2025

Dolores J. Brown Staff Award

This award, presented by the HMS Office of Human Resources, was established in 2002 by the Brown family to honor Dolores J. Brown and commemorate her contributions to the School. The award specifically recognizes an HMS or HSDM staff member who:

  • Demonstrates a record of outstanding service to their position, colleagues, and the School
  • Shows respect for HMS and its mission
  • Creates a welcoming, friendly, and inclusive work environment

2025 Recipient

  • Martha Vedrine, HSDM admissions and recruitment coordinator

The Office of Human Resources acknowledges this year’s nominees, whose dedication and commitment to high performance continues to make HMS and HSDM great places to work:

  • Anna Chang, External Education
  • Caleigh Griffin, Corporate Learning – Programs, External Education
  • Clare Donohue, Postgraduate Medical Education
  • Dennis Rowe, HSDM HDC Clinical Operations
  • Dziyana Shaplyka, IT Client Services
  • Emely Mateo, PME Student Affairs
  • Leanne “Jake” Jacobellis, HSDM Global and Community Health
  • Louis Lee, HSDM Administration
  • Merhawi Wells-Bogue, IT-Teaching and Learning Technology
  • Sandra Connors, MEDscience
  • Sara Whiteman, Wyss Institute
  • Tiffany Sum, HSDM HDC Clinical Operations

Joint Committee on the Status of Women (JCSW) Dean’s Awards

Since 1998, the JCSW has honored faculty and staff at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine for their contributions to advancing women's careers. These awards, initiated by Dr. Joseph B. Martin, recognize leadership in recruiting, retaining, and promoting women. Over the years, new awards have been introduced, including the Shirley Driscoll Dean's Leadership Award for the Enhancement of Women's Careers and the Nancy J. Tarbell Dean's Award for Emerging Leaders in Women's Careers, celebrating individuals at different stages of their efforts to support gender equity in academia.

This year’s awards were presented at the JCSW Dean's Awards ceremony on June 4 in the Gordon Hall Waterhouse Room.

Joseph B. Martin Dean’s Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women Faculty

Joseph B. Martin Dean’s Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women Staff

  • Hardeep Ranu, project manager-research, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Medical School
  • Kate Rezendes, chief of staff, Dean’s Office, Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Shirley Driscoll Dean’s Leadership Award for the Enhancement of Women’s Careers

  • Sharon Dekel, HMS associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital

Nancy J. Tarbell Dean’s Leadership Award for an Emerging Leader in Women’s Careers

  • Ashwini Nadkarni, HMS assistant professor of psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital

President’s Innovation Challenge

The President’s Innovation Challenge is an annual competition for Harvard students across all 13 Harvard schools as well as select alumni and affiliates pursuing ventures that address the world’s most pressing problems.

To learn more about the finalists and winners and watch a recording of the May 7 awards ceremony, visit the Harvard Innovation Labs website.

HMS winners are:

$75,000 award

  • PeriPeach: Designing a medical device to prevent severe tears from childbirth. Represented by HMS student Tess Kim.
  • Regatta Bio: Developing cellular therapies to restore immune tolerance and prevent immune system-related diseases. Represented by Leslie Kean, the HMS Robert A. Stranahan Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital.

$25,000 award

  • Radiate Biosciences: Creating a new colorectal cancer screening method with a blood test that delivers colonoscopy-level performance. Represented by HMS student Joseph Sedlak.

Excellence in Mentoring Awards

The Excellence in Mentoring Awards were established at HMS to recognize the value of quality mentoring relationships and the impact they have on professional development and career advancement in basic and clinical medicine, research, teaching, and administration.

This year’s awards will be presented at the Excellence in Mentoring Awards Ceremony on June 3, 2025.

Recipients are:

William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award

This award was established in 1997 as the Lifetime Excellence in Mentoring Award and renamed in 2001 to the William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award to honor and acknowledge the lifetime commitment Silen made to mentoring students, residents, and faculty.

  • Gail Adler, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Helen Christou, the HMS Mary Ellen Avery Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Field of Newborn Medicine at Brigham and Women’s
  • Thomas Michel, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s

A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award

This award was established in 1995 as the Excellence in Mentoring Award and in 1997 was renamed to honor the memory of A. Clifford Barger, who, among other things, devoted his career to bringing out the best in those who studied, trained, and worked at HMS.

Young Mentor Award

This award was established in 2005 to recognize faculty who are still in the early stages of their career but are devoting their time to providing mentoring for others.

  • Lisa Bebell, HMS associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Margaret Chapman, HMS instructor in medicine at Mass General
  • Meghan Shea, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Kyle Staller, HMS associate professor of medicine at Mass General
  • Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, HMS associate professor of surgery at Mass General

HMS Scholars in Medicine Excellence in Student Mentoring Award

This award was established in 2017 to recognize faculty who have carefully and skillfully guided medical students in their scholarly projects and as they train in their professions. Each year, graduating HMS students are invited to nominate their mentors. Faculty from the Scholars in Medicine Program select the finalists.

  • John Barbieri, HMS assistant professor of dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Bryan Choi, HMS associate professor of neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Jennifer Potter, HMS professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Harvard Heroes

The Harvard Heroes Recognition Program celebrates the accomplishments of Harvard staff whose work supports the university’s mission at the highest levels of contribution, impact, and excellence.

This year’s Harvard Heroes awards ceremony, hosted by Harvard University President Alan Garber, will be held on June 12 in the Sanders Theatre of Memorial Hall, Cambridge, MA.

Harvard Medical School

  • Safiya Bobb, associate director of program operations in the Office of External Education
  • Susanne Churchill, executive director of the Department of Biomedical Informatics
  • Mindy Dellert, academic appointments manager in the Office of Faculty Affairs
  • Christina Kennedy, strategic projects manager in the Office of Research Administration
  • Veronica Leo, program manager for academic advancement in the Office of Faculty Affairs
  • Livia Rizzo, senior associate director of HMS MEDscience
  • Jennifer Puccetti, executive director of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine

Harvard School of Dental Medicine

  • Adrien Doherty, senior DMD program director
  • Carrie Sylven, director of student affairs

Dean’s Community Service Award

Community service is an integral part of the missions of HMS and HSDM. In faithfulness to this commitment, the Dean’s Community Service Award was established in 1999 to recognize individuals whose dedication and commitment to community service have made a positive impact on the local, national, or international community.

Since its inception, this award has recognized the contributions of 164 individuals, including 13 faculty members who were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and donated $1,000 to 152 organizations that serve our community.

Faculty

Trainee

Staff

Students

  • Ellie Enichen, MD candidate 2027
    Organization: Ed Furshpan and David Potter Native American High School Program
  • Corena Loeb, PhD candidate 2026
    Organization: Healing Our Community Collaborative

Diversity Awards

Harvard Medical School’s Diversity Awards recognize faculty, staff, and groups of individuals who have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity above and beyond their routine role and responsibilities.

This year’s awards will be presented by the Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership at the Howard, Dorsey, Still Lecture and Diversity Awards Ceremony on April 1.

Harold Amos Diversity Award

The Harold Amos Diversity Award recognizes HMS and HSDM faculty (clinical, pre-clinical, research, or administrative) and programs that have made significant achievements in moving the School toward being a diverse and inclusive community.

Faculty

  • Christopher Lathan, HMS associate professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Martin La Roche, HMS associate professor of psychology, part-time, at Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Morana Lasic, HMS assistant professor of anaesthesia at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Program

Sharon P. Clayborne Staff Group Diversity Award

The Sharon P. Clayborne Staff Diversity Award recognizes and celebrates HMS and HSDM staff members who have made exceptional efforts in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion at the Schools.

  • Mary Kathryn Fallon, assistant director of finance and operations for The Family Van at HMS
  • Timothy Rogers, director of disability services in the HMS and HSDM Office of Disability Services