Presented on Thursday, May 23, at UMass Chan Medical School, the 24th annual Women’s Faculty Awards honored women in science and health care for achievements in early career development, clinical service, mentoring, education, health equity and community service.
In opening remarks, Chancellor Michael F. Collins emphasized the importance of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of UMass Chan’s women faculty, while acknowledging that there is still work to be done to address gender equity in medical education.
“As an institution, we've been focused on the imperative of gender equity now for many years. It’s a privilege to partner with and work alongside so many ardent advocates and effective champions in advancing the importance of this work. That said, I do believe there is still much more to do and I'm glad they were able to mark the progress to date and to talk about our hopes for the future,” Chancellor Collins said.
Seven faculty members were honored at the annual event, including, Luu Ireland, MD, MPH, associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology; Erin McMaster, MD’96, associate professor of pediatrics; Melissa Anderson, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry; Gina Sullivan, MD’10, assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology; Jennifer Reidy, MD, associate professor of family medicine & community health; Elise Stevens, PhD, assistant professor of population & quantitative health sciences; and Kavita Babu, MD, professor of emergency medicine.
The awards are sponsored by the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Women’s Faculty Committee of the Diversity and Inclusion Office.
Mary Munson, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular biotechnology, vice chair of diversity for the department, and assistant vice provost for health equity, delivered the keynote address, “A Map for Mentoring.”
“In everything that we do in terms of mentorship, whether giving it or receiving it, we should think about the challenges junior faculty and trainees face in academia,” Dr. Munson said. “We’re all coming from different backgrounds, we have different needs, and we have different concerns. When you think about mentorship, to communicate and reach each other in ways that are empowering and helpful, individuals in a mentorship relationship must work together. It’s not a one-way street.”
Mary Ahn, MD, vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, highlighted the achievements of individual women in leadership positions, and the need to continue working toward gender parity in leadership at UMass Chan.
“Comparing ourselves nationally in terms of representation across the pathway from medical school to our most senior levels of leadership, women at UMass Chan do better and have outpaced not only academic rank, but also representation across every single level,” Dr. Ahn said.
The 2024 award recipients are:
Christine K. Cassel Faculty Scholar Award: Luu Ireland, MD, MPH, associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology
Sarah Stone Excellence in Education Award: Erin McMaster, MD’96, associate professor of pediatrics
Women in Science and Health Achievement Award: Melissa Anderson, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry
Excellence in Clinical Services Award: Gina Sullivan, MD’10, assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology
Outstanding Mentoring to Women Award: Jennifer Reidy, MD, associate professor of family medicine & community health
Early Career Achievement in Science and Health Award: Elise Stevens, PhD, assistant professor of population & quantitative health sciences
Outstanding Community Service Award: Kavita Babu, MD, professor of emergency medicine
