2018 Call for Nominations Click this link for a PDF of the Call for Nominations, eligibility requirements, and nomination form.
A mentor is not just an educator. A mentor is a person who inspires and motivates. A mentor is committed to excellence. The Dean's Excellence in Mentorship Award recognizes full-time regular UAB faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments as mentors of graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OUTSTANDING MENTOR
Personal Characteristics
Demonstrates effective leadership skills
Is enthusiastic
Is respectful
Is unselfish
Is patient
Is self confident
Is honest
Is flexible
Is sensitive
Appreciates individual differences
Supports all trainees irrespective of their faculty affiliation
Teaching and Communication
Is an effective communicator
Is regarded as an excellent teacher
Makes difficult information and concepts understandable
Adjusts presentations to audience level
Welcomes questions and alternative interpretations
Mentoring Characteristics
Believes in the importance of mentoring
Has an open door policy
Is a careful listener
Provides inspiration and optimism
Balances guidance and independence
Encourages creative thinking
Celebrates trainee successes
Teaches the art of critique
Treats all trainees as colleagues
Demonstrates ethical conduct of scholarly activity
Understands differences among cultural, gender, and ethnic groups
Solicits advice from other experienced mentors
Advises trainees to seek out multiple mentors
Promotes network building
Serves as a role model
Promotes personal and intellectual growth of trainees
Provides opportunities for skills development
Hones communication skills, research presentations, and teaching
Assists with manuscript preparation
Directs development of grant proposals
Coaches people skills, leadership, and teamwork
Teaches non academic skills: administration, management, and budgeting
Serves as a career advisor
Fosters independence
Supports career objectives of students and postdocs
Wants trainees to be successful
Assists trainees with identifying and securing their next career opportunity
Stays in touch after trainees have completed their training
Derives great satisfaction from following the successful career trajectories of previous trainees
2017 Award Recipients
Stephen G. Aller, Pharmacology/Toxicology
Marie A. Bakitas, Nursing
William J. Britt, Medicine
Cynthia J. Brown, Medicine
Pi-Ling Chang, Nutrition Sciences
Qiang Ding, Medicine
Retta R. Evans, Human Studies
James F. George, Medicine
Orlando Gutierrez, Medicine
Mohammad Hassan, Dentistry
Karen L. Heaton, Nursing
Virginia J. Howard, Epidemiology
Suzanne E. Judd, Biostatistics
Rajesh Kana, Psychology
David C. Knight, Psychology
Farah Lubin, Neurobiology
Tonya Perry, Curriculum Instruction
Marti Rice, Nursing
Linda Roussel, Nursing
Nitesh Saxena, Computer & Information Sciences
Lalita Shevde-Samant, Molecular & Cellular Pathology
Yuhua Song, Biomedical Engineering
Despina Stavrinos, Psychology
Nasim Uddin, Civil Engineering
Kristina M. Visscher, Neurobiology
C. Roger White, Medicine
Martha Wingate, Health Care Organization & Policy
Frank Wolschendorf, Medicine
2016 Award Recipients
Susan Bellis, Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
Elizabeth Brown, Pathology
Yabing Chen, Pathology
Deek Cunningham, Occupational Therapy
Jeffrey Engler, Associate Dean, Graduate School
Candace Floyd, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Stuart Frank, Medicine
Amit Gaggar, Medicine
William Geisler, Medicine
Eugenia Kharlampieva, Chemistry
Jacqueline Moss, Nursing
Lisa Schwiebert, Associate Dean, Postdoctoral Education
Jacques Wadiche, Neurobiology
Linda Overstreet Wadiche, Neurobiology
J. Michael Wyss, Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
2015 Award Recipients
Cathleen Cummings, Art and Art History, Arts and Sciences
Lawrence DeLucas, Optometry, Optometry
James Ernest, Early Childhood Education, Education
Randa Hall, Health Services Administration, Health Professions
Gwendalyn King, Neurobiology, Joint Health Sciences
James Meador-Woodruff, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Medicine
Paul Muntner, Epidemiology, Public Health
Christina Ochsenbauer, Hematology and Oncology, Medicine
Nada Souccar, Orthodontics, Dentistry
Janet Turan, Health Care Organization and Policy, Public Health
2014 Award Recipients
Donna K. Arnett, Epidemiology, Public Health
Etty (Tika) Benveniste, Cell, Developmental & Integrative Biology, Joint Health Sciences
John C. Chatham, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, Joint Health Sciences
Carolyn A. Conley, History, Arts & Sciences
Lisa M. Curtis, Nephrology, Joint Health Sciences
Martha Dawson, Community Health, Outcomes and Systems, Nursing
Aaron L. Lucius, Chemistry, Arts & Sciences
Kristopher Maday, Physician Assistant Studies, Health Professions
Leslie A. McClure, Biostatistics, Public Health
Steven M. Rowe, Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care, Joint Health Sciences
David A. Schneider, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, Joint Health Sciences
Uday Vaidya, Materials Science & Engineering, Engineering
Hui Wu, Pediatric Dentistry, Joint Health Sciences
2013 Award Recipients
Anupam Agarwal, Medicine—Nephrology, Joint Health Sciences
David B. Allison, Biostatistics, Public Health
Marcas Bamman, Cell, Developmental, & Integrative Biology, Joint Health Sciences
Dale Callahan, Information Engineering Management, Engineering
Karen L. Cropsey, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Joint Health Sciences
Nita A. Limdi, Neurology and Epidemiology, Joint Health Sciences
Ludwine Maria Messiaen, Clinical Genetics, Joint Health Sciences
Andrew E. Pollard, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering
Alan Randich, Psychology, Arts & Sciences
Jack M. Rogers, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering
Sadeep Shrestha, Epidemiology, Public Health
Brian Sims, Pediatrics and Cell, Developmental, & Integrative Biology, Joint Health Sciences
Murat M. Tanik, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering
Robert Weech-Maldonado, Health Services Administration, Health Professions
2012 Award Recipients
Olivia Affuso, Epidemiology, Public Health
Ann W. Alexandrov, Nursing, Nursing
Scott R. Barnum, Microbiology, Joint Health Sciences
Michael Brenner, Neurobiology, Joint Health Sciences
John O. Burgess, Prosthodontics, Dentistry
Lois M. Christensen, Curriculum & Instruction, Education
Gary Cutter, Biostatistics, Public Health
William R. Drace, Physician Assistant Studies, Health Professions
Paul A. Goepfert, Infectious Diseases, Joint Health Sciences
Renitta Goldman, Curriculum & Instruction, Education
Adrienne C. Lahti, Behavioral Neurobiology, Arts and Sciences
Max Michael II,I Public Health, Public Health
Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Pathology, Joint Health Sciences
Rosalinda C. Roberts, Behavioral Neurobiology, Joint Health Sciences
Bisakha Sen, Health Care Org. & Policy, Public Health
Jon Daniel Sharer, Genetics, Joint Health Sciences
Susan K. Spezzini, Curriculum & Instruction, Education
Günter Stolz, Mathematics, Arts and Sciences
Timothy Wick, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering
Bradley K. Yoder, Cell Biology, Joint Health Sciences
2011 Award Recipients
Michael Brooks, PhD, Human Studies
Steven Carroll, MD, PhD, Neuropathology
Nikolai Chernov, PhD, Mathematics
Noel K. Childers, DDS, Pediatric Dentistry
Loucrecia Collins, EdD, Educational Leadership
John Heith Copes, PhD, Justice Sciences
Terje Dokland, PhD, Microbiology
Robert Fischer, PhD, Biology
Roderick Fullard, OD, PhD, Vision Sciences
W. Timothy Garvey, MD, Nutrition Sciences
Barbara Gower, PhD, Nutrition Sciences
Amjad Javed, PhD, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Julie Locher, PhD, Gerontology
Lori McMahon, PhD, Physiology & Biophysics
Nir Menachemi, PhD, Health Care Organization & Policy
Linda Moneyham, PhD, Nursing
Tim R. Nagy, PhD, Nutrition Sciences
Linda Searby, PhD, Educational Leadership
Rosa Serra, PhD, Cell Biology
John Van Sant, PhD, History & Anthropology
Rosalyn Weller, PhD, Psychology
Nengjun Yi, PhD, Biostatistics
2010 Award Recipients
David D. Chaplin, MD, PhD – Microbiology
Shelia R. Cotton, PhD – Sociology & Social Work
José R. Fernández, PhD – Nutrition Sciences
Frank Franklin, MD, PhD – Health Behavior
Nataliya V. Ivankova, PhD – Human Studies
Pauline E. Jolly, PhD – Epidemiology
Ho-Wook Jun, PhD – Biomedical Engineering
John F. Kearney, PhD – Microbiology
Connie L. Kohler, PhD – Health Behavior
Claudiu T. Lungu, PhD – Environmental Health Sciences
Raymond A. Mohl, PhD – History and Anthropology
Michael H. Mugavero, MD – Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
R. Kent Oestenstad, PhD – Environmental Health Sciences
Sarah H. Parcak, PhD – History and Anthropology
David L. Roth, PhD – Biostatistics
Virginia P. Sisiopiku, PhD – Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering
Harald W. Sontheimer, PhD – Neurobiology
Hemant K. Tiwari, PhD – Biostatistics
M. Tino Unlap, PhD – Clinical & Diagnostic Sciences
David E. Vance, PhD – Family/Child Health & Caregiving
Peter M. Walsh, PhD – Mechanical Engineering
Thane Wibbels, PhD – Biology
2009 Recipients
Graciela S. Alarcon, M.D., Epidemiology
Victor Darley-Usmar , Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Pathology
Louis J. Dell'Italia , M.D., Medicine
Brian F. Geiger , Ed.D., Education-Human Studies
Ian W. Knowles , Ph.D., Mathematics
Lesley E. Smythies , Ph.D., Medicine
Stephen A. Watts , Ph.D., Biology
