UConn School of Medicine’s recently received awards and honors by faculty, staff, and students include:
Dr. Julie Robison, associate professor of medicine at the UConn Center on Aging, will become the new editor-in-chief this August for the Journal of Applied Gerontology. The journal provides an international forum for information with immediate applicability to the health, care, and quality of life of the elderly. Robison’s term runs from Aug. 1 through June 2018. “Congratulations, Julie. We are proud of your new role,” shared Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of UConn School of Medicine.
Dr. Justin Radolf, professor of medicine, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He is one of 73 new fellows selected in 2017 through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Currently, across the globe there are over 2,400 fellows representing all subspecialties of the microbial sciences and involved in basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry, and government service.
Dr. Laurinda Jaffe, professor and chair of the Department of Cell Biology, was awarded on June 8 the Pioneer in Reproduction Research Leadership Award at the 20th Annual Symposium of Frontiers in Reproduction (FIR) held at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts. Jaffe was honored for being an outstanding scientist who has pioneered pathways of exploration in reproduction research and also delivered the keynote address on how her research shows the ovarian follicle controls meiotic progression in the oocyte. FIR is a prestigious six-week laboratory and lecture course designed for scientists-in-training who are interested in improving the reproductive sciences.
Dr. Jane M. Grant-Kels, professor and vice chair of the Department of Dermatology, was elected by The American Academy of Dermatology as vice president-elect. She is a member of the Academy’s Board of Directors and previously served as co-chair of its Dermatopathology Rapid Response Committee. Grant-Kels will be installed as vice president-elect in February 2018 for her one-year term that begins in March 2019.
Dr. Montgomery Douglas, chair of the Department of Family Medicine, has been elected by The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) to serve as its treasurer. ABFM is the second largest medical specialty board in the U.S. It is dedicated to improving the quality of the public’s medical care, excellence in the practice of family medicine, along with excellent medical education and training of future specialists in the field.
Christine Thatcher, E.D.D., assistant professor in family medicine, was selected by the AAMC to be a 2017-2018 Faculty Coach for its AAMC Leadership Education and Development Certificate Program (LEAD) for its Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA). Thatcher was selected for her leadership and mentorship skills after serving as a LEAD program fellow. The LEAD certificate program created in 2009 exists to develop educational leaders in academic medicine. “Christine, congratulations,” shared Dr. Suzi Rose, senior associate dean for education at UConn School of Medicine. “We are proud of your accomplishment.”
Laura Hatchman, second-year medical student and her faculty mentor, Dr. Lisa Barry who is assistant professor of psychiatry at the UConn Center on Aging, were honored with the “Biomarkers and Frailty Best Paper Award” at the American Geriatrics Society’s annual meeting in May. Their award-winning research presentation was entitled, “Unobtrusive Gait Velocity Measurement in a Geriatrics Outpatient Clinic.”
Alexander Adami, a MD/PhD student at UConn School of Medicine, will complete his term as president of the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA). As a student led organization by trainees and for trainees its mission is to strive to be the student physician-scientists’ leading voice for improving educational opportunities, research, and the future of translational medicine. “It has been an exciting opportunity to influence the national conversation on physician-scientist training and biomedical science,” shared Adami whose one-year term comes to an end in July.
