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 access and engagement.
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.
Nominations open for Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty
Please visit the nomination portal to submit your nomination, including a one page (4,000 character max) letter of support and the nominee’s CV. Submissions are due by the close of business on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Faculty Honorees

Jessica Fazendin, M.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery

Jeremey Walker, M.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine

James Hwang, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery

Ryan Kraemer, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine

Pankaj Arora, M.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine

Romi Gupta, Ph.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Gang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine

Emily Wong, M.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine

John Fanning, M.D.
Regional Site Award
Huntsville Regional Campus
Department of Internal Medicine

Quince Gibson, M.D.
Regional Site Award
Whitfield Regional Hospital
UAB Department of Surgery

Jeffrey Blount, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Neurosurgery

Kara Huls, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics

Patrick Hussey, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

Helen Krontiras, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery

Namasivayam Ambalavanan, M.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics

Lily Gutnik, M.D.
Mentoring
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery

Sherell Hicks, M.D.
Mentoring
Junior Faculty
Department of Emergency Medicine

Lynn Matthews, M.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine

Andrea Gillis, M.D.
Access and Engagement Enhancement
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery

Tracey Wilson, M.D.
Access and Engagement Enhancement
Senior Faculty
Department of Urology
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