Students Carmella Kahn-Thornburgh, left, and Alyssa Bittenbender.

Welcome to the Student Awards Home Page for The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH)!  On these pages, you'll find links to recent honors and awards received by MEZCOPH faculty, appointed personnel, students, and staff:

Recent Awards and Highlights

Student Awards

Recently MEZCOPH students received the Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award for 2009, recognizing their events, such as the annual Social Justice Symposium, which promote diversity.  More details soon.

Alyssa Bittenbender received a 2009 Katie Evans Memorial Scholarship, a national honor, which will enable her to evaluate an indigenous food project in Pohnpei, FSM, during the summer of 2009. More.

Carmella Kahn-Thornburgh was awarded a national research fellowship from the Community Forestry and Environmental Research Partnerships (CFERP).  More.

Faculty Awards and Research Excellence

Lynda Bergsma, PhD, received a cable award for her work on media literacy education, a national honor. More. 

Kelly Reynolds, PhD, received multiple national awards for her work on water quality:

• The 2009 William B. Fritzsche Memorial Top 50 Award is a national honor from Water Conditioning & Purification (WC&P) magazine, recognizing Dr. Reynolds' contributions to the water quality field. More.  
• Dr. Reynolds also received the International Leadership Award and an Honorary Membership from the Water Quality Association.  More.

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, received research awards including:

• The MEZCOPH 2008 Award of Distinction for Research.  More.  
• Dr. Jacobs also was honored with the Arizona Cancer Center's Sydney E. Salmon, MD, Distinguished Junior Investigator Award. More.

Mary Kay O'Rourke, PhD, was chosen for the MEZCOPH 2008 Award of Distinction for Teaching. More.

Cecilia Rosales, MD, MS, was awarded the MEZCOPH 2008 Award of Distinction for Community-Engaged Service and Practice. More.

Appointed Professionals Awards

Chris Tisch, the assistant dean for Student Services and Alumni affairs, received the prestigious AHSC Georgia Reynolds Memorial Award, marking the second year in a row that the award has been won by a MEZCOPH employee.  More.

Student Awards and Honors - 2009

Recent awards received by MEZCOPH's graduate and undergraduate students are listed below by date, with the most recent awards listed first:

• The students who organized the 2009 Social Justice Symposium at MEZCOPH have won the Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award for 2009.  Named for former UA President Peter Likins, this award recognizes those who "have made significant contributions toward enhancing the University of Arizona' academic excellence by creating a diverse and inclusive campus community."  More details soon.

• Alyssa Bittenbender received a 2009 Katie Evans Memorial Scholarship, which will enable her to evaluate an indigenous food project in Pohnpei, FSM, during the summer of 2009.   Alyssa is an MPH student.  More.

• Carmella Kahn-Thornbrugh, an MPH student, was awarded a research fellowship from the Community Forestry and Environmental Research Partnerships (CFERP).  It will support her project titled "Urban American Indian Youth Garden Project," in collaboration with Dr. Norman Gray, her academic advisor, and the Tucson Indian Center.  More.

Staff Awards and Honors - 2009

Recent awards received by classified staff members are listed below by date, with the most recent awards listed first:

• Jason Hollister and Anita Foley received the 2009 Outstanding Staff Awards for MEZCOPH at the annual Arizona Health Sciences Center's staff awards ceremony.  These awards are sponsored by the AHSC Staff Advisory Council (SAC).  More.

• Read about last year's 2008 AHSC-SAC Outstanding Staff Awards for MEZCOPH.

Appointed Personnel - 2009 Awards and Honors

Recent awards received by appointed professionals are listed below by date, with the most recent awards listed first:

• Chris Tisch, Assistant Dean for Student and Alumni Affairs, won the prestigious 2009 Arizona Health Sciences Center's Georgia Reynolds Award, an annual honor given to an outstanding staff member or appointed professional on the AHSC staff. More.

Faculty Awards and Honors - 2009

Recent local, national and international awards received by MEZCOPH faculty members are listed below by date, with the most recent awards listed first:

• Kelly Reynolds, MSPH, PhD, a MEZCOPH associate professor, was awarded a 2009 William B. Fritzsche Memorial Top 50 Award, a national honor from Water Conditioning & Purification (WC&P) magazine, recognizing her contributions to the water quality field. More.

• Lynda Bergsma, PhD, a MEZCOPH assistant professor, travelled to Washington, D.C., to be presented with a prestigious National Cable Award in May, 2009 in recognition of her achievements in media literacy education. More. 

• Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, a MEZCOPH assistant professor, received the Sydney E. Salmon, MD, Distinguished Junior Investigator Award, which recognizes Arizona Cancer Center faculty members for their leadership in cancer research, grant support, publications, community service and clinical responsibilities.   More.

• Annual UA-MEZCOPH Awards of Distinction.  These awards were given in April, 2009 to recognize outstanding MEZCOPH faculty members in three categories:  teaching, research and community service/practice.  Also see "Faculty - Annual MEZCOPH Awards," below.
  

• Kelly Reynolds, MSPH, PhD, a MEZCOPH associate professor, received the International Leadership Award and Honorary Membership from the Water Quality Association on March 18, 2009.  More.

Annual UA-MEZCOPH Awards of Distinction for Faculty

Each year, three outstanding faculty members are selected for the UA-MEZCOPH Awards of Distinction recognizing outstanding research; community service and public-health practice; and teaching. Usually the awards are given at a University-wide ceremony hosted by the UA Provost, and other College and University Department present their Awards of Distinction and recognize outstanding achievements.

The awards for 2008 are listed in the following table, with links to more information for each award:

The MEZCOPH Awards are given and labelled for the previous year's efforts, and so are listed a little differently than the Arizona Health Sciences Center or other awards.  For example, in the spring of 2009, the awards for 2008 were distributed.  The 2009 awards will be given in the spring of 2010, and so on.

Please send any additions or corrections to Loretta McKibben.

This page was posted on July 2, 2009.  Last updated on July 20, 2009.