Faculty Award Information
Faculty play a leading role in the mission to advance knowledge through research, mentoring, teaching and learning, service and community engagement. Recognizing and celebrating the achievements of faculty who have exemplified excellence is an important step in promoting faculty at the School of Medicine.
See below for information, including overviews, timelines and criteria, for awards that are open to faculty in all areas at the School of Medicine. For more information on the awards please refer to appropriate contact specified.
Looking for the Staff Mission Awards? You can find information here.
Clinical Service Awards
These awards are in recognition of excellence, innovation and professionalism in clinical care based on faculty contribution/s to high quality care, innovation in health care delivery and professionalism at the UCR School of Medicine. Nominees must be current SOM faculty in good standing at the time of the application. Self-nomination is not allowed. Prior faculty awardees are not eligible. Each award will consist of a certificate and a $500 honorarium.
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: September 30, 2024
Contact for Nominations: stephanie.handler@medsch.ucr.edu or rubie.onate@medsch.ucr.edu
Award for Healthcare Innovation
SOM Value Innovation: This faculty demonstrates a commitment to innovation in healthcare.
Award Recipients
2023 John Agapian
Award for Excellence in Patient Care
SOM Value Excellence: This faculty member demonstrates a commitment to excellence in patient care.
Award Recipients
2023 Moazzum Bajwa
Professionalism Award
SOM Values Integrity and Respect: This faculty member demonstrates excellence in professionalism in the healthcare setting.
Award Recipients
2023 Jason Sacdalan
Community Service Award
This award recognizes one faculty and one staff member who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to community service. The award recipients will receive a $500 honorarium.
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: December 18, 2024
Contact for Nominations: alexandra.mosby@medsch.ucr.edu
Nominees must be current SOM faculty or staff in good standing at the time of the application. Nominees must have demonstrated one or more of the following:
- Volunteer engagement in community service (outside scope of work) representing the SOM.
- Contributions that have had a significant impact on vulnerable and/or underserved populations.
- Accomplishment through collaborative practice with community partners.
- Effectively promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, with an emphasis on social justice and health equity.
- Support from community groups/boards (external to UCR).
Award Recipients
Faculty 2023 Adwoa Osei
Staff 2023 Herlinda Bergman
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Award
The Faculty DEI Award nomination in recognition of faculty with excellence in teaching, research, clinical work and/or service efforts related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Nominees must be current SOM faculty in good standing at the time of the application. Nominations can come from staff, students, or faculty. Self-nomination is not allowed. Prior faculty DEI awardees are not eligible. A $500 allocation from the Dean will accompany the award.
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: September 30, 2024
Contact for Nominations: angeline.vanle@medsch.ucr.edu
Nominee must have demonstrated one or more of the following traits:
- Ongoing commitment through raising awareness and encouraging diverse perspectives.
- Incorporates DEI in patient care and/or research.
- Addresses issues, discovers, and implements solutions that increases DEI.
- Creates and promotes a welcoming environment through inclusivity and facilitates cultural awareness.
- Builds a supportive community and fosters belonging. Through ongoing efforts, fosters communication and collaboration with diverse groups.
- Champions and models creativity and innovation, which support SOM DEI efforts.
- Recognizes and advocates for DEI initiatives that support our school’s four-fold mission and have a positive impact on the organizational culture.
- Create pathways that lead to social justice and advances inclusion.
Award Recipients
Faculty 2022 Takesha Cooper
Staff 2022 Michelle Burroughs
Faculty 2023 Janet Cruz
Staff 2023 Tracy Bereal
Faculty Mentoring Award
This award is in recognition of faculty outstanding contributions to mentoring faculty, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and/or students. Nominees must be current SOM faculty in good standing at the time of the application. Self-nomination is not allowed. The award will consist of a commemorative certificate and a $500 honorarium.
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: September 30, 2024
Contact for Nominations: monique.tessier@medsch.ucr.edu
Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award
Nominee must have demonstrated one or more of the following traits:
- Evidence in providing the guidance in developing and implementation of the action plan for achieving the goals of the mentoring.
- Evidence of effectively working with mentee(s).
- Evidence of contributions that have had an impact on upward mobility of mentee(s).
- Evidence for participating in UCR SOM mentorship programs.
Award Recipients
2022 Ann Cheney
2023 Iryna Ethell
Research Achievement Awards
These awards are to publicize and promote the ongoing research success and individual achievements of our faculty in the School of Medicine, and to provide incentives for our faculty to grow our research programs.
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: September 30, 2024
Contact for Nominations: jacquelin.seybert@medsch.ucr.edu
Research Achievement Award in Biomedical or Basic Science Research
The awardees are aimed at recognizing faculty in the SOM for research achievements demonstrated by a research publication during the fiscal year. Serving the goals of the award, the review criteria are as follows: Research publications during the previous fiscal year in the areas described. Publications will be considered based on their innovation, significance and impact. Nominees must have at least half-time or full time SOM faculty appointment.
Award Recipients
2022 Declan McCole
2023 Natalie Zlebnik
Research Achievement Award in Clinical Research
The awardees are aimed at recognizing faculty in the SOM for research achievements demonstrated by a research publication during the fiscal year. Serving the goals of the award, the review criteria are as follows: Research publications during the previous fiscal year in the areas described. Publications will be considered based on their innovation, significance and impact. Nominees must have at least half-time or full time SOM faculty appointment.
Award Recipients
2023 Kimberley Lakes
Research Achievement Award in Population Health Research
The awardees are aimed at recognizing faculty in the SOM for research achievements demonstrated by a research publication during the fiscal year. Serving the goals of the award, the review criteria are as follows: Research publications during the previous fiscal year in the areas described. Publications will be considered based on their innovation, significance and impact. Nominees must have at least half-time or full time SOM faculty appointment.
Award Recipients
2023 Evelyn Vazquez
Teaching and Education Awards
These faculty teaching awards are in recognition of excellence in teaching based on faculty contribution/s to the undergraduate and/or graduate medical education at the UCR School of Medicine. Nominees must be current SOM faculty in good standing at the time of the application. Self-nomination is not allowed. Each award will consist of a commemorative certificate and a $500 honorarium.
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: September 30, 2024
Contact for Nominations: rosemary.tyrrell@medsch.ucr.edu
Basic Science Faculty of the Year Award
Nominee for the Basic Science Faculty of the Year Award must have demonstrated one or more of the following traits:
- Excellence in teaching by using evidence-based teaching methodologies.
- A demonstrated a commitment to teaching excellence through ongoing teaching, improvement through faculty development, teaching related service to the School of Medicine, attendance at teaching conferences, and/or published scholarship on medical education.
- Student Evaluations of teaching have a total average of value score equal to or greater than 4.00.
- Professionalism as demonstrated by completing requirements on time, showing up on time for teaching assignments, submitting required materials (i.e., syllabus, curriculum mapping data, test questions, etc.) in a timely manner, communicating with students, other faculty, and staff in a professional manner, etc.
- Faculty member has no outstanding professionalism complaints and has a reputation for professional behavior.
- Quality teaching materials that are well designed using the best practices in instructional design, current, and accessible to all learners.
- There is no specific number of teaching hours in the past year that are required. However, this information may be used a part of the selection criteria if needed for a “tie-breaker.”
Award Recipients
2023 Monica Carson
Community Faculty of the Year Award
Nominee for the Community Faculty of the Year Award must have demonstrated one or more of the following traits:
- A demonstrated a commitment to teaching excellence through ongoing teaching improvement through faculty development, teaching related service to the School of Medicine, attendance at teaching conferences, and/or published scholarship on medical education.
- Student evaluations of teaching have a total average of value score equal to or greater than 4.00.
- Professionalism as demonstrated by completing requirements on time, showing up on time for teaching assignments, submitting required materials (i.e., syllabus, curriculum mapping data, test questions, etc.) in a timely manner, communicating with students, other faculty, and staff in a professional manner, etc.
- Faculty member has no outstanding professionalism complaints and has a reputation for professional behavior.
- There is no specific number of teaching hours in the past year that are required. However, this information may be used a part of the selection criteria if needed for a “tie-breaker.”
Award Recipients
2023 Jason Sacdalan
Lifetime Achievement Award
Nominee for the Lifetime Achievement Award must have demonstrated one or more of the following traits:
- A minimum of 15 years of teaching service for the School of Medicine, teaching related service to the School of Medicine as evidenced by serving on committees related to teaching and learning (i.e., assessment, curriculum, student engagement, innovative learning, etc.) or having held the position of block, clerkship, or thread director over the past 15 years, a leader in adopting evidence-based teaching methods throughout their career, has mentored other faculty in teaching, has participated in longitudinal faculty development programs, etc.
- Over the course of their career have demonstrated a commitment to ongoing, continuous improvement of their teaching through faculty development, teaching related service to the School of Medicine, attendance at teaching conferences, and/or published scholarship on medical education, demonstrated the highest degree of professionalism throughout their teaching career, quality of teaching materials are excellent and stand as exemplars for other teaching faculty.
- Note: this award will only be given when a suitable candidate is identified. It need not be given annually.
Award Recipients
2023 Christian Lytle
SOM Service Awards & University Awards
Nomination Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Deadline for Nominations: September 20, 2024
Contact for Nominations: monique.tessier@medsch.ucr.edu
Distinguished School of Medicine Service Award
In recognition of outstanding service to SOM; SOM Committees (standing and non-standing), with priority given to service on the seven standing SOM committees; LCME committee; and faculty recruitment committees. Two nominators from the SOM are required.
Award Recipients
2022 Declan McCole
2023 Kenneth Ballou
Distinguished SOM Service to UCR Cross-Campus Community Award
In recognition of faculty who serve on Campus-wide committees, and/or provide cross-campus center leadership. Requires one nominator from SOM and one UCR nominator from outside SOM.
Award Recipients
2022 Maurizio Pellecchia
2023 Sika Zheng
Distinguished SOM UC Systemwide Service Award
In recognition of faculty who serve on UC-wide committees, and/or who represent UCR in UC-wide activities. Requires two nominators with at least one nominator being from outside UCR.
Award Recipients
2022 Declan McCole
2023 Meera Nair
SOM Junior Faculty (Assistant Professor) Distinguished Service Award
In recognition of Junior Faculty, encompassing School, Campus, and/or Systemwide (though UC-wide service is unlikely for junior faculty) Service. Requires two nominators from UCR SOM, unless the applicant is seeking recognition for service outside SOM or UCR in which case one or both nominators can come from outside SOM/UCR.
Award Recipients
2022 Erica Heinrich
2023 Stephanie Handler