Dean’s Excellence Awards for Faculty are awarded to junior and senior faculty in each of the following categories: service, research, mentorship, teaching, and access & engagement. Awardees are selected in a peer-review process involving separate committees for each award category. Full-time faculty members may nominate a faculty colleague for any award, provided the nominee has not received a Dean’s Excellence Award during the past three years. Self-nominations are not accepted. Recent awardees are shown below.
New in 2023, the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff acknowledges the outstanding contributions of exceptional Heersink staff members across all mission areas: education, clinical care, and research.
Awardees for the Dean's Excellence Awards are selected through a peer-review process facilitated by a dean’s leadership team member.
We are delighted to announce that we are currently accepting nominations for the Dean's Excellence Awards for Staff. Nominations must be submitted by Thursday, July 17, at 5 p.m.
Faculty Honorees
Britney Corey, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Steven Fox, M.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Eric Judd, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Braden McFarland, Ph.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
Daniel Chu, M.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Ryan Coute, D.O.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Emergency Medicine
Maria Grant, M.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Ophthalmology
HaoSheng Sun, Ph.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
Shea Duerring, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
Kyle Eudailey, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Lara Ianov, Ph.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Neurobiology
Clinton Martin, M.D.
Service - Regional
Senior Faculty
Huntsville Regional Campus
Department of Psychiatry
Rodney Tucker, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Robert Hollis, M.D.
Mentoring
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Neurobiology
Michael Mugavero, M.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Adam Wende, Ph.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Pathology
Johan Latorre, M.D.
Access and Engagement
Junior Faculty
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Gabriela Oates, Ph.D.
Access and Engagement
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Staff Honorees
Isaac Martinez Aguilar
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship
Starlette Jones Dabbs
Executive Administrator
Department of Otolaryngology
Meredith Fitz-Gerald RN, MSN
Director and Clinical Research Administrator
Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)
Ashley Foster
Education Administrator
Department of Dermatology
Jennifer Hicks, MSHA, MBA
Director of Clinical Practice Operations
Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care
Jorice Johnson McCain
Human Resources Partner Generalist Lead
Heersink School of Medicine Dean’s Office
Mitch Nelson
Administrative Director
Department of Surgery
Kelly Powell
Program Manager
Office of Academic Initiatives and Programs
Anastasia Smith, DrPH, MPH
Clinical Research Coordination Manager
Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery