May 11, 2016 | Carolyn Pennington - Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine

Honoring Outstanding Women in Medicine and Science

From left, Drs. Andy Agwunobi, Betty Eipper, Christine Finck and Bruce Liang during the Group on Women in Medicine and Science Annual Symposium and Recognition of Outstanding Women at UConn Health on May 2, 2016. (Photo courtesy Anastasia Rollins)

From left, Drs. Andy Agwunobi, Betty Eipper, Christine Finck and Bruce Liang during the Group on Women in Medicine and Science Annual Symposium and Recognition of Outstanding Women at UConn Health on May 2, 2016. (Photo courtesy Anastasia Rollins)

From left, Andrew Agwunobi, Betty Eipper, Christine Finck and Bruce Liang during the Group on Women in Medicine and Science Annual Symposium and Recognition of Outstanding Women at UConn Health in 2016. (Photo courtesy Anastasia Rollins)

From left, Dr. Marja Hurley and Linda Sandell during the Group on Women in Medicine and Science Annual Symposium and Recognition of Outstanding Women Symposium at UConn Health May 2, 2016. (Photo courtesy Anastasia Rollins)
From left, Dr. Marja Hurley and Linda Sandell during the Group on Women in Medicine and Science Annual Symposium and Recognition of Outstanding Women at UConn Health on May 2, 2016. (Photo courtesy Anastasia Rollins)

The Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) had its Annual Symposium and Recognition of Outstanding Women Faculty and Students on May 2.

Dr. Linda Sandell, Mildred B. Simon Professor and Director of the Core Centers for Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine of Washington University, gave the keynote speech, “Balancing Academic Success with Service to the Scientific Community: Where is Time Best Spent.”

Elizabeth Eipper, professor of molecular biology and biophysics, won the Outstanding Basic Scientist Woman Faculty Award.  Eipper has held the Janice and Rodney Reynolds Endowed Chair since 2002 and has earned many honors including a ten-year Merit award from the NIH and Election to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2010. Eipper has been continuously funded by the NIH and other extramural sources since 1977. She has effectively mentored young faculty and built interdisciplinary teams to answer important biomedical problems. In 2012, she won the coveted Osborn Award for Graduate Teaching.

Dr. Christine Finck won the Outstanding Clinical Scientist Woman Faculty Award. Finck is the chief of pediatric surgery at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and an associate professor of pediatrics and surgery at UConn Health. Her research is focused on identifying and developing new treatments for a variety of pediatric and neonatal diseases that affect the lungs, esophagus and brain. She has served as the associate director of academic affairs at Connecticut Children’s as well as a mentor for many new pediatric research investigators starting their labs at UConn Health. This pipeline of new pediatric investigators continues to grow, which has led to increased extramural funding as well as the development of a pediatric regenerative research group.

The symposium also recognized UConn School of Medicine women faculty who received local, national or international award/recognition.

GWIMS purpose is to honor female leaders in medical education, research and clinical care and presents a unique opportunity to salute outstanding women faculty from the UConn School of Medicine.