FACULTY & PROGRAM AWARDS
Cindy Knall, Ph.D., Alaska WWAMI Assistant Professor, Awarded NIH Research Grant (March 2008)
Dr. Cindy Knall, faculty member in UAA’s WWAMI Biomedical Program and the Department of Biological Sciences, has been awarded a three-year grant of $209,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the effects of cigarette smoke on human lung cells (March 2008). Read more about the award.
Summer Engler, First-Year Alaska WWAMI Student, Wins UAA Alumni Association's "Student Spirit Award" (February 2008)
Summer Engler, first-year Alaska WWAMI student, won the UAA Alumni Association's "Student Spirit Award" in February 2008. This award is presented to a current UAA student who has demonstrated exceptional service to the University through volunteer service.
Raymond Bailey, Ph.D., Alaska WWAMI Professor, Wins the First Alaska WWAMI Alumni Award (August 2007)
Dr. Ray Bailey, Professor of Anatomy in the UAA WWAMI Biomedical Program, was presented with the first Alaska WWAMI Alumni Award at the Alaska WWAMI Alumni Reunion and E2008 White Coat Ceremony, held August 18, 2007 at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage. Dr. Bailey began teaching for the Alaska WWAMI Program (which was the WAMI Program at that time) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1976. WWAMI alumnus and local surgeon Dr. Steve Floerchinger presented the award to Dr. Bailey.
Brian McMahon, M.D., Alaska WWAMI Affiliate Professor, Named WWAMI Science in Medicine Lecturer for 2007-2008
Dr. Brian McMahon, Affiliate Professor in the Alaska WWAMI Biomedical Program, has been selected as the WWAMI Science in Medicine Lecturer for 2007-2008. This prestigious award recognizes a single WWAMI scientist from the 5-state WWAMI region for exemplary scientific research accomplishments in medicine.
Dr. McMahon is the Director of the Viral Hepatitis Program for the Alaska Area Native Health Service and conducts research at the CDC in Anchorage. He is concurrently a staff physician and clinical hepatologist at the Alaska Native Medical Center.
Dr. McMahon has been and continues to be an innovator generating new knowledge. He takes his work from the lab to the bedside, effectively translating basic research into practical standards that are applicable to patients. He is a master communicator who engages students and colleagues alike as he describes the intricacies and impact of hepatitis in a thorough, yet easily understandable manner.
Jesse Owens, Ph.D., Alaska WWAMI Associate Professor, Receives RESNA’s Appropriate Technology Design Award for 2007
Dr. Jesse Owens, Associate Professor in the UAA WWAMI Biomedical Program and the Department of Biological Sciences, received RESNA's Appropriate Technology Design Award for 2007, taking first place in the overall category. His Skeeter is essentially a low-cost motorbike for wheel chair users. The RESNA Appropriate Technology Design Competition seeks to encourage the creation of inexpensive appropriate technology for people with disabilities living in developing nations or impoverished areas of the world. Read more about the award.
Dr. Owens has a long history of innovative, low-cost design for assistive devices. He works on a regular basis with organizations in Cambodia and elsewhere to provide designs that can be manufactured at local sites with readily available materials in order to provide low-cost assistive devices while simultaneously creating jobs. Dr. Owens is also the Senior Science Advisor for the Spinal Cord Society Australia, where his activities center on stem cell research.
Ian van Tets, Ph.D., Director of the UAA NIH NIDDK Summer Research Apprentice Program, Wins Award for Commitment to Excellence (August 2007)
Dr. Ian van Tets, Director of the UAA NIH NIDDK Summer Research Apprentice Program [now NIDDK STEP-UP], won an award for Commitment to Excellence at the annual conference with which the program culminated. The annual conference is held each year at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC.
Alaskan High School Student Wins Top Award at National Conference for UAA-Based Medical Research (August 2007)
Young Alaskans Travel to Washington D.C. to Receive Prestigious Awards
This summer, eight Alaskan high school students successfully completed biomedical research projects at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) as part of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases’, National High School Student Summer Research Apprentice Program [now STEP-UP]. Three of the students won prestigious awards, including the premier award, at the program’s National Conference in Washington D.C.
Juan Aparicio from South Anchorage High School, mentored by UAA’s Dr. Ian van Tets, received the conference’s top award – for outstanding research in the senior category. Fabio Coartney from Lathrop H.S., mentored by UAA’s Dr. Mary Ellen Gordian and Sofia Infante from East Anchorage H.S., mentored by Dr. Ian van Tets, both won honorable mentions in the junior category. Alaska was also represented by Jorjana Alakayak (Mt. Edgecumbe H.S., mentor Dr. Cindy Knall, UAA), Kathleen Choi (Mt. Edgecumbe H.S., David Robinson, UAA), Don Young Chon (East Anchorage H.S., Kalb Stevenson, UAA), Sally May Enriquez (Juneau-Douglas H.S., Dr. Eric Murphy, UAA) and Kathelyn Larson (Mt. Edgecumbe H.S., Dr. Timothy Hinterberger, UAA). The results of all eight students’ projects will be published later this year as short scientific papers in the peer-reviewed medical journal “Ethnicity and Disease.”
Tom Nighswander, M.D., M.P.H., Alaska WWAMI Affiliate Professor, Receives Honorary Doctorate from University of Alaska Anchorage (May 2007)
Dr. Tom Nighswander, M.D., M.P.H. was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Alaska Anchorage at commencement ceremonies in May 2007. Dr. Nighswander was recognized for his long-standing contributions to public health and medical education in the state of Alaska. Among his many activities statewide, he is currently Assistant Dean for Clinical Medical Education – Alaska, a position at the University of Washington School of Medicine. In this role Dr. Nighswander has primary responsibility for Alaska WWAMI clinical clerkship experiences. As a key member of the Alaska WWAMI Steering Committee, Dr. Nighswander works to guide current and future medical education in the state.
University of Alaska Anchorage Della Keats/U-DOC and NIDDK Programs Win Chancellor’s Award for Exemplary Achievement in Support of Diversity (April 2007)
At the annual UAA Chancellor's Awards ceremony in April 2007, Chancellor Elaine Maimon presented the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence to the Della Keats / U-DOC and NIDDK Programs for Exemplary Achievement in Support of Diversity.
The award recognizes the efforts of the Della Keats / U-DOC and NIDDK Programs in providing enrichment experiences to minority and disadvantaged high school students who are interested in careers in medicine, biomedical research, and other health-care fields.
Maryann Kniffen, Alaska WWAMI Program Coordinator, Receives UAA College of Arts and Sciences Inaugural Staff Excellence Award (August 2006)
Maryann Kniffen, Program Coordinator for the UAA WWAMI Biomedical Program, received the first UAA College of Arts and Sciences Staff Excellence Award in August 2006 in recognition of the excellent service she provides to the Alaska WWAMI Program, its medical students, and faculty.
Quentin Reuer, Ph.D., Alaska WWAMI Professor, Receives Chancellor's Award for Exemplary Contributions to Students (April 2004)
Individual Chancellor's Awards honor employees who made outstanding contributions in their areas and to the campus overall. Faculty and staff are nominated by peers and students who recognize the faculty or staff member's commitment to work or teaching. A committee reviews the nominations, and winners are chosen based on specific criteria for each award. The individual Outstanding Contributions to Students awards were based on access to excellence and the development and promotion of student success within UAA.