The Dean’s Excellence Awards are annual honors to recognize outstanding contributions made by faculty and staff across the Heersink School of Medicine.
Dean’s Excellence Awards for Faculty are awarded to one junior faculty member (instructor or assistant professor) and one senior faculty member (associate professor or full professor)—in each area of service: teaching, research, mentorship, and diversity enhancement.
New in 2023, the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff acknowledges the outstanding contributions of exceptional Heersink staff members across all mission areas: education, clinical care, and research.
Awardees for the Dean's Excellence Awards are selected through a peer-review process facilitated by a dean’s leadership team member.
Faculty Honorees
Hari Jeyarajan, M.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Otolaryngology
Diana M. Lin, M.D., FCAP, FASCP
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Pathology
Desiree E. Morgan, M.D., FSAR
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Radiology
Chere L. Stewart, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of OB/GYN
Veena B. Antony, M.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Rui Lu, Ph.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Sooryanarayana Varambally, Ph.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Pathology
Jereme Wilroy, Ph.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehab
Davis Bradford, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Daniel B. Cox, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery
David W. Kimberlin, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
Jennifer McCain, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
Shaundra Blakemore, M.D.
Mentoring
Junior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
Jayme Locke, M.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Carlie Stein, M.D.
Diversity Enhancement
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Erica M. Stringer-Reasor, M.D.
Diversity Enhancement
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Staff Honorees
April Agne
Program Director II
Department of Medicine
Division of Preventative Medicine
Donna Bailor
Executive Administrator
Department of Neurosurgery
Paula Clawson
Rural Program Coordinator
Huntsville Regional Medical Campus
Office for Family Health Education and Research
Kristi Gidley
Executive Administrator
Department of Otolaryngology
Betsy Hopson
Director of STEP/School of Medicine Research
Department of Medicine
Division of General Internal Medicine
Emily Knighton-Akins
Program Manager I
Heersink Dean’s Office
Office of Strategic Leadership Recruitment
Jason Noah
Director of the Student Success Program
Department of Medical Education
Division of Medical Student Services
Ryan Outman
Executive Administrator
Department of Family Medicine
Theresa Wright
Administrative Associate
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Hospital Medicine