On October 22, Fumiko Hoeft MD Ph.D., Campus Dean and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of UConn Waterbury, was honored with the individual award for Academic Innovation and Leadership at the 19th Annual Women of Innovation Awards, hosted by the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) at Woodwinds in Branford. The CTC recognizes women who have achieved exceptional success and are empowering others -particularly women and girls- in the fields of scientific research, education, manufacturing, and business. Founded in 1994, the CTC serves as the voice of Connecticut’s technology companies. All Women of Innovation honorees are currently working or studying in Connecticut, demonstrating strong leadership and a commitment to mentoring, whether through short- or long-term, peer, career, or life mentorship. Eleven members of the UConn community were recognized for their contributions.
Dr. Hoeft was raised in Japan but spent several years of her childhood in New York as well as two years of high school at the International School of London. She received her medical degree in 1995 and psychiatrist early in her career. She later earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo and began her long career in research and higher education. In 2008 Fumiko started as a faculty member at Stanford University, followed by the University of California San Francisco, (UCSF) and in 2009 she began collaborating with UConn faculty. In 2018, she took on a faculty position at UConn with joint appointments in the departments of Psychological Sciences, Computer Science and Engineering, Educational Psychology, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Pediatrics and Psychiatry. Prior to becoming faculty, Dr. Hoeft received training in research at Harvard, UCLA, Caltech and Stanford and was Professor and Director of the Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC) at UConn Storrs for five years between 2018 and 2023. She has received awards from organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association (2014, 2022), Learning and the Brain Foundation (2015), International Mind Brain & Education Society (2018) and Society for Neuroscience (2018). Fumiko has published more than 400 book chapters and articles in journals such as the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences and Journal of Neuroscience. She has also delivered over 300 keynote speeches, including a TEDx in 2016 entitled “Dyslexia, Learning Differently, and Innovation” and at the White House. Her research on the brain mechanisms of learning including multilingualism, dyslexia and neurodiversity with over $30m in federal and foundation funding, has received national and worldwide attention.
Dr. Hoeft was appointed interim campus director at the UConn Waterbury campus in May 2022, and was appointed the permanent Campus Dean and CAO in December that same year. In just over 2 years, under Fumiko’s leadership, 28 new programs and initiatives have been launched on the campus including career-focused learning communities, such as R.I.S.E. and Ideas + Impact, as well as the Academic Achievement Center, Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) and Husky Harvest; resources focused on student success and personal well-being. The Allied Health Sciences to Nursing pathway program and two new Early Childhood Education programs offer additional academic opportunities to students. Dr. Hoeft cofounded a PhD program funded by the National Science Foundation that supports neurodiverse learners in educational neuroscience at UConn and a USDA-funded NextGen fellows program for Hispanic undergraduate students at the Waterbury and Stamford campuses. She led the renovation of the 36 North Main Street building in Waterbury, a project that will expand the footprint of the campus by 25%, and will create opportunities for innovative academic programs, research and community engagement. Fumiko also established the annual WISHfest (Waterbury Innovation, Sustainability and Health Festival) an event funded by the Reed Endowment, whose purpose is focused on advancing the educational goals of UConn Waterbury and enhancing the college-to-workforce pipeline. About one thousand students from Waterbury Public Schools and other local schools attend this day-long event, which will run for the third year in March 2025. In early 2024, Fumiko partnered with the Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center and UConn Global Affairs to form the Haskins Global Literacy Hub in an effort to improve literacy outcomes.
UConn Waterbury is now ranked among the top 10 public universities in the nation for 10-year return on investment, and among the top 25 institutions nationally and #1 in CT for economic mobility.
The faculty, staff, and students at UConn Waterbury are proud to recognize Fumiko’s outstanding contributions to the campus and community and congratulate her on receiving this prestigious award.
