number of resources and communication with career advisors and medical students to assure optimal advising during this virtual interview season for our medical students. Dr. Mills remains acutely attuned to students' and advisors' concerns and works both locally and nationally to provide the most current guidance.”

Nominated by: Aurora Bennett, MD

Ameet Chimote, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

"Dr. Chimote's organizational skills and infectious enthusiasm have been invaluable during these unusual times and have allowed us to maintain a vibrant and happy lab. He was instrumental in the re-opening of the lab and in creating a safe and welcome work environment despite the difficulties imposed by the COVID situation."

Nominated by: Laura Conforti, PhD

Amy Itescu, Associate to the Chair, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences

Amy has been the one and only constant for the department during the Pandemic. She's been in the office every day since the March shut-down, and picked up a number of extra tasks such as sorting mail, receiving and delivering packages, checking labs for freezer alarms, and watering abandoned plants. Amy is integral to the running of the department. In addition to her normal duties, Amy has taken the responsibility of receiving packages for the department. This was especially important during the COVID shutdown. Amy voluntarily go down to let deliveries in the locked building and receive any packages that arrived for essential laboratories. This allowed me to focus on my essential experiments and not worry about my supplies not being delivered. Amy has also be the lead for maintaining the cleaning supplies and PPE for the COVID protocols. Anytime I have an issue or need something done, I go to Amy as she knows who to call to fix or get things. I am very grateful for all Amy does for the Department.

Nominated by: Mary Beth Genter PhD, and Stephanie Morris

Amy Zonker, Business Administrator, College of Medicine Operations and Finance

“Amy raises the bar with the quality of work and services she provides as the business administrator for the COM UC Cancer Center's business office. Words cannot express the substantial contributions and dedication towards her work and the services she provides to UC Cancer Center.”

Nominated by: Kelly McDonald

Andrea (Andi) Oaks, Information Tech Manager, CoM Information Technology

“Andi is the mastermind behind MedOneStop. Due to COVID and a shift in the M3 student curriculum, Andi had to get the new rotation information into the system, an entirely different lottery since the rising M3’s were also going to have a change in their curriculum, and provide so many reports.  Andi thinks of so many details and is such a key player in the success of the medical school curriculum.”

Nominated by: Gina Burg

Angela Doud, Program Director, Office of Faculty Affairs and Development

“Angela is organized, meticulous, and so very kind.  She helps those plan faculty workshops and assists in Chair Review committees where she keeps us organized and on track. Angie exudes warmth while being amazingly efficient. She is always readily available, immensely helpful, and encouraging!”

Nominated by: Elizabeth Leenellett, MD

Angela Jackson, Administrative Assistant, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease 

“Angela Jackson will help anyone with anything you need or she will find the person who can help out. She has a wealth of knowledge from her years of experience and is very involved with her team, working on AHA events and working temperature stations in UC offices. She is always willing to help new employees. Angela deserves this award because of the example she sets in her daily work contributing to the success of the COM and UC as a whole!”

Nominated by: Tina Ramey

Angie Duke, Associate To, Department of Internal Medicine

“Angela is known for her helpfulness and positive attitude. She coordinates the intramural funding competition and without her we might have had to delay this opportunity. Her plan for transitioning our funding competition to a virtual format went smoothly. Her dedication and diligence is impressive.”

Nominated by: Yolanda Wess

Anindita Mukherjee, Research Associate, Department of Internal Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease

Anindita is known for her kindness and willingness to step up in demanding situations like what we have during this pandemic. She has been meticulous in arranging the necessary sanitizing tools and social distancing protocols in our (Rajat Madan's ) lab. She is working hard to ensure that our mouse colonies are maintained at the right size so that our financial and animal resources are conserved. We appreciate having her on our team.

Nominated by: Shinsmon Jose

Anita Flesher, Assistant to, CoM Dean’s Office

“Anita is an asset to the CoM. Since COVID began, I have come to her numerous times to find space for certain events that required an in-person meeting. She worked tirelessly to help accommodate our group and she does it with a smile on her face. She is just so unbelievably helpful and I truly appreciate all her efforts.”

Nominated by: Jillian Nolte

Annie Song, Graduate Student, Immunology Graduate Program

“Annie has played a critical role in Immunology PhD program's recruiting department by organizing events and social outings to welcome new students. This provides an important social anchor for new students that relocated to Cincinnati for school especially during COVID when building social ties in a new city is especially difficult. She provides important course guidance and mentor advice.”

Nominated by: Anastasiya Slaughter

April Dostie, Program Director, Educational Affairs

April always has a smile on her face and is willing to help out in any way. During COVID-19 times, she has been responsive and attentive to any need or question that arises. She is great to work with and I have much gratitude she is there for UCCOM.

Nominated by:  Victoria Stump

Aram Zabeti, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

"Dr. Zabeti is consistently available as a teacher and mentor for residents and students alike. Whether it is career or research mentorship, or helping the inpatient team think through a tricky case, Dr. Zabeti is always extremely helpful."

Nominated by: Samuel Marcucci

Ardythe Morrow, PhD, Professor, Department of Environment and Public Health Sciences

"Dr. Morrow has guided the dept. towards addressing systemic racism as a public health crisis. She established a committee, lecture series, and journal club to advocate change. She embraces mentorship of students and junior faculty. She encourages peer mentorship and listens to all voices. She has taken on an informal role as mentor to new departmental faculty by engaging them to speak in her class and to work with her on projects.

Nominated by: Shannon Conrey

Art Pancioli, MD, Chair and Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

“During COVID, Dr. Pancioli lead our department with compassion with weekly Webex meetings that kept us informed and provided a forum to address our concerns. He praised our teamwork and dedication. He reminded us of what was important and closed each meeting with "Take care of yourselves, family, and pets and hug the ones you love." We admire our leader who appreciates us as individuals rather than just a work force!”

Nominated by: Elizabeth Leenellett, MD

Aurora Bennett, MD, Associate Dean, Office of Student Affairs

“Dr. Bennett was extremely helpful throughout the chaos of taking step and transitioning to third year clerkships in the chaos of COVID-19. Her communication and correspondence with students are reliable and thorough. I am grateful that we had her guidance and support throughout a very stressful time.”

Nominated by: Sara Constand

Barb Gadzinski, Registrar, College of Medicine Office of Student Affairs

“Even on the busiest of days, Barb always take the time to help when needed. She is truly the utmost professional. She is positive, kind, treats everyone with respect, and wants to see people succeed. Barb takes great pride in her work and strives to do her part to make our College of Medicine great!”

Nominated by: April Dostie

Barbara J. Walker, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience

"Dr. Walker has devoted effort to ensure the well-being of CoM as well as the Cincinnati community. She has reached out to CoM faculty and staff to teach strategies to minimize stress and anxiety associated with COVID. She has given talks throughout Cincinnati and the COM, emphasizing the importance of mental health and wellness during the pandemic."

Nominated by: Melissa DelBello, MD

Becky Trippel, Program Director, Office of Medical Education 

“I have worked with Becky over the years in the Clinical Skills courses but ongoing as a clerkship director. She always helps me out with computer issues and does so much behind the scenes, all with a minimum of fuss and always with good humor. You really can't ruffle her feathers and she makes the day better for you!”

Nominated by: Corinne Lehmann, MD

Begoña Campos-Naciff, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

“Begona has continued sharing her optimism with everyone in the division during the shutdown. She was always available and reached out to others to make sure they were okay. She helped ensure a safe return to work, concerned with the safety of everyone.”

Nominated by: Laura Conforti, PhD

Beth Horton, Administrative Assistant, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

“Beth is full of incredible good cheer in support of faculty and staff in Division of Cardiology.  She comes in early to make sure virtual meetings are running smoothly and arranges applicant interviews. She helps applicants understand the wonders of UC even before they interview!”

Nominated by: Charles Hattemer, MD

Bette Young, Program Coordinator; Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine PhD Program

“Bette is the Program Coordinator for the Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine PhD Program. She manages the program while making the new students feel welcome. Students know they can go to Bette with concerns and she is willing to set up extra meetings to practice the students' presentations. She attends their presentations to show support. She is dependable and devoted.”

Nominated by: Leah Bischoff

Birgit Ehmer, Research Associate, Department of Cancer and Cell Biology

“Birgit took care of our departmental facilities since March when the pandemic began. She monitored the equipment, organized space to allow for social distancing, and prepared ethanol and sanitizer spray bottles. She also cherished us with beautiful wild flower arrangements on the lunch tables. It is good to know that there a  person who cares in difficult times.”

Nominated by: Maria Czyzyk-Krzeska, PhD

Bryan Mackenzie, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

"Dr. Mackenzie is the lead for the Canvas transition for the Medical Sciences Undergraduate program. He organized Canvas seminars to help faculty and when COVID struck his efforts doubled helping numerous faculty rapidly convert to virtual courses. His efforts have not only saved faculty a lot of time, but his actions have directly led to a better learning experience for students."

Nominated by: Kevin Haworth, PhD

Carissa N. Lester, Research Scientist, Department of Cancer Biology

“Carissa Lester provided help to keep our time-sensitive experiments running in LAMS during March- April 2020. She worked long hours in PPE and provided direct support to an MSTP student.  Additionally, she helped troubleshoot porcine experiments, keeping us updated on potential complications, and was always looking for more ways she could help.”

Nominated by: Christy Holland, PhD

Carrie Heyd, 4th year Medical Student, College of Medicine

“Carrie is an exceptional student and human being. Despite her busy schedule, she goes out of her to support her colleagues. Her kind actions are not expected of anyone but are essential for students to continue learning in this environment.”

Nominated by:  Sunny Chhabra

Catherine Behrmann, Research Associate, Department of Cancer and Cell Biology

“Catherine Behrmann is the go-to researcher in Cancer Biology. She has worked within the Plas Lab for 14 years, leading experimental development of S6K1 targeting in Cancer. She serves as a committee member of the Ohio River Valley Cytometry Association. She organizes experiences for high school classes at UC and volunteers in support of the UC Brain Tumor Center. She contributions greatly to her lab, department, and UC.”

Nominated by: David Plas, PhD and Merissa Pemberton

Charles Prestigiacomo, MD, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery

"In a specialty that is not known for being warm and approachable, Dr. Prestigiacomo stands out for abolishing this stereotype.  One case stands out to me, not due to its uniqueness but for its recency. It was a relatively routine surgery (carotid endarterectomy) where he went out of his way to teach the medical students and challenge the residents, but also invited the surgical staff. He explained the rationale for the surgery and called over each individual, pointing out the relevant anatomy and explaining why the surgery was important for the patient and how each person could help by providing certain instruments at different times, placing the bone wax in certain ways, etc.  Speaking with the circulating nurses and scrub techs afterward, it was obvious that this was not an isolated event.  The scrub tech mentioned how she always looks forward to surgeries with him because she gets to learn about what they are doing and feels like she is making a difference in someone's life.  She recalled him teaching the entire room the week before about cerebral aneurysms -- development, clinical course, and treatments."

Nominated by: Diana Le

Christopher Hall, MD Candidate, 2024

“Chris consistently promotes community building and seeks ways to help others. He always provides positive messages and technical support in our class GroupMe. He has performed countless, small, kind acts, that when considered in their entirety have had an immeasurable impact on the Class of 2024 especially, and the College of Medicine overall.”

Nominated by: Abraham Araya

Christy K. Holland, PhD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Holland has provided incredible support and leadership for our laboratory. She provided guidance for us to be able to remain effective and motivated while working from home. She also attended seminars on how to handle the situation and promote resilience. I am grateful for her unconditional support.”

Nominated by:  Maxime Lafond

D. Anderson Millar, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery

Dr. Millar goes out of his way to welcome his colleagues and encourages them throughout their shift. He makes the day of those around him. He is supportive to student learners, inspiring, and conducts acts of kindness that leaves others feeling moved. He is constantly contributing to the CoM culture of caring.

Nominated by:  Keith Christian

Dana Buesing, Principle Research Assistant, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

“Dana rapidly changed our research activities to make sure everything is safe during COVID. She re-organized our lab to create distanced workspaces.  She also worked to renew our complex IACUC protocol. Her positive, can-do attitude is an example of how to handle difficult situations with determination and grace.”

Nominated by:  Yvonne Ulrich-Lai, PhD

Dani McBride, PhD Candidate, Department of Environmental & Public Health Sciences

"Dani is one of the most encouraging and mindful people I know through my position at UC. Most recently, she has volunteered her time as a student advocate in our department's Anti-Racism Task Force. Desiring to create a safe-space forum within the department for students, faculty, and staff to discuss race and minority issues around public health, Dani collaborated with faculty and other students to start a journal club which meets monthly. Each journal club has a host who chooses an article and leads a related discussion. Choosen articles are meant to incite discussion around race inequity and public health justice. November is the 1st meeting of journal club and will reflect public health issues among Native Americans in honor of National Native American Heritage Month. This is only one example of the many ways I have witnessed Dani lifting others up and creating a culture of positivity within the department."

Nominated by: Angela Larck

Danielle Weber, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

“Dr. Weber has been an essential member of the PPE committee in the hospital and works with residents and students to make sure they have sufficient access to PPE items and appropriate training. She is a leader in bedflow and interdisciplinary huddles. She is a co-teachers for the M1/M2 clinical skills course. She is a champion for learners in the medical school.”

Nominated by: Molly Hillenbrand

David Nolan, Software Application Developer, CoM Information Technology

"David took the lead on developing a virtual MMI system for the College of Medicine Admissions office.  His attention to detail in making the system transition smoothly for both raters and applicants is very much appreciated.  He has worked 10-12 hour days for the last several months in order to bring this project into production."

Nominated by: Andrea Oaks

Dawn Skirpan, Program Manager, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

“Dawn Skirpan is the program manager for the Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program. She has improved operations, from its scientific, regulatory, and organizational perspectives in order to ensure its success. Her work is an example of dedication, productivity, and efficiency. She is the spiritual compass of this important study of aging.”

Nominated by:  Alberto Espay, MD, MSc 

Dustin Calhoun, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

"A household name by nearly every police officer, firefighter and physician in Cincinnati, Dr. Calhoun holds a number of responsibilities and leadership positions for a number of organizations. Just a few of his daily responsibilities include: emergency medicine physician at both UC Medical Center and West Chester Medical Center; UC Health's medical director for emergency management; medical director for Cincinnati Fire Department, Hamilton County Police Association SWAT, Cincinnati Police SWAT, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, Springdale Fire Department, Oxford Fire Department, Bethel-Tate Fire Department, Fairfield Township Fire Department and Washington Township Fire Rescue. Additionally, Dr. Calhoun regularly serves as a spokesperson for UC Health with members of the media, offering his medical expertise in an easy to understand manner for our public. And, this was all before COVID-19.  When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Dustin served as the Incident Commander for UC Health, swiftly and effectively leading our system's initial response.  He also lead the overall direction, coordination and implementation of our region's alternate care site  This role required him to masterfully collaborate with many whom had never met, never worked together and, in many cases, were competitors before COVID-19. Dr. Calhoun's matter-of-fact, self-deprecating approachability and undeniable intellect made him the perfect choice to help us carefully navigate our leadership position yet ensure all contributed to the process and outcome. If anyone could lead through these events, then what still puts Dr. Calhoun in a category of his own is his uncanny ability to cut through the red tape that often accompanies matrixed leadership and involvement of parties with varied priorities. Focused always on doing the right thing for patients and for colleagues and staff, Dr. Calhoun is accessible to a fault - prioritizing the wellbeing of others. Dustin's humility, alacrity in offering up help, and selflessness makes him a standout even amongst other accomplished leaders. His calm, steadfast demeanor, expertise and approachability helped lead us through a very tumultuous time."

Nominated by: Elizabeth Leenellett, MD

Elizabeth Chamberlain, Senior HR Consultant, College of Medicine Human Resources

"Elizabeth picked up additional duties while the team was short staffed and is still a valuable resource for the COM HR team with her knowledge and expertise, especially of the UCP payroll system.  She has worked with HR managers to process mass payroll changes implemented during COVID as well as Paycor system benefit structure changes. She is still always available to consult with team members on the Paycor processes and advises on the changes during and after implementation. Her COM experience and knowledge are valued and appreciated."

Nominated by: Julie Valente

  

Elizabeth Costea, Clinical Research Director, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease

“She is a research pharmacist with a caring heart. She was willing to give up her Sunday morning to prepare the study product and ensure that the participant could be randomized. She never hesitates to help out.  She is always cheery and happy to be helping the team.”

Nominated by: Carl Fichtenbaum, MD

Eric Smith, MD, Research Scientist, Department of Internal Medicine

“Eric provides grant services for our department. During COVID, he worked to ensure that researchers received the latest guidance for submitting applications. Two researchers he assisted with writing COVID grants were funded. He accepts new requests for help no matter his workload.”

Nominated by: Yolanda Wess

Erin Thase, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience

“Dr. Thase has been a beacon of light and support in our department. During the course of the pandemic she has advocated for wellness, hosted zoom happy hours for our therapists, and has helped psychologists navigate moment-to-moment changes with State Licensing Boards, UC Health guidelines, and EPIC with humor and quite helpful diagrams.”

Nominated by: Erica Birkley, PhD

Farzaan Kassam, MD Candidate, 2021

“Farzaan has advocated for students in his role as student body president. With COVID, he has taken on tasks for student betterment. He has met with clerkship directors to ensure student concerns are vocalized and new curriculum allows for adequate learning opportunities with limited in person contact. He also helped create a focus group related to virtual interviewing and presented findings that set the direction of most residency programs' recruitment.”

Nominated by: Al-Faraaz Kassam

Frankie B. Kropp, Clinical Research Manager, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience

“Frankie has a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of the Addiction Sciences Research. She is a leader amongst division staff. She exhibits great professionalism, patience, and kindness with all levels within and outside the organization. She honors every member of the team whether a PhD or member of the staff.”

Nominated by: Jennifer Rowe

George Smulian, MD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

“Dr. Smulian has continued his legacy of leading by example during this pandemic. Obviously, this pandemic is especially demanding on infectious diseases physicians and their teams. George has taken on herculean tasks within the COVID Core Team in addition to his regular jobs. But, he has leveraged the talents of each of his faculty members to ensure that they felt integral to the battle against COVID, had the support they needed to thrive, succeed and shine. This is the definition of real leadership and why his faculty love working at UC and UC Health.”

Nominated by: Jennifer Forrester

Gina Burg, Program Director, Office of Medical Education 

“During the pandemic when all NBME/shelf exams were shifted virtually, Gina researched what needed to be done to complete this and proctored all shelf exams personally with each department staff. She was a huge resource during the transition. Gina also went out of her way to assist some of the new coordinators who needed help during COVID.”

Nominated by: Julie Karpe

Glenn Talaska, PhD, Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences

“As Interim Chair, Dr. Talaska has gone above and beyond in advocating for the safety and well-being of faculty and staff during the COVID crisis. Of all of the innumerable challenges that the 2020 COVID crisis has brought on faculty and staff, Dr. Talaska’s leadership has been an absolute bright spot. Our department is grateful for his compassionate leadership.”

Nominated by:  Scott Langevin, PhD

Hamza Rayes, MD, Instructor and Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

"Dr. Rayes was my assigned mentor for a case report project for my medical imaging course. Even though the report was only for my undergraduate level course, he treated it the same as if it was going to be submitted for publication to a professional journal--something which made the process much more enjoyable and instructional. Furthermore, his enthusiasm for the material was evident in the multiple emails, video calls, and phone calls I had with him as we constructed the report. I also particularly appreciated his dedication to truly teaching me the material and ensuring I understood what we were discussing in the paper. His patience, aptitude for teaching, and commitment to helping craft a strong report were commendable and extremely appreciated. UC is extremely lucky to have such a fine doctor on its staff."

Nominated by: Justin Austin

Heather R. Christensen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine Education

“Dr. Christensen ensures students are in a positive and comfortable learning environment. She prioritizes mental health and student concerns and feedback. She has also ensured that the voice of minority students are heard and that they are not subjected to undue racism or discrimination. She is an amazing advocate for students.”

Nominated by:  Marie Fort

Helen (Gina) Shelton, Clinical Research Manager, Department of Internal Medicine

“Gina assisted her staff to transition to work remotely while helping nine faculty with preparing their COVID research for IRB submission. Gina has willingly carried a full caseload of studies to keep over 150 research studies in compliance. Our researchers appreciate Gina's support as she institutes best practices and helps them navigate IRB, FDA and other regulatory body processes.”

Nominated by:  Yolanda Wess 

Jack Kues, PhD, Associate Dean for Continuous Professional Development and CCTST

“I appreciate Dr. Kues’ availability during these times. To build unity, he has made sure we have at least 3-4 hours of virtual time together as a team each week. His regular schedule is packed tight but he still brings such warmth, humor, and inspiration to our meetings. It would be easy to lose the feeling of connection when everyone’s remote, but in some ways, I feel more connected to my coworkers than before, thanks to Dr. Kues’ leadership.”

Nominated by: Jackie Knapke

Jackie Fiore, Program Manager, CoM Simulation Center

“Jackie Fiore helped the Sim Center's transition to virtual programs. She prepares schedules, facilitates the standardized patients use of new technology and trouble shoots issues so that students continue to have an outstanding educational experience. She goes above and beyond to accommodate faculty, students and various programs needing simulation services.”

Nominated by: Mike Sostok, MD

Jarren Oates, Graduate Student, Immunology Graduate Program

"During the COVID-19 difficult times, Jarren has agreed on multiple occasions to pick-up groceries for members of my lab who do not have their own transportation. I have also witnessed him encouraging and helping the other graduate students and post-docs with laboratory work and writing. His efforts to cultivate a welcoming community extends to the entire Immunology Graduate program, where Jarren is well-known to be a friendly face that anyone can ask for help and is actively involved during the recruitment season. Further, Jarren has also worked closely with our program director (Dr. Dave Hildeman) to start a black/African American health sciences graduate student organization to foster a growing group, and has made efforts to form connections with the local community by giving talks to underprivileged youth at local high schools. Jarren exemplifies what it means to foster an inclusive workplace and campus, as individuals in both our lab and the graduate program can attest."

Nominated by: Senad Divanovic

Jennifer Bedel, Associate To, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

"Jennifer took over her position right as COVID hit, and has done a great job of helping move the Department and help our team stay grounded during these times of uncertainty and confusion. She has done a stellar job of helping our faculty move research and teaching forward as we adapted to online formats and Zooming. I feel she is deserving of my gratitude, the gratitude of the department as well as the COM."

Nominated by: Jim Herman, PhD

Jenny Baer, Clinical Research Manager, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease

“Jenny has selflessly given time to help individuals with Covid and enrolled participants on studies. She graciously took her Sunday morning to help enroll a sick patient onto a clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody. She does this without hesitation. It’s always done with a smile and can do attitude. She is a shining light in a darker time helping to bring an end to this pandemic.”

Nominated by: Carl Fichtenbaum, MD

Jermaine A. Fields, UI/UX Developer, UC Information Technology

"Among staff who work on the CoM webpage, Jermaine is known for his helpfulness. He has been instrumental in helping web content-creators adjust/learn the new CoM webpage and layout. Despite his heavy work load and additional work responsibilities due to COVID, he is always willing to troubleshoot a web issue or guide someone through building a new webpage. He is accommodating to deadlines despite the many of his own. He does his best to help those around him be successful. Many times, he has put his own work aside to help me with my web projects "

Nominated by: Brieanne Sheehan

Jiajie Diao, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Biology

"When the stay-at-home orders started in March, Dr. Diao immediately tried to find sources to purchase masks not only for our department but also for the hospital.  There were several obstacles to overcome and yet he kept pursuing various alternative approaches to try to purchase masks, even using his personal finances to pay.  In the end, we were able to get the masks from a local scientific company, but Dr. Diao's effort should be recognized, as he truly tried to help our employees and the UC community."

Nominated by:  Betsy Russell

Jianyong Ma, Research Scientist, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

“During the onset of COVID, Jianyong quickly responded to the PPE shortage. He donated several hundred dollars to support my lab's donation of 4000 masks to the health system to aid frontline healthcare workers at risk. He has added to the culture of kindness and care of UC.

Nominated by: Hong-Sheng Wang, PhD

Joanne Tetens-Woodring, DVM, Director, Laboratory Animal Medical Services

“Dr. Tetens-Woodring helped us keep critical porcine surgeries running during stay at home orders, enabling an MSTP student to complete his dissertation studies. She has trained several in my lab the surgical techniques necessary to procure organ tissues, and helped troubleshoot experimental protocols to preserve data integrity in our pre-clinical studies.”

Nominated by: Christy K. Holland, Ph.D.

Joyce Sorrell, Senior Research Assistant, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

“Joyce is always willing to go the extra mile to help anyone out. She's always caring and checking on everyone to see if we are doing ok. Joyce recently hand made a bunch of Halloween face masks for the entire lab. She's an instrumental part of our lab culture.”

Nominated by: Emily Yates

Julie Karpe, Program Manager, Department of Internal Medicine

“Julie has made great effort in Medical Education, the VA and TriHealth with regards to MS3's and onboarding. She has made VA forms/certificates necessary for students to rotate at these facilities available on MedOneStop. Students can complete and upload forms to one location and coordinators can download the documents. This has made the onboarding process easier.”

Nominated by: Adrienne Jones

Kathy Alwell, Clinical Research Manager, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

"Since 1998, Kathy Alwell has played an integral role as lead Clinical Nurse Coordinator for the NIH/NINDS R-O1 study, "A Comparison of Hemorrhagic and Ischemic Strokes Among Blacks and Whites: A Population-Based Study in Greater Cincinnati, OH".  This study has clearly been a great resource for our understanding of stroke, largely due to Kathy's excellence in managing the data and our complete confidence in the information she provides. Kathy is a model employee as a content expert and project manager and is the most important of the key personnel on our R01. She has made tremendous contributions to the whole of science through her superb leadership of one of the most essential clinical research projects in the field of stroke."

Nominated by: Brett Kissela, MD, MS

Kathy McCann, Associate To, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences 

“Kathy recently arranged a biosafety hood replacement in our lab which is not an easy task. Kathy had to coordinate with facility management, several outside contractors and our lab personnel; she had to go through multiple scheduling and re-scheduling. She even stopped by the lab several times to inspect the situation and communicate with people involved. Our experiments were not interrupted because of her work ethics.”

Nominated by: Ying Xia, PhD

Keith Harker, Computer User Support Specialist, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences

“Keith consistently goes above and beyond, including staying late to help instructors who teach evening courses, helping with preparation of a video for our student nominee for the Excellence in Teaching Award, preparing a recruiting video for the Department, and answering IT/computer related questions from our 60 faculty and 300 students.”

Nominated by:  Mary Beth Genter

Kelly Brunst, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences

“Dr. Brunst has been a fantastic mentor during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is responsive to students and makes a point to schedule time to speak to all of her mentees despite her busy schedule. She has adapted quickly to an online format and continues to be noticed by students and faculty as extremely productive despite circumstances.”

Nominated by:  Emily Ogle

Kelly Niederhausen, Senior Business Administrator, Department of Internal Medicine

“Mrs. Niederhausen worked tirelessly during COVID to get our research activities running. She was particularly involved with getting COM officials to arrange hygiene supplies and implement furloughs.  She was instrumental in implementing the research reopen forms and helping the associate chairs for both basic and clinical research. She is very committed and passionate about her duties.”

Nominated by: Sakthivel Sadayappan, MD

Kevin Haworth, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

“Dr. Haworth is extremely busy, but always ready to help anyone. He is extremely caring, genuine, and truly wants his students and mentees to succeed. He understands and cultivates the value of every individual person. For instance, Dr. Haworth took the time out of his day to sit down and talk me through my ideas. It was incredibly validating and just genuinely helpful to my growth as a scientist.”

Nominated by: Demi Fischesser, PhD

Kevin Milligan, MD Candidate Class of 2021

“Kevin was elected to be a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He was an original creator of the UnsCripted podcast which serves as a resource to all CoM students. He was a consultant to our GME program to help develop best practices for remote interviewing. He is a valued Peer Mentor for undergraduate students.

Nominated by: Laura Malosh, PhD

Kieran Phelan, Second Year Medical Student, College of Medicine

"Kieran has had a huge role in keeping students' spirits high during this crazy time in which we live. He has taken on the great task of organizing social events (virtual, to follow all protocols of course) so that students can stay connected and support each other. Many students complained about the pandemic erasing opportunities for social interaction. Kieran took those complaints in stride and made sure that students had an avenue to stay connected and support each other. He has also been key in disseminating facts about COVID and vaccine research to his fellow students. Using his knowledge on mRNA he has been educating classmates on the latest vaccine developments."

Nominated by: Nathan Lawera

Kim Hasselfeld, MS, CCRP, Clinical Research Manager, Department of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine

“Kim has sewn masks for individuals within the department who needed one. She, along with her daughters, created "100 days of COVID with Charlie, their dog" poster to brighten everyone's day who walk past her office. Charlie dresses in a different themed outfit daily. The posts are shared on Facebook. Kim has been a valuable asset to the department supporting the surgeons with their research.”

Nominated by: Michael Kloby, MS

Kim Hawkins, Program Coordinator, Department of Family and Community Medicine

"Kim Hawkins deserves as much gratitude heaped upon her because of her devotion to her job, but more importantly for her kindness, positivity, and unending support of her co-workers.  She is devoted to her work and only wants to make others' lives better and their jobs easier.  She is willing to take on extra tasks without complaint.  I am grateful to work with her."

Nominated by: Nancy Jamison

Kit Qualls, Graduate Student, Molecular, Cellular & Biochemical Pharmacology Program

"Kit serves as the graduate assistant for the Careers in Biomedical Sciences course, which serves not just those students enrolled in it, but has an open attendance policy for any graduate students or postdocs in the COM. Kit played a central role in converting the course to an online format and used her experiences with her peers to shape it in a way that would be most practical and beneficial for COM trainees. Multiple outside speakers have commented on how her professionalism, courtesy, and attention to detail made them feel welcomed and appreciated, leaving a positive impression of the COM throughout the wider community."

Nominated by: Cindy Bachurski, Kevin Haworth, Onur Kanisicak

  

Kristy Espay, Research Operations Manager, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

"Every once in a rare while one comes across a Research Manager who stands out ― someone who is truly exceptional and consistently raises the standard of the entire team. Mrs. Espay is that manager who is very thorough, conscientious and extremely attentive to details.  She has a particular knack for regulatory issues and knows how to guide her colleagues on adherence to the institutional rules and regulations in a very tactful way while displaying a commendable aplomb and erudition.  Kristy brings enormous dedication, work ethics and energy to her job that is largely driven by her utmost commitment to excellence.    Moreover, she has clearly demonstrated, repeatedly, the ability to follow through even on the most complicated logistic and administrative issues to successful solutions notwithstanding tight schedule, competing tasks and at times stressful research environment.  The supervision of Kristy has never been so easy and rewarding since she is capable of working very well independently while asking for guidance when she needs some.  She consistently sought out new and challenging tasks and mastered them with a stunning efficiency.  On a personal level, Kristy has a very pleasant and easygoing demeanor. She is exceptional in the dedication to her work and to the service of the PI's, to support staff, Clinical coordinators, and the Office of Clinical Research, with whom she has always maintained an excellent rapport.  Kristy has made many impactful contributions to the success to department of Neurology and makes it a better place to work for everyone."

Nominated by: Douglas Wead

Kristy Wilson, Academic Program Director, CoM Student Affairs

Kristy has seamlessly expanded her duties in response to the unique needs and challenges presented by the remote working environment. She always accepts the new challenges, provides reassurance and offers to assume responsibility for new tasks in order to assure that our students continue to receive optimal support from Student Affairs. She does all of this with a kind and caring demeanor to staff and students.  

Nominated by: Aurora Bennett

Laura Garrison, Program Director, Body Donation Program

“Laura does an amazing job running the UCCOM's Body Donation program. She has been in most days during COVID-19 in order to stay on top of the families' needs who have donated a loved one's body to our education program. Her first priority is to serve the families during their difficult time. Laura is always willing to help out with a smile.”

Nominated by: Victoria Stump

Laura Juliani, Accountant, College of Medicine Operations and Finance

"Laura Juliani is always willing to train and help staff around her. While working through the pandemic, she maintains a great attitude. She responds to emails with exceptional timeliness, clear and concise answers. Her responsibilities span over 3 areas, so she is busy, yet continually exhibits great professionalism, patience and kindness, no matter how many questions I ask. What I appreciate most is her determination to find the answer, even if she does not know and then follow up with the communication.  She sets a great example for others to follow and I am so fortunate to call her a colleague."

Nominated by: Jennifer Rowe

Laura L. Malosh, PhD, Assistant Dean, CoM Student Affairs

"Dr. Malosh has consistently been supportive in listening to, and advocating for, the well-being of the class of 2024. She has been transparent and reliable under circumstances which, for our class, are often unpredictable and unstable. Dr. Malosh has greatly expanded student support services focused on student wellbeing and academic support during this time of remote learning and decreased in-person interactions among students.  She has provided a variety of remote wellness opportunities in collaboration with CAPS and the Department of Integrative Medicine. The student academic support services transitioned seamlessly to a remote environment.  Dr. Malosh has accomplished this working closely with students to assure the best possible solutions were made available to students."

Nominated by:  Duncan Honeycutt and Aurora Bennett

Laurie Flaherty, Payroll Manager, CoM Operations and Finance

“The UC payroll group under direction of Laurie Flaherty has made countless changes during COVID. Laurie has worked above and beyond her role to ensure many payroll actions are completed correctly and on time.  Her contributions cannot be enumerated and have provided tremendous value to the integrity of the payroll system.”

Nominated by: Julie Valente

Lindsay Stover, Executive Staff Assistant, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

"Lindsay is dedicated to the CoM and approaches requests with a positive attitude. She helps faculty with promotion and tenure processes, faculty appointment processes, recruitments, setting up faculty offices, submitting Concur information, etc. She is a great ambassador to faculty in other departments.”

Nominated by: Dani Zander, MD

Lisa Arustamyan, Clinical Research Professional, Department of Internal Medicine

“Liz joined the regulatory team in March as we worked remotely due to COVID. As Liz was training remotely, two of our senior CRPs were out on extended leaves, leaving only myself and Liz to cover 160 active research studies using ARS services within the Department. She took initiative to reach out to researchers and offer help. She worked long hours to learn. Several researchers complimented her responsiveness and work ethic.”

Nominated by: Helen Shelton

 

Lisa Martin, Senior Research Assistant, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

“Ms. Martin stepped up to the challenges presented to our department due to COVID-19. She did a wonderful job of collecting PPE and hand sanitizers when the CoM was in need. She also made masks in her free time for our staff. She worked tirelessly on allocating work and space for researchers within our division. She is mindful of CDC recommendations and works to ensure compliance.

Nominated by: Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA

Lo'Rain Drais, Program Manager, Medical Education

“Lo’Rain helps with the exam review sign-ups for med students. She has created a room usage sign-up process to ensure social distancing. She expanded the room sign-up program for exam reviews for students in need.  She makes it possible for students to review their exams safely.”

Nominated by: Becky Trippel

Maggie Baker, Program Manager, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

"Maggie Baker is Program Manager for the Neurology Residency program.  She provides excellent organization to the program and is a force for good in recruiting residents. With unfailing kindness and support, she shares equally in their joys, laughter, and sorrows. Time spent with her is one of the best memories that residents take with them from the program, as she is truly a friend to each of them.  She is extremely knowledgeable about accreditation issues locally and nationally and is a local resource to less experienced Program Coordinators at UC.  Because on-campus visits are not allowed at any institution across the country, Maggie has been instrumental in redesigning interviews into meaningful virtual experiences. She has great people skills, is a pleasure to work with and remains an integral part of our program's success. Additionally, Maggie is a valued member of the Department’s Administrative Team and her contributions cannot be overstated."

Nominated by: Brett Kissela, MD, MS

Maggie Powers-Fletcher, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

"Dr. Powers has used her unique knowledge in microbiology, testing, and mathematical modeling to help many CoM programs. She has been an integral part of training ID fellows and has even developed a unique "game-like" platform to aid in simulation for learning microbiology, antibiotic stewardship and side effects of medications. She has played an important role in several COVID research studies and is an integral member of the Return to Campus Team. Also, she has arranged for CoM faculty to virtually mentor high school students interested in careers in medicine and science. Maggie has been a wonderful support system for other faculty members during this busy time."

Nominated by: Jennifer Forrester, MD

Maria Hooker, MD Candidate Class of 2023

“As Co-President of her class, Maria advocates for her classmates, addresses questions and concerns of students, and provide student feedback to the Office of Student Affairs & the Office of Medical Education. As a part of the curriculum workgroup, she has pushed for changes in the curriculum to improve student wellness and foster an inclusive environment. She has also played a key role in welcoming the incoming class to the CoM.

Nominated by: Wen Zhong

Matthew Schauseil, Assistant Director of Academics, Office of Graduate Education

Due to COVID, the Graduate Student Research Forum (GSRF) was virtual meaning a lot of changes were made. Matt implemented changes putting in hours setting up the online submission and assisting students and judges  with a helpful attitude. Matt goes beyond "normal" expectations to provide service.

Nominated by:  Tim Le Cras, PhD

Michele Wyan, Executive Staff Assistant, Department of Ophthalmology

“In the midst of the pandemic, Michele worked to make the lives of students and residents in the department easier, all while having a consistently sunny disposition. Despite being incredibly busy, she always takes the time to talk to anyone and goes out of her way to help anyone that she can.”

Nominated by: Drew Philip

Michelle Saemann, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

“Michelle has agreed to be the frontline supervisor for the Moderna Vaccine Trial. She has come in everyday at 6:30-7:00 AM. She has been working late into the night. She is training 6 new staff members and organized our operation to successfully enroll in the trial. She has gone above and beyond for individuals and has been consistent, kind and calm. Truly an amazing researcher and human being.”

Nominated by: Carl Fichtenbaum, MD

Mike Linke, PhD, Director of IRB, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

“Dr. Linke promotes CoM research, but never more so than during COVID-19. He ensures that our science is ethical while at the same time fostering the success of our research enterprise.”-Brett Kissela, MD

“Recently, the NIH asked us for specifics on an IRB for a R01. The program officer said we needed to move fast. We reached out to Mike and he made sure that we got an expedited IRB approval in a day. We got the NIH funding because of Mike.”-Achala Vagal, MD, MS

Missy J. Randolph, RN, Research Nurse Coordinator, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases

“Missy is a stellar coordinator. She has a great knowledge of study protocols, organized when conducting subject visits, dedication to enrolled subjects and willingness to work as a team which by far exceeds expectations. She is a pleasure to work with and is committed to her team.”

Nominated by: Jim Steggeman

Mohanjit Singh, Software Apps Developer, CoM Student Affairs

“Mohanjit assisted in various projects that required immediate attention during the spring. He was constantly having to multitask between database maintenance/design and automation of various functionality. I appreciate that he always stops in progress tasks in order to graciously help others. He is the hidden backbone behind MedOneStop.”

Nominated by:  Andi Oaks

Nancy Kleene, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

“Nancy Kleene is not only committed to her lab but also to CoM culture. She is the driving force behind the Research Professional Award. She has developed this award, managed the review process, and fundraised money for this award. She has done all of this while writing a grant and tending to her lab responsibilities.”

Nominated by:  Brieanne Sheehan

Ned Donnelly, Ed.D., Program Director, College of Medicine Office of Medical Education

“Dr. Donnelly sincerely considers the feelings of students. His reassurance before tests is always comforting, whether it's reminding you to take a deep breath or leading a group stretch. He is kind to students in every interaction, and will congratulate them whenever he gets a chance. Dr. Donnelly embodies the spirit of UCCOM culture and I'm grateful he is a part of our school.”

Nominated by: Matthew Frederickson

Neil Holsing, Associate Dean of Operations and Finance, CoM Operations and Finance

“Despite a heavy workload, Neil makes himself available to help. He has a positive attitude and forward-looking outlook. This approach was especially important during the COVID outbreak. Neil worked tirelessly to help departments manage the resulting budget cuts and offered creative ideas and solutions in order to limit the negative impact.”

Nominated by: Brian Laake

Nnenna Ifeanyi, Masters of Public Health student

“Nnenna Ifeanyi is concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and what she can do to help the community. Being a biostatistician, she can ardently look for the Pandemic data, analyze the data, and explain the intricacies of the spread. She nailed one such data and currently she is spending considerable energies to extract messages from the data.”

Nominated by: Marepalli Rao, Ph.D.

Patti Cox, Associate to, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Patti is located at the Reading campus. In addition to performing her duties exceptionally well, she also takes on responsibilities that are well beyond her normal duty assignments. In particular, she is the only UC administrative person on the Reading campus, Accordingly, she is the go-to person for anything related to the operation of the Reading campus, including coordinating activities with the security staff, labs that are renting space here at the Reading campus, and also coordinating with outsiders for scheduling events at the Reading campus. Patti is also the go-to person for any necessary communications between faculty/students/staff at the Reading campus with administration at both the College of Medicine and operations at the West campus. These responsibilities are well beyond her duties and she takes on these responsibilities voluntarily and doing an exceptionally well. Everyone at the Reading campus agrees that this campus would be in disarray without the effort of Patti Cox. 

Nominated by: David Y Hui, PhD

Peirce W. Johnston, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience

"Dr. Johnston is a phenomenal course director. He takes the time to get to know each student in the clerkship, learning personal details about their lives. He also takes the time to genuinely check in with students to see how they are doing. When he asks for our opinions, he truly listens and seems to take what we have to say seriously. As a third year, our efforts and wellbeing are often overlooked - but Dr. Johnston made us feel valued."

Nominated by: Sara Constand

Rebecca Ahlbrand, Lab Manager and Senior Research Assistant, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

"Rebecca has provided constant support to the lab during the COVID situation since March. Her untiring effort with lab personnel support, research needs and administrative help has carried us through these past months."

Nominated by: Renu Sah, PhD

Reena Shah, MD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Clinical Services, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

A number of challenges related to the COVID crises arose this year, and Dr. Reena Shah has been doing a tremendous job in facilitating and continuing to maneuver the quickly changing landscape. This requires effective communication with members of the health system while navigating the needs of clinic staff and providers. Close interactions with IT and scheduling are necessary to continue to optimize access to patients during this time and ensure seamless delivery of care.  She also facilitated safe re-entry to in-person care and has continued to closely monitor and adjust as needed. With her high standard of character and conduct, Dr. Shah has made a remarkable impact on delivery of care within our department and UC Health as a whole.

Nominated by:  Brett Kissela, MD, MS

Renee Henry, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases

“Renee is a stellar coordinator. She has a great knowledge of study protocols, organized when conducting subject visits, dedication to enrolled subjects and willingness to work as a team which by far exceeds expectations. She is a pleasure to work with and is committed to her team.”

Nominated by: Jim Steggeman

Richard Becker, MD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Diseases

“Dr. Becker has been an exemplary physician, demonstrating passion for research and education of students. During the pandemic he wrote several articles on COVID 19, serving for the NIH COVID initiatives, and still finding time to mentor students. It has been inspiring to see how much one man can do for the service of others.”

Nominated by: Keith Christian

Romana Saeed, Clinical Research Professional, Department of Internal Medicine

“As a new hire, Romana had to train remotely. She has worked diligently and efficiently to start up seven new COVID trials in a very short amount of time. She learned on the fly and took initiative to work with PIs, sponsors, and study teams to make these studies happen - one being the very large vaccine trial! The ID team continues to stated that Romana is a wonderful addition to their team.”

Nominated by: Helen Shelton

Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA, Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

“Dr. Sadayappan has stepped up to meet the challenges of COVID-19. He has conducted research to understand the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the heart by securing intramural funding. He has also worked to review and approve Departmental Research Reopening Plans so that investigators could continue their research studies, meeting their respective priorities and deadlines.”

Nominated by: Litsa Kranias, PhD

Sarah Ronan-Bentle, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. Ronan-Bentle as part of the UCCOM Career Advising team.  She generously shares her knowledge and experience with medical students and other advisors.  In this unusual year, Dr. Ronan-Bentle has gone above and beyond to support our fourth-year medical students with their virtual residency interviews.  Specifically, she helped oversee the Student Affairs virtual mock interview program, obtained a new online interviewing tool for students, and recorded a presentation with interviewing tips.  In addition, Dr. Ronan-Bentle (along with Kristy Wilson) coordinated a virtual specialty open house for our second-year medical students. Her leadership and dedication to our medical students is greatly appreciated."

Nominated by: Alice Mills, MD, MPH

 

Scott Langevin, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Environment and Public Health Sciences

“Dr. Langevin went above and beyond to protect and care for his lab personnel during the COVID-19 shut down. We had essential status but he made sure his lab personnel would only come in as an exception if absolutely necessary. He also ensured we were taken care of during the furlough process. I could not have asked for more.”

Nominated by: Damaris Kuhnell

 

Senu Apewokin, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

"Dr. Apewokin is part of the UC COVID Emerging Evidence task force and helped research emerging evidence and practices that guide to UC’s COVID effort. Dr. Apewokin has provided educational webinars to the Cincinnati community and informational sessions to churches. He does this all while caring for COVID patients and conducting an NIH funded grant award. Senu is an outstanding clinical scientist with exceptional skills and intelligence with helping hands."

Nominated by: Tes Mersha, PhD

Shannon Conrey, Graduate Assistant, PhD Candidate, Department of Environmental & Public Health Sciences

“During early COVID, Shannon offered to donate cloth masks to students who may not have contacts or resources to get one on their own. Shannon has also gone above and beyond completing her virtual Teaching Assistant duties this year in Introduction to Epidemiology. She conducted a live lecture via Web-ex for the class focusing on the GPsDiet.”

Nominated by: Angela Glankler

Sharon Kohrs, Clinical Research Director, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease

“Sharon has led the ID Research Unit Team by providing anything needed. She has thought carefully about the research team and helps interact with the public. She explains our studies and helps people understand this terrible disease. She is always available and even volunteered to help on Sunday to ensure that we could randomize our study participant.”

Nominated by: Carl Fichtenbaum, MD

Shawn Krishnan, MD Candidate, 2021

"Shawn took the initiative to deliver groceries to seniors who were at an increased risk of COVID, driving as far as 45 minutes to deliver groceries. He also went out of his way to talk to those individuals. He truly has a heart for the community with many ideas to support both his community and healthcare workers on the frontline."

Nominated by: Hyun Jun Kim

Sissy Davidson-Baker, Executive Staff Assistant, CoM Human Resources

“When COVID struck and the COM HR team began working from home, we created a Teams group chat to facilitate communication. To life spirits, Sissy began sending an inspirational quote to the team at the end of every work day.  We looked forward to these bright words of kindness and encouragement each day.”

Nominated by: Sheila McCormick

Sofia Chinchilla, MD Candidate 2021

“Sofia learned how to sew headbands with buttons so her friends and peers could wear masks all days without them rubbing their ears. She gave these to anyone who was interested and would not accept payment for the time and effort she put into them.”

Nominated by: Sarah Marshall

Sonya Kirkland, Program Director, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience

“Sonya is a positive light mastering two jobs at once while a replacement is found for one of them. She does both jobs with humility and efficiency. She has an unmatched work ethic and cares deeply about not just getting the job completed, but doing it well. Sonya has been a tireless medical student resource and advocate.”

Nominated by: Nancy Jamison and Peirce Johnston, MD

Stanley DeVore, Medical Science Training Program Student, Department of Cancer and Cell Biology

“Stan has maintained a positive attitude and promoted a positive work environment for those around him. He volunteered to work at off times in the lab to help promote social distancing. He has made substantial progress on his project despite Covid-19 challenges by keeping an upbeat attitude, working with his colleagues, promoting team work and being flexible. He is a great team member.”

Nominated by: Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Stephanie Donnelly, Business Administrator, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

“Ms. Donnelly has been a breath of fresh air during the pandemic. Despite a heavy load, she has remained unfailing positive and has gone out of her way to assist with projects needed for the lab. She has a skill of clearing red tape so that faculty can focus on research and teaching. Whenever we interact, I receive her full attention. She also helped me source a high-quality masks for my young children as they were preparing to go back to daycare. “

Nominated by: Kevin Haworth, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology 

Stephanie Morris, Research Associate, Department of Environment and Public Health Sciences

"Stephanie has come in throughout the pandemic to keep the lab going and the mice cared for from day to day. She was affected by the furlough and took it in stride as we figured out how to balance what was needed. She has been extremely helpful in making sure that the COVID rules are followed and people adhere to what is expected by COM."

Nominated by: Katie Burns, PhD

Stephanie Schuckman, Program Manager, Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training

"These past few months have been very challenging--working hard but feeling disconnected from everyone.  Stephanie coordinates many of the virtual meetings that I have attended.  Not only does she handle the virtual meetings with skill and professionalism, her bright spirit makes every meeting better.  She brings the optimism and general good vibe to every meeting.  It's hard to explain, but just having her there makes the meeting better.  It's team members like Stephanie that make me happy to be working at UC."

Nominated by: Elizabeth Kopras

Steve Knost, Executive Director, College of Medicine Information Technology

“Steve has been going out of his way to help with project and space requests within the College of Medicine despite COVID related challenges. He always goes the extra mile, but during this time of unprecedented challenges, it's even more appreciated.”

Nominated by: Vinita Takiar, MD, PhD

Stewart W. Wright, MD, Med, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

"When I think of Dr. Wright, the words quality and service spring to mind.  This is a physician who has served our community for the last 20 years as an emergency physician at UC, volunteering to lead missions to Haiti and Tanzania to share his expertise and medical knowledge with those less fortunate, and who led our quality initiative within our department until he was appointed ACMO.  In this role, Dr. Wright has worked tirelessly to increase our capacity at UCMC, smooth flow, and improve the patient experience on a systems level.  Then COVID hit.  Dr. Wright pivoted to lead the Command Center, determining resource allocation, working with our infectious disease experts to educate our faculty, staff and patients about COVID safety measures, and now is coordinating surge efforts which is a herculean task requiring excellent communication, collaboration, organization, and tremendous patience .  Dr. Wright's commitment to UC, our patients, and our community is commendable.  What is most remarkable is that he does it with a smile, a kind word, and grace.  My words cannot convey the respect I have for Dr. Stewart Wright and know that this gratitude award would hold much meaning to him, fortifying him in the challenging months ahead."

Nominated by: Elizabeth Leenellett, MD

Susan Waltz, PhD, Professor, Department of Cancer and Cell Biology

"Dr. Susan Waltz is a tireless leader and champion for research trainees as a co-director of a T32 Training Program and as the director of the Graduate Program in Cancer and Cell Biology.  I gratefully nominate Susan for her continued work within the CCB program to find creative ways and distancing events to maintain a sense of community among the students during this time of remote learning and lab distancing, particularly among the newest student cohort as they try to do lab rotations and select a research mentor."

Nominated by: Ken Greis, PhD

T. Alex Ruwe, Graduate Assistant, PhD Candidate, Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology

“Alex Ruwe has ensured the success of the Statistics & Experimental Design for the Biomedical Sciences courses. As a TA, he adapted to the transition of remote instruction by teaching virtual sessions, workshops, and created new course content. He provided one-on-one tutoring, offered popular online office hours and willingly added extra sessions to meet the high demand. He has generously given his time and expertise.”

Nominated by: Bryan Mackenzie, PhD

Tashia Harris, Project Manager, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine

“Tashia welcomes new staff and is known to helped guide and orient staff to UC. She always takes the time to answer any questions, listen to concerns and helps navigate specific university websites. She is a wonderful asset to UC.”

Nominated by: Pam Plummer

Taylor Coughlin, Research Associate, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Taylor Coughlin is a Research Associate and Laboratory Manager of the Owens Laboratory in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health & Disease.  Since the very beginning of the pandemic, Taylor has come into the laboratory and maintained all experiments and our colony for all members of our laboratory team.  In addition, she has maintained her subsequent role as a Scribe at Cincinnati Children's even with potential close contact with patients who may have COVID-19.  She is one of the most dependable individuals I know and our laboratory has survived and moved forward in this crisis because of her hard work and dedication.

Nominated by: Phil Owens, PhD

Tazheh Kavoosi, MD Candidate 2021, College of Medicine

"Tazheh has served her class in various ways over the last 3.5 years. Among all her roles, she serves as the Education Programming Committee rep for the Class of 2021. Although she puts countless hours into this position, Tazheh never seeks recognition. She genuinely cares for her peers and the future students of UCCOM. She has advocated for student wellness and innovation in clinical feedback, greatly influencing the experience of UCCOM students. While she may graduate without receiving the proper recognition for her work, her efforts epitomize the idea of service for others, and this award would represent a small token of appreciation for all she has done."

Nominated by:  Farzaan Kassam

Tiffany Gray, Business Administrator, College of Medicine Operations and Finance

“Tiffany is the Business Administrator of the Basic Science team in Operations and Finance. She is a true leader of our team even in this time of uncertainty. She is willing to help when needed, offers a kind and listening ear, maintains a steady presence and a positive attitude. She creates an inspiring team environment and encouraging team building.”

Nominated by: Brandie Wagoner

Tina M. Sandfoss, HR Consultant, CoM Human Resources

“Tina works under extraordinary volume and stress in completing her HR responsibilities.  The daily challenges seem never ending and she should be recognized for all she does in keeping up with all the changing HR processes, especially during COVID. She’s a valuable team member and is a ready source of information in providing others with references and support.”

Nominated by: Julie Valente

Todd Schutter, Multi-Media Coordinator, UC Information Technology

“Todd provides his technical expertise each year for our Annual Dedication Service to honor body donors, which has around 600 attendees. With a remote service, Todd had to do most of the work himself. He was very accommodating to last minute changes. We could not have done it without him. I had no worries with it in his hands and it was a success.”

Nominated by: Laura Garrison

Tracy Pritchard, PhD, Director, Office of Medical Education

“Tracy has always put the staff of our OME team first and foremost. When COVID hit and we began working remotely, she made a great effort to ensure everyone had all we needed to work effectively and efficiently from home. She also has for the past months, been attentive to our mental health. She suggests ideas on how we can keep mentally healthy.”

Nominated by: Victoria Stump

Victoria Stump, Program Manager, Office of Medical Education

“When our department started working remotely, Vickie didn’t even skip a beat with all of our office needs. Several of us did not have webcams or laptops and she made sure to order what we needed.  She has kept up with numerous WebEx, Teams and Zoom scheduling invites to keep the office functioning. She is always offering her assistance and going the extra mile.”

Nominated by: Gina Burg

Yolanda Wess, Research Director, Department of Internal Medicine

“Faculty have benefited from Mrs. Wess’ commitment. She has been available 24/7, responding to emails, reviewing the reopen forms, and helping faculty submit their research proposals. She is key in directing resources to investigators. Her proactive stance, both personally and professionally, has afforded continuous support to our research activities during this pandemic crisis.”

Nominated by: Sakthivel Sadayappan, MD