UF College of Medicine faculty members honored for achievements

By Tyler Francischine

The UF College of Medicine Faculty Council recognized several faculty members for their contributions to medicine and medical education during a recent virtual ceremony held via Zoom. Remarks were given by UF College of Medicine Interim Dean Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., and Faculty Council President Emily LeBrun, M.D.

Three faculty members — Bill Mendenhall, M.D.; Desmond Schatz, M.D.; and Nikolaus Gravenstein, M.D. — were each given a Lifetime Achievement Award, which “recognizes our most outstanding, active peers for providing extraordinary service, including recognition for the college through national reputation,” according to the Faculty Council.

Nancy Mendenhall, M.D., received the 2020 David A. Paulus, M.D., Award for Clinical Excellence for her contributions, and Patrick Duff, M.D., received the Society of Teaching Scholars Lifetime Achievement Award. Members of the UF College of Medicine faculty who have given 20, 30 or 40 years of service were also recognized.

Distinctions

College of Medicine

Raymond Mailhot Vega, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, has received the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Conquer Cancer Global Oncology Foundation Young Investigator Award. The annual award is given to promising investigators and encourages and promotes quality research in clinical oncology.

Thomas F. Stringer, M.D., FACS, a clinical associate professor in the department of urology, has been chosen as treasurer-elect for the American Urological Association Board of Directors. He will serve in this position as for one year and then have a four-year term. He is the first faculty member in the department’s history to hold a senior leadership position in the organization.

College of Medicine – Jacksonville

Madeline Joseph, M.D., a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, has been elected chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ District X, which serves Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Puerto Rico. Joseph will represent District X on the academy’s national Board of Directors, becoming the first UF faculty member to serve as a voting member on the board. She will also guide and coordinate the activities of the chapters in her district.

College of Veterinary Medicine

Amara Estrada, D.V.M., a professor, board-certified veterinary cardiologist and associate chair for instruction in the department of small animal clinical sciences, has been appointed to serve on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education. The council serves as AVMA’s accrediting body. She will serve a six-year appointment, beginning in August and expiring in 2026. Estrada also has been inducted into the National Academies of Practice in Veterinary Medicine as a newly elected Distinguished Fellow. This designation is made in recognition of her outstanding leadership and achievements.

Roy Curtiss III, Ph.D., a professor in the department of infectious diseases and immunology, has received the 2020 Distinguished Veterinary Microbiologist Award from the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists, a national organization that provides certification of veterinarians with special expertise in microbiology. Hired in 2015 through UF’s preeminence initiative, Curtiss holds appointments in the college’s departments of infectious diseases and immunology, and comparative, diagnostic and population medicine. His primary expertise is in vaccinology and molecular biology.