Awards & Accolades

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Meredith Hay, professor of physiology

Meredith Hay, professor of physiology

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Terry Badger, professor of nursing

Terry Badger, professor of nursing

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Scott Saleska, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology

Scott Saleska, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology

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Elise Gornish, assistant restoration ecology specialist in UA Cooperative Extension

Elise Gornish, assistant restoration ecology specialist in UA Cooperative Extension

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Dr. Khadijah Breathett, assistant professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson

Dr. Khadijah Breathett, assistant professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson

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Sarah Kortemeier, library director at the UA Poetry Center

Sarah Kortemeier, library director at the UA Poetry Center

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Members of the College of Humanities external relations team were honored with this Top 10 award from the American Advertising Federation Tucson for the campaign promoting the 2018 Tucson Humanities Festival.

Members of the College of Humanities external relations team were honored with this Top 10 award from the American Advertising Federation Tucson for the campaign promoting the 2018 Tucson Humanities Festival.

Congratulations to these recent honorees.

Hay Elected President of American Physiological Society

Meredith Hay, a professor of physiology, has been elected president of the American Physiological Society. Her one-year term begins in May.

The American Physiological Society represents more than 10,000 members in the biomedical sciences field. Hay has been active in the organization for three decades. She also was on the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

Hay is internationally known for her work in cardiovascular neurobiology and was one of the first scientists to look at the role of sex differences in the development of hypertension. She came to the UA in 2008 as executive vice president and provost. She also is a professor in the Department of Psychology, and a member of the Sarver Heart Center and the BIO5 Institute.

Badger Inducted Into International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame

Terry Badger, a professor of nursing, has been named a 2019 inductee into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing's International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. Badger will be inducted in July.

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing is a nonprofit organization that aims to advance world health through "celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service." Its International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame includes researchers "who have achieved significant and sustained national or international recognition and whose research has improved the profession and the people it serves."

Badger holds the Eleanor Bauwens Endowed Chair of Nursing and is chair of the College of Nursing's Division of Community and Systems Health Science. Her research focus includes developing easily accessible, quality psychosocial oncology services for underserved, multicultural populations. She began at the UA in 2001.

Saleska, Gornish Elected to ESA Fellowships

Two faculty members have been elected to Ecological Society of America fellowships. Scott Saleska, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, has been named a 2019 fellow, and Elise Gornish, an assistant restoration ecology specialist in Cooperative Extension, was elected an early career fellow.

The society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and raising public awareness of ecological science. Its fellows are members whose research has helped "advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, non-profit organizations, and the broader society."

Saleska was elected a fellow for his research, which the society says has "revolutionized understanding of the drivers of productivity and forest dynamics in the Amazon and of microbial dynamics in thawing permafrost systems" and for contributions to international educational infrastructure and national environmental policy. Saleska's research focus involves studying how ecological communities respond to climate change. He began at the UA as an assistant professor in 2005.

Early career fellows are members who have earned doctoral training or another terminal degree within the last eight years and have "advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields." Gornish was elected for "her exceptional leadership in advancing impactful, stakeholder-driven research in the field of ecological restoration; outstanding contributions to outreach, science communication, and education; and dedication to translational science partnerships to enhance management and policy decision-making." Gornish is also affiliated with the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Her research focus includes restoration and weed management strategies that mitigate effects of climate change. She began at the UA 2017.

Breathett Among '40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health'

Dr. Khadijah Breathett, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson's Division of Cardiology, has been named one of the 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum. Breathett and the other awardees were honored at a summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

The National Minority Quality Forum is an organization dedicated to eliminating "the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness for racial and ethnic minorities and other special populations." Its 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health "represent the next generation of thought leaders in reducing health disparities."

Breathett's research interests include reducing racial, ethnic and gender disparities in advanced heart failure, and preventing heart failure among racial and ethnic minorities and women. Breathett, who is also a member of the Sarver Heart Center, began at the UA in 2017.

Kortemeier Recognized With National Poetry Prize

Sarah Kortemeier, the library director at the UA Poetry Center, has been awarded the University of Wisconsin Press' 2019 Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry.

The prize is part of the Wisconsin Poetry Series, which accepts submissions of book-length manuscripts that are considered for three different prizes. The winning manuscripts are then published.

Kortemeier is being recognized for her book "Ganbatte," a collection of poems that follows its speaker around the world, asking "What does it mean to experience history as a tourist?" and "How does identity shift when we speak in different languages?"

Kortemeier competed with about 900 other submissions for the honor.

College of Humanities Recognized for Festival Campaign

Members of the College of Humanities external relations team were honored with a Top 10 award from the American Advertising Federation Tucson for a campaign promoting the 2018 Tucson Humanities Festival. Honorees were recognized in February.

The American Advertising Federation has more than 200 clubs around the country that represent more than 40,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The local club's Top 50 awards, formerly known as the Addy Awards, recognize "the best creative in Southern Arizona." The College of Humanities was recognized among the top 10 of the top 50.

The annual Tucson Humanities Festival is organized and sponsored by the College of Humanities. The 2018 festival featured lectures, panel discussion, film screenings and performances through the month of October at venues on campus and in downtown Tucson.

The external relations team members who shared in the recognition are:

  • Michelle Doggett, Graphic Designer
  • Amanda Hunt, Assistant Director of Marketing
  • Katherine Leyton, Senior Editor of Digital Content
  • Nate Mehr, Digital Marketing Manager

We want to know about your good news. If you, your team or a colleague has won any major awards, been honored nationally or internationally, or accomplished some other major feat that deserves recognition, let us know about it.

To submit your news, please send us an email with the following information:

  • Name of the person, team or unit receiving the honor with full UA titles.
  • Information about the award/honor and the organization that granted it. Please include a link to the official announcement of the award/honor.
  • When the honor was announced and when it will be presented (or was presented).
  • A photo of the honoree. If others appear in the photo, please provide their names and identifying information, such as their UA title or other affiliation.

Questions? Contact Lo Que Pasa at uaatwork@email.arizona.edu.

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