Dean’s Message – April 2025
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April is one of my favorite months of the year—nature comes alive in a spectacular display of blossoms, color, and renewal. It’s a season of transformation, and that energy is mirrored in our academic community. As the academic year begins to wind down, April becomes a time of reflection, recognition, and celebration. The hard work and dedication of our faculty and students throughout the year come into full bloom, much like the world around us. This is the moment when achievements are honored, talents are spotlighted, and the spirit of our community shines brightest. We are bursting with pride over the remarkable individuals among us, as showcased in the awards listed below and, in the stories, highlighted throughout this newsletter.
Awards to our faculty:
- School’s Outstanding Teaching Award: Airin Martinez, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management
- Distinguished Teaching Award: Eliza Frechette, Senior Lecture II from the Department of Kinesiology
- Distinguished Community Engagement Award for Research Susan Shaw, Professor of Community Health Education and Director of the Center for Community Health Equity Research
- Excellence in Nutrition Fellow for the American Society for Nutrition: Zhenhua Liu, Professor of Nutrition
Awards to our students:
- School’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award: Rachel Wacks, doctoral student in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
- CESL Outstanding Undergraduate Community Engagement Group Award: Experiential Learning Project group, which is led by Dr. Lorraine Cordeiro, Professor of Nutrition, and supervised by Maria Wigati, doctoral student in the Nutrition Department. Students: Yejun Na, Shaheed Abraham, Unmesh Reza, Aarushi Madappa, Amara Cheng, William I, Ella McTasney and Yardana Katz
- Scanlon Award for Student Employee of the Year: Danish Humayun, nominated by Acting Chair of Health Promotion and Policy Elizabeth Evans
Our SPHHS Student Research Day was held on Friday, April 25th. Once again we received an overwhelming number of abstracts – over 100! – demonstrating the hard work of our faculty with students at every level. Stay tuned for my May message for our announcement of the winners!
As everyone prepares for finals and end of the semester projects, I want to stress the importance of self-care and maintaining positive well-being. I know how much anxiety and pressure exist during this time, but take time to enjoy the campus and your friends and join us at the SPHHS BBQ being held on May 9th from 12-2pm in front of Totman. There will be delicious food to share, games on the lawn, music – plus, we’ll be having a fun activity as we collect items for our time capsule! If you are so inclined, bring an item to put in the time capsule; we will have two capsules: one to be opened in 2050 and the other in 2100.