Distinctions

A Hall of Fame honor

Paul Nicoletti, D.V.M., a professor emeritus of infectious diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine, was honored Feb. 12 during the 34th annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet, held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Nicoletti was acknowledged along with three others who were recently inducted into the Hall of Fame for their invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture. A 1956 graduate of the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Nicoletti began his career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Missouri, with later duties in Wisconsin, New York, Mississippi and Florida. Most of his career was spent with the USDA and later, the UF veterinary college, where he taught infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health and food safety for 25 years and influenced many veterinary students to consider careers in agriculture and public health. Nicoletti also served as an epizootiologist in Tehran, Iran, from 1968-1972 with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

College of Dentistry

Abimbola Adewumi, B.D.S., F.D.S.R.C.S., M.Ped., DentRSC, an assistant professor in the department of pediatric dentistry, was accepted as a 2013-2014 American Dental Education Association Leadership Institute fellow, joining a cadre of the nation’s most promising dental educators.

Nereyda Clark, D.M.D., an associate professor in the department of restorative dental sciences, was invited to serve for MedEdPORTAL’s Faculty Mentor Pilot Program. Clark was one of 20 faculty members invited to serve as liaisons within their institutions. “I am excited to participate in this endeavor to help promote scholarship amongst the faculty at the University of Florida, and I appreciate the support of the college toward this goal,” Clark said.

College of Medicine

Nancy Hardt, M.D., a professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, received the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation’s 2013 Sapphire Award. The Sapphire Awards are Florida’s only statewide honors to recognize programs, organizations and individuals who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in community health. Hardt was honored for her work with UF’s Mobile Outreach Clinic, elementary school health interprofessional programs and service learning programs.

College of Pharmacy

Carole Kimberlin, Ph.D., a professor of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy, received the Wiederholt Prize from the American Pharmacists Association for her paper examining the pharmacist’s role in patient care. The prize recognizes the best paper published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association within the past two calendar years.

Public Health and Health Professions

Kelsey Thomas, a Ph.D. student in the department of clinical and health psychology, has received UF’s Leighton E. Cluff Aging Research Award. The $1,200 award is sponsored by the College of Medicine and the Center for Gerontological Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

College of Veterinary Medicine

Sarah Carey, M.A., A.P.R., director of public relations for the college, was recently named the 2012 John S. Detweiler Professional of the Year by the Florida Public Relations Association’s Gainesville chapter. The award is named for longtime chapter member and UF professor emeritus John S. Detweiler, Ed.D., A.P.R., C.P.R.C., who served for many years as chair of the public relations department in the UF College of Journalism and Communications. The Detweiler Award is given annually to an individual who demonstrates the highest standards of ethics, performance and service to the public relations profession.

Terrific teamwork

The UF Proton Therapy Institute’s pediatric program earned the 2013 Top Team Effort Award given by the UF Shands Cancer Center at its annual Celebration of Excellence Awards event Feb. 26. “Families are often displaced from familiar surroundings for six to eight weeks during the most stressful time of their lives. The team meets before the patient arrives to coordinate care and cover every aspect of anticipated need for each child and family,” one nominator wrote. The UF Proton Therapy Institute treats about 20 children each day, the most of any proton therapy center worldwide.