The Biological Sciences Division honored faculty members for research excellence, professional service, and leadership at the 12th Annual Distinguished Faculty Awards Reception, hosted in person for the first time since 2019 on June 6, 2022. Since 2011, the BSD Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) has been honoring fellow faculty members for their contributions to the BSD's collective missions of excellence in education, research, diversity and inclusion, program innovation, service to the community and patient care.
Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Dean of the Division of the Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, presided over the reception and presented awards to 19 faculty members who were nominated by their colleagues, former trainees, and community partners. "It is a great honor to be recognized by one’s peers, and these awards represent the spirit of mutual respect and collegiality among our faculty," Polonsky said.
The FAC reviewed nominations for many excellent candidates and selected this year’s winners for the following awards:
- Distinguished Leader in Diversity and Inclusion
- Monica Peek, MD, Ellen H. Block Professor for Health Justice
- Sarah Faris, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery
- Distinguished Investigator
- Yingming Zhao, PhD, Professor in the Ben May Department of Cancer Research
- Bhakti Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
- Distinguished Clinician
- Brian Funaki, MD, Professor of Radiology
- Allison Bartlett, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
- Distinguished Leader in Program Innovation
- Sarosh Rana, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Tia Kostas, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine
- Distinguished Educator and Leader
- Stacie Levine, MD, Professor of Medicine
- Daniel Golden, MD, Associate Professor of Radiation and Cellular Oncology
- Distinguished Community Service and Advocacy
- Dana Suskind, MD, Professor of Surgery
- Sonya Dinizulu, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
- Michael Reese Lectureship
- David Rubin, MD, Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine
- Francis Straus Mentorship Award
- Victoria Prince, PhD, Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy
- Nicole Cipriani, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology
- Physician Faculty Peer Role Model Award
- Lisa McQueen, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
- Gold Key Award
- Diane Altkorn, MD, Professor of Medicine
- Ira Hanan, MD, Professor of Medicine
- Stephen Pruett-Jones, PhD, Associate Professor of Ecology & Evolution
The award guidelines and a list of previous award winners are available on the Office of Faculty Affairs website. The Faculty Advisory Committee is co-chaired by Barrett Fromme, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Mark Slidell, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, and Betty Theriault, DVM, Professor of Surgery, who lead the nomination and selection process. The winners will be commemorated in a display located in the lobby of the Surgery Brain Research Pavilion on the UChicago campus.