Distinctions

Distinctions

 

Elizabeth Stegemöller, Ph.D. Stegemöller is shown here with patients Michael and Gretchen Church, who are participants in one of Stegemöller’s studies.

Elizabeth Stegemöller, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Health and Human Performance and the UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, has received the 2012 Parkinson’s Action Network Postdoctoral Advocacy Prize. Her interactions with patients have inspired her to do all that she can to help make their lives better, she said. Last year she accompanied patients on a daylong trip to the U.S. Capitol to seek the support of senators and house members for Parkinson’s research. She is now galvanizing advocacy efforts among patients and researchers in Florida and her home state of Missouri.

“Elizabeth is particularly unique in her ability to step outside the lab to take a leadership role in this area,” said mentor Chris Hass, Ph.D., an associate professor of applied physiology and kinesiology and a faculty member in the movement disorders center. “I’m ecstatic that she received recognition for the work that she does outside of the lab, because she’s truly dedicated to helping our patients.”

College of Dentistry

Wellington Rody, D.D.S., an assistant professor in the department of orthodontics, received the 2012 American Association of Orthodontists Willie and Earl Shepard Orthodontic Faculty Development Fellowship Award for his dedication to clinical orthodontics and translational projects.

College of Medicine

Maureen Goodenow, Ph.D., the Stephany W. Holloway University Endowed Chair for AIDS Research in the UF College of Medicine department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine, has been named a 2012-2013 Jefferson Science Fellow by the U.S. Department of State. Goodenow, one of just 13 fellows selected from around the country and the first from UF, will contribute to foreign policy discussions in the State Department. Goodenow is one of the country’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS research.

College of Pharmacy

Juan Hincapie-Castillo, a third-year Pharm.D. student at the Jacksonville campus, has been appointed a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. The American Society for Health-System Pharmacists also appointed him to the ASHP Council of Therapeutics, concerned with professional policies related to the safe and appropriate use of medicines.

W. Thomas Smith, Pharm.D., J.D., a clinical assistant professor, has received the 2012 St. Louis College of Pharmacy Outstanding Achievement Distinguished Alumni Award. Smith was nominated and selected for his scholarly works and commitment to improve cultural competencies and eliminate health disparities. The highest honor bestowed upon a graduate, the award includes a $1,000 student scholarship awarded in Smith’s name.

Public Health and Health Professions

Barbara Curbow, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the department of behavioral science and community health, was appointed program leader of the UF Shands Cancer Center’s newly established population science program. The program will seek to reduce cancer burden in the general population by identifying cancer risk factors, developing strategies for cancer prevention and early detection, and investigating patient perceptions and health behaviors related to the treatment process.

Jenna Dietz, a doctoral student in the department of clinical and health psychology, received a predoctoral grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for her study on the psychophysiology of emotion in Parkinson’s disease.

Iomi Patten, a spring 2012 graduate of the master’s in communication sciences and disorders program, was awarded member honors by the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association. Her classmates nominated her for the award.

College of Veterinary Medicine

Ammon B. Peck, Ph.D., an immunology researcher and professor, has been named associate dean of research and graduate studies. Peck currently is a professor in the College of Medicine’s department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine, with a joint appointment in the College of Dentistry’s department of oral biology. He helped build the graduate student program in immunology and molecular pathology within the College of Medicine during the 1980s and early 1990s. He will succeed Charles Courtney, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Paul Davenport, Ph.D., a professor in the department of physiological sciences, has been promoted to the rank of distinguished professor, one of the highest academic designations offered by UF. Davenport’s research focuses on the control of breathing, including basic brain mechanisms, reflex-to-cognitive respiratory neurophysiology, pulmonary function assessments and rehabilitation of respiratory muscles.