Community awards received by current Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine faculty, postdocs, staff, and students can be found, categorized by calendar year, on the Office of the Dean webpage.
Harvard Heroes
The Harvard Heroes Recognition Program celebrates the accomplishments of Harvard staff whose work supports the mission of Harvard at the highest levels of contribution, impact and excellence.
This year’s Harvard Heroes awards ceremony, hosted by Interim President of Harvard University Alan Garber, was held on June 13 in the Sanders Theatre of Memorial Hall, Cambridge, MA.
2024 recipients:
Harvard Medical School
Marie Bao, executive director, Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Derek Barton, director of finance and administration, Systems Biology
Meghan Kerr, Longwood Medical Area records manager and archivist, Countway Library
Csilla Kiss, assistant director of student affairs, Office of Student Affairs
Diana Longden, administrative coordinator for the Joint Committee on the Status of Women, Office for Faculty Affairs
Matrida Neli, program manager, Committee on Microbiological Safety, Office of Biological Safety
Siu-Shan Wang, senior grants manager, Biomedical Informatics
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Leanne Jacobellis, program coordinator, Global and Community Health
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 were presented by the Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership at a ceremony on June 13.
Recipients are:
William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award
- Steven M. Greenberg, HMS professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Hadine Joffe, the HMS Paula Johnson, MD Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Women’s Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award
- Mandy Brown Belfort, HMS associate professor of pediatrics at Brigham and Women’s
- Eric Goralnick, HMS associate professor of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women’s
- Dae Hyun Kim, HMS associate professor of medicine at Hebrew SeniorLife
- Ana-Maria Vranceanu, HMS associate professor of psychology at Mass General
Young Mentor Award
- Hawazin Elani, assistant professor of oral health policy and epidemiology at HSDM
- Sahir Kalim, HMS associate professor of medicine at Mass General
- Pradeep Natarajan, HMS associate professor of medicine at Mass General
- Camille Powe, HMS associate professor of medicine at Mass General
- Benjamin Rome, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s
- Andrea Wershof Schwartz, HMS associate professor of medicine at VA Boston Healthcare System
HMS Scholars in Medicine Excellence in Student Mentoring Award
The HMS Scholars in Medicine Excellence in Student Mentoring Award was established in 2017 to recognize faculty who have carefully and skillfully guided our medical students not only in their scholarly projects but also 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.
- Manisha Bahl, HMS associate professor of radiology at Mass General
- Amir Mohareb, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Mass General
- Roy Phitayakorn, HMS associate professor of surgery at Mass General
Dolores J. Brown Staff Award
Keri Vitale, executive assistant in the HMS Office of Alumni Affairs and Development, has received the 2024 Dolores J. Brown Staff Award. This award, presented by the HMS Office of Human Resources,was established by the Brown family in 2002 to honor the memory of Dolores Brown and to commemorate her contributions to the School. Brown worked as the assistant to Daniel C. Tosteson, who was HMS dean from 1985 to 1997 and dean emeritus from 1997 to 2000.
The annual award pays tribute to an exceptional staff member at HMS or HSDM who exemplifies the spirit and commitment that Brown demonstrated in her work. Vitale was announced as this year’s winner on June 5.
Joint Committee on the Status of Women Dean’s Leadership Awards
The Joint Committee on the Status of Women (JCSW) was established in 1973 as an administrative committee of the HMS Dean. It bestows several awards each year in conjunction with the Dean’s office to recognize leaders in advancing women’s careers.
Joseph B. Martin Dean’s Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women
The JCSW established the first Faculty Dean’s Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Women Faculty in 1998. In 1999, a staff award was added. Former HMS Dean Joseph B. Martin initiated these awards to recognize faculty and staff members for lifetime achievement in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women at HMS, HSDM, and affiliated hospitals and institutions. In 2007, the awards were renamed to honor Martin for his long-standing support of the mission they recognize.
All 2024 awards were presented by the JCSW on June 5.
This year’s recipients are:
Faculty
- Joshua Boyce, the HMS Albert L. Sheffer Professor of Medicine in the Field of Allergic Disease at Brigham and Women’s
- Stella Kourembanas, the HMS Clement A. Smith Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital
Staff
- Kimberly LeBlanc, senior director of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Coordinating Center in the Department of Biomedical Informatics in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS
- Angelika Fretzen, technology translation director and chief operating officer at the Wyss Institute
Shirley Driscoll Dean’s Leadership Award for the Enhancement of Women’s Careers
The JCSW initiated the Dean’s Award for Enhancement of Women’s Careers in 2019 in collaboration with the HMS Dean’s office to recognize faculty members committed to the advancement of women at HMS and HSDM but who may not be in a position in their career to promote and retain women faculty. The award was renamed to honor Shirley Driscoll (1923-2018), who became the first faculty co-chair of the JCSW in 1973.
This year’s recipients are:
- Michele Hacker, HMS associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Louisa Sylvia, HMS associate professor of psychology at Mass General
Nancy J. Tarbell Dean’s Award for an Emerging Leader in Women’s Careers
The JCSW initiated the Dean’s Award for an Emerging Leader in Women’s Careers in 2021 in collaboration with the HMS Dean’s office to recognize a faculty member making an impact in their local sphere of influence. In 2022, this award was renamed to honor Nancy Tarbell’s impact as founding director of the MGH Office for Women’s Careers and Center for Faculty Development and her 11 years of service as dean for academic and clinical affairs at HMS.
This year’s recipients are:
- Antonia Chen, HMS associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Brigham and Women’s
- Kerry Reynolds, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Mass General
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 the award’s inception , HMS has recognized the contributions of 152 individuals, donated $1,000 to each of 138 organizations that serve local communities, and honored 13 faculty members with lifetime achievement awards for community service.
This year’s awards were presented by the Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnershipduring a ceremony on May 15.
2024 recipients:
Faculty
- Jacqueline Starr, HMS lecturer on medicine at Brigham and Women’s
Organization: Lexington Community Farm
Trainee
- Jennifer Shahar, resident in the Department of Orthodontics at HSDM
Organization: American Association of Orthodontics Foundation
Staff
- Maria-Kassandra Coronel, teacher and program coordinator in MEDScience at HMS
Organization: Coronel-Endaya Foundation
- Pinar Kilicci-Kret, assistant director of operations and programing in the HMS Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership
Organization: Anaya Tipnis Foundation
Students
- Betty Ben Dor, HSDM student
Organization: Action for Children and Teens in Oral Health Need
- LaShyra Nolen, HMS
Organization: We Got Us
- Richard Russel, and Jessica Wang, HMS
Organization: Harvard Square Homeless Shelter
- Michael Woodbury and Sofia Milosavljevic, HMS
Organization: BIDMC Dermatology Access Clinic
