2023-2024 Faculty Assembly Awardees
Outstanding Mentor
Erich Conrad, MD
Department of Psychiatry
Outstanding Service to the Institution
Judy Crabtree, PhD
Department of Genetics
Outstanding Service to the Community
Jennifer Creedon, MD
Department of Psychiatry
Outstanding Junior Faculty Member
Catherine Hudson, MD, MPH
Department of Surgery
Outstanding Service in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Discrimination Efforts
Sebastian Del Corral Winder, PsyD
Department of Psychiatry
For a list of previous winners, click here.
The Faculty Assembly Awards are chosen by the faculty and given annually for outstanding contributions to the School of Medicine (SOM) of LSUHSC - NO.
The Faculty Assembly will be soliciting nominations for the 2025 Faculty Awards. Nominations will be accepted from all SOM faculty members. All faculty members are eligible except administrators (Dean and Associate/Assistant Deans, Department Chairs, Center Directors), Faculty Assembly Delegates, and previous awardees (within the past five years).
Along with a prestigious plaque acknowledging the recipients's specifc contribution, Dr. DiCarlo has generously agreed to provide an educational grant to each of the five recipients. Awards will be presented at the Spring General Faculty Meeting.
Application Process:
Please provide, in pdf form, the two items below and submit both electronically to Dr. Liz Simon Peter at lsimo2@lsuhsc.edu. Nominations are due March 2025.
- One-page nomination form letter from the nominator (See Below)
- CV of nominee
Forms:
Criteria for Faculty Awards for Specific Contributions to the School of Medicine at LSUHSC in New Orleans:
Award Categories:
- Outstanding Service to the Institution
- Outstanding Service to the Community
- Outstanding Junior Faculty Member
- Outstanding Mentor
- Outstanding Service in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Discrimination Efforts (School, Institution, Community)
Eligibility
All School of Medicine (SOM) faculty members are eligible for nomination, except for administrators (i.e., department heads, center directors, and Assistant or Associate Deans), faculty assembly delegates, or anyone receiving the award within the past 5 years.
Award Process
Award Presentation will occur at the Spring General Faculty Meeting. Award recipients will receive a plaque and an educational grant sponsored by the Dean.
1. Outstanding Service to the Institution
Purpose: To recognize those individuals who have made major, enduring contributions to the development of the SOM and who have advanced its mission.
Background: Service to the institution may be difficult to define, especially when it occurs outside of the traditional scope of academic duties. Nevertheless, this award will honor a faculty member who has demonstrated service to other members of the faculty for the common good of the institution.
Indicators:
- Effectively participated in institutional committees, resulting in programmatic development or change.
- Elected or appointed to leadership role(s) in institutional committees (indicative of trust and recognition of past superior service and administrative abilities).
- Promoted innovation and excellence in the SOM.
- Enhanced participation and engagement of SOM faculty across the various SOM sites.
2. Outstanding Service to the Community
Purpose: To acknowledge selfless acts by an individual faculty member for the benefit of others served by either the SOM community and/or humanity in general.
Background: One of the primary missions of the SOM is to serve as a model of excellence in public and private medical care and in community-oriented programs. Given that the faculty are often the face of the SOM in these various venues for health care, this award seeks to recognize a faculty member that has enhanced the reputation of the SOM within the community through acts of generosity with their time and talent, . These acts can include their participation in community service activities within or outside of their profession, or any other activities that promote the mission of the school within the community.
Indicators:
- Developed community outreach programs that provide educational and service opportunities that enhance the quality of life of constituent communities.
- Identified community needs that can be met by the SOM.
- Demonstrated leadership in promoting education and/or service to the community.
3. Outstanding Junior Faculty Member
Purpose: To acknowledge contributions by this vitally important component of the faculty in an effort to reduce attrition from academic medicine and improve retention within the SOM.
Target: Instructor or Assistant Professor within the first 5 years of appointment
Background: Attrition rates of U.S. Medical School Faculty are highest among first-time assistant professors (i.e., faculty with no prior appointments at or above the rank of assistant professor) with 43% leaving academic medicine. In addition, first-time assistant professors, MD's, PhD's, or MD/PhD's, are also the most likely to leave for another academic position. This award seeks to provide early recognition of significant contributions by an individual young faculty member in an effort to retain these individuals within the institution and academic medicine.
Indicators:
- Attained research independence as evidenced by successful competition for extramural research grants and/or other extramural support (e.g., support from pharmaceutical or biomedical industries) and substantive independent contribution(s) to their field of interest.
- Exceeded expectations for teaching within the institution (undergraduates, medical/graduate students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, etc.).
- Established productive collaborations.
- Produced evidence of potential by presenting at national, international lectures/seminars, participating in professional society committees, study sections, editorial boards, etc., and receiving awards or other notable academic achievements.
4. Outstanding Mentor
Purpose: To honor individual faculty members for helping build a supportive academic environment, providing a vital resource for student and faculty growth and success, and enhancing excellence in the SOM.
Background: What frequently determines whether or not someone will have a successful career in the basic sciences or medicine is the extent to which they were mentored, yet the special talents or skills of a mentor are rarely rewarded even though they are essential for the progression and development of young students and faculty.
Indicators:
- Generously donated their time and expertise to critiquing and improving the work that is critical for the academic and career success of mentees (e.g., grantsmanship, manuscript preparation, presentations, teaching skills, management of personnel and staff, career choices, etc.).
- Offered sound counsel and valuable information to their mentees in order to advance and develop a mentee's own path to academic and professional success.
- Made others aware of the contributions and value of their mentees.
- Provided guidance to their mentees in navigating the professional environment in which he or she works.
- Showed continued interest in the professional advancement of former mentees.
5. Outstanding Service in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Discrimination Efforts (School, Institution, Community)
Purpose: To recognize those individual(s) who have created major, enduring contributions to the SOM DEI efforts and have advanced the SOM DEI mission, thereby contributing specifically to the area of anti-discrimination.
Background: One of our most revered missions is ensuring that our institution fulfills its moral responsibility, thereby ensuring that its relationships with and between faculty, staff, students, and our community are equitably inclusive and anti-discriminatory. This award is designed to recognize the faculty member who has demonstrated dedication to the school's DEI mission and led efforts that integrate DEI into the foundation of our SOM through service in areas of medicine, research, or medical and/or biomedical education.
Indicators:
- Promoted and/or led and/or facilitated DEI/anti-discriminatory initiatives, such as academic programs workshops, curriculum development, etc. for the purpose of developing equitable inclusion in the SOM.
- Elected or appointed to SOM/institutional/organizational DEI leadership role(s) in SOM and/or regional/national/international committees/organizations membership(s) and/or leadership roles in DEI, and/or received recognition/distinction due to advocating for DEI initiatives
- Ethically engaged and earned trust of historically-excluded underrepresented communities, to enhance participation in clinical research/clinical trials
- Enduring research contributions that examine both the direct and the underlying effects of the social determinants of health (i.e. APHA-Racism), and thereby determine the genetic, biochemical, and/or physiological outcomes of health disparities upon people from historically-excluded, underrepresented backgrounds
- Promoted and/or led efforts to mitigate health disparities by addressing systemic barriers and accessing health care delivery to promote inclusive patient care.
- Enhanced participation and engagement through DEI initiatives/efforts for SOM faculty, staff, and students, as well as our community-at-large across the various SOM levels/sites.
- Created and/or published such scholarship as innovative DEI curriculum/presentations/trainings/workshops for professional development and/or teaching within the SOM/institution (undergraduates, medical/graduate students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, etc.).
- Established productive collaborations SOM-wide, campus-wide, and/or with the community-at-large, to promote equitable inclusivity, thereby increasing access for and participation of people from historically-excluded, underrepresented backgrounds.