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Academic Awards

Population Health Faculty and Student Awards.

 

Program: M.D. / MPH

Dr Tom ChinDr. Chin was chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (now Population Health) from 1975-1989 and was professor emeritus. He had a national and international reputation in infectious disease epidemiology and cancer epidemiology and had 30 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Public Health Service. He was an outstanding teacher, clinician and a leader in public health research both nationally and internationally. This award honors an individual who has some of the personal attributes and characteristics that illuminated Dr. Chin's own distinguished career.

Norge W. JeromeBorn in Grenada in 1930, Norge was educated in Catholic schools.  Grenadian boys went to college in the UK, but girls did not attend college.  Fortunately, after she taught elementary school for nine years and worked with the YWCA, someone encouraged her to apply to Howard University from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1960.  She earned her Ph. D. at the University of Wisconsin and taught at those universities prior to coming to Kansas in 1967, where she continued her broad contributions, especially relative to nutritional anthropology.  Her papers have been donated to UMKC.

She was a visiting professor at Purdue, University of Tennessee, Tuskegee Institute, University of Missouri – Columbia, and UMKC.

Having never married and having no children, Norge mentored a huge number of people around the world, mostly women and mostly minorities.  A plethora of non-blood-related people refer to Norge as “Auntie Norge”.

Non-profits have benefited from Norge’s careful saving and investing and generous donations.  

  • The Unicorn Theatre has a “Norge Jerome Stage”. 
  • She has been critical to the “Norge Winifred Jerome Youth Mentorship Program at Crittenton Children’s Center (part of St. Luke’s). 
  • She endowed the Norge Winifred Jerome Public Scholar/Faculty Program Fund in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare.
  • She donated significantly to the University of Bridgeport (on whose Board of Trustees she served), various projects in Grenada and the Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Corp., etc. 
  • The “Norge W. Jerome Award for Excellence in Preventive Medicine” has been presented since the 1990s to an outstanding senior medical student at KU who excelled in public health or preventive medicine for minority populations.
  • The Dr. Norge W. Jerome Grenada Teachers Award honors a Grenadian teacher each year with a plaque and a $1000 grant.

Norge founded the field of “Nutritional Anthropology”, which takes local and ethnic culture — such as how food is defined by a group, local food and drink preferences and cooking styles — into account when trying to encourage healthy food habits and nutrition.

Her papers at the LaBudde Special Collections library at UMKC, include work on general nutrition, by age, for different economic classes and cultures, for those with specific diseases (e.g. anorexia and cancer), natural and organic foods, frozen TV dinners, infant formula, etc.; TV advertising impact on pre-school children; women’s issues; international development (including fuel conservation and time allocation); civil rights; etc.  Her research was funded by numerous federal agencies, the state of Kansas, various foundations, and food companies.

Her first research, in Milwaukee’s inner city in 1965, concluded that cultures eventually abandon traditional food and cooking after relocating.  They succumb to the convenience of locally available food and fast food.  In that fashion, African-Americans who moved from the southern USA to the north shifted from boiling to frying, with adverse impact on their health.

Norge founded and ran KU’s Community Nutrition Division and Laboratory, starting her local field work in Kansas City, KS in 1972.  She is very loyal to KCK for having welcomed her work there.  Norge insisted that researchers treat community members as active collaborators of equal standing in defining their needs and finding solutions that would work in their community, rather than being viewed as passive research subjects to be helped.  This concept does not sound as revolutionary today as it was when Norge began promulgating it.

Norge was an early advocate of eating a colorful diet, fruits and vegetables while reducing fat, sugar and salt and food fortification with vitamins and minerals.  She led the movement to have nutritional labels on food products.

A common story from her admirers: being startled the first time they saw her eat the head of a fish (which she notes is full of nutrients).  Nothing but the skeleton would be left on her plate.

Working with the US Department of Agriculture, she found that giving surplus food to families with food challenges did not work as well as food stamps because families were unable to store the foods properly.  Her work convinced her that cash grants were the best approach.

Norge’s efforts running US AID programs from 1988-92 involved travel to 5 continents, with a special emphasis on Egypt where she studied the social, economic, biological, behavioral and psychological consequences of various levels of food intake for adults, school-age children and infants.  A key finding was that people had sufficient food intake but lacked a variety of micronutrients.  That is, enough calories but not enough diversity.  Once again, ahead of others.

Her international nutrition work with US AID and non-profits exposed her to a variety of cultures and the experience of women, leading her to become a leading expert and advocate on women’s issues in the developing world.

Norge also created nutritional tools (such as Nutri-Check, a computerized tool in which people described their dietary patterns and lifestyle and received recommendations for improvement).

Norge has been a creative leader, specializing in creating coalitions to forge progress in many dimensions.  She served 9 professional magazines in voluntary editorial capacities.  She also served on more than 40 national panels, committees and boards related to dietetics, malnutrition, smoking, TV advertising to children, cancer, metabolism, food interactions, animal agriculture research, baking, Sesame Place, Club of Rome, food supply technology, child health and human development, solar cooking, Unity Church and micronutrients. 

She served on 14 KU committees and more than 20 local boards, for Johnson County Library, League of Women Voters, Urban League, Health Foundation, Regional Health and Welfare Council, Teen-Age Parents Center, Infant Day Care Center, United Community Services, Prime Health HMO, Mid-American Health Systems Agency, Crittenton Center, Mayor’s Task Force on Food and Hunger, Inner City Branch of the Voluntary and Information Action Center, American Heart Association, Midwest Research Institute, Commission on Aging, Black Health Care Coalition, Johnson County Foundation on Aging, Maternal and Child Health Care Coalition, Unicorn Theater and Northeast Johnson County NAACP.

Norge has published 3 books and more than 100 articles and gave 400 presentations.  As of March 2021 (when this was written), she resides at Village Shalom in Overland Park KS.

For more info, contact Claude Thau by email or at 913-707-8863.

This student award supports a medical student in the Department of Population Health researching improvements in healthcare delivery, especially those focused on rural or underserved communities.

Current Awardees

Tom D.Y Chin Population Health Excellence Award is given to a graduating senior medical student who has excelled in public health or preventive medicine during their medical education, in honor of Tom D.Y. Chin, M.D

  • 2022 Recipient: Ebony Onianwa, M.D., M.S.

Norge W. Jerome Population Health Excellence Award is given to an outstanding senior medical student who has excelled in public health or preventive medicine for minority populations during their medical education, in honor of Norge W. Jerome, Ph.D.

  • 2024 Recipient: Courtney Cloud, MPH

Patricia E. and Forrest L. Junod, MD Public Health Scholarship is given to a medical student in the Department of Population Health researching improvements in healthcare delivery, especially those focused on rural or underserved communities.

  • 2023 Recipient: Derek Reese, MHSA

Past Awardees

2023 Recipients

  • Patricia E. and Forrest L. Junod, MD Public Health Scholarship
    • Derek Reese, MHSA

2022 Recipients

  • Tom D.Y Chin Population Health Excellence Award
    • Ebony Onianwa, M.D., M.S.
  • Norge W. Jerome Population Health Excellence Award
    • Stephanie Assimonye, M.D., M.S.

2021 Recipients

  • Tom D.Y Chin Population Health Excellence Award
    • Kellen Gil, MPH
  • Norge W. Jerome Population Health Excellence Award
    • Pablo Kennedy, MSCR

2020 Recipients

  • Tom D.Y Chin Population Health Excellence Award
    • Jordan Voss, M.D., M.S.
  • Norge W. Jerome Population Health Excellence Award
    • Katie Twist, M.D.
Program: MHSA

Health Care Executive of the Future Award is given to recognize the graduate who shows outstanding promise as a healthcare manager and is selected by the MHSA teaching faculty.

  • 2024 Recipient: Jaron Caffrey
  • 2023 Recipient: Ashley Huber 
  • 2022 Recipients: Corbin Brown, MHSA and Zach Hilbig, MHSA
  • 2021 Recipient: Alexander J Lemcke, MHSA
  • 2020 Recipient: Miranda Bryant Steele, MPA, MHSA
  • 2019 Recipients: Halle Ponick, MHSA and Ariel Shifter, MHSA
  • 2018 Recipient: Joe Muiller, MHSA
  • 2017 Recipient: Heather Saenz Smith, MHSA
  • 2016 Recipients: Misbah Aslam, MHSA and Trenton Stringer, MHSA

JHawk Outstanding Student of the Year Award is given to a student pursuing a career in health services administration, selected by the MHSA student organization, Jayhawk Administrators Working for Kansas (JHAWK), which promotes leadership, community involvement, marketability, relationships and knowledge.

  • 2024 Recipient: Amy Yang
  • 2023 Recipient: Kit Sarai
  • 2022 Recipients: Jenevieve Furgins, MHSA and Zach Hilbig, MHSA
  • 2021 Recipient: Marie Montague, MHSA
  • 2020 Recipients: Kimberly Lynn Dyer, MHSA and Mary-Kate Shelton, MHSA
  • 2019 Recipient: Emily Santiago, MHSA
  • 2018 Recipient: Sarah McKittrick, MHSA
  • 2017 Recipient: Iryna Yeromenko, MHSA
  • 2016 Recipient: Monica McCarthy, MHSA

Professional Development Award is given in recognition of the Master of Health Services Administration graduate who has demonstrated growth, academic excellence and excellent promise as a healthcare manager.

  • 2024 Recipient: Amy Yang
  • 2023 Recipient: Kit Sarai
  • 2022 Recipients: Tommy Hernandez, MHSA and Derek Reese, MHSA
  • 2021 Recipients: Melissa Lowery, MHSA and Marie M Montague, MHSA
  • 2020 Recipient: Mary-Kate Shelton, MHSA
  • 2019 Recipients: Jimmy Girod, MHSA and Emily Santiago, MHSA
  • 2018 Recipient: Madison Davis, MHSA
  • 2017 Recipient: Iryna Yeromenko, MBA, MA, MHSA
  • 2016 Recipient: Jamie Johnson, MHSA

JHAWK Faculty Appreciation Award is presented to an outstanding MHSA faculty member, nominated and selected by the vote of the MHSA student body and is given annually by the MHSA student organization Jayhawk Administrators Working for Kansas (JHAWK). 

  • 2024 Recipient: Ashley Counts, DHEd, MHA, CHES
  • 2023 Recipients: J. Atlee Gafford, Ph.D., M.A. & Gene Meyer, MBA
  • 2022 Recipient: Dorothy Hughes, Ph.D., MHSA
  • 2021 Recipient: Joanna Brooks, M.A., MBE, Ph.D.
  • 2020 Recipient: J. Atlee Gafford, Ph.D., M.A.
  • 2019 Recipient: Jarron Saint Onge, Ph.D.
  • 2018 Recipient: Brian Dolan, CMRP, MHSA
  • 2017 Recipient: Joanna Brooks, M.A., MBE, Ph.D.
  • 2016 Recipient: Jarron Saint Onge, Ph.D.
Program: MPH

Analee "Betsy" BeiseckerDr. Beisecker, the inspiration for the award, served the University of Kansas for 26 years. Her talents were multidimensional, and she held faculty appointments in several departments, including preventive medicine, sociology and communication. She was nationally known for her research and public education programs on doctor-patient communication and breast cancer risk factors, cancer awareness and early detection. This student award was established to honor her contributions to the field of preventive medicine as well as recognize an outstanding student who has already shown extreme promise in the field of public health.

Doren D FredricksonThe Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award was created in order to preserve the memory of the late Dr. Doren Fredrickson, an MPH faculty member, founding faculty in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (now Population Health) on the Wichita campus and Sedgwick County Health Officer. Dr. Fredrickson was a ferocious champion of public health, tireless proponent of health equity and avid public health researcher. This student award was established to honor Dr. Fredrickson and is awarded to the MPH graduate who will carry on Dr. Fredrickson's mission and serve as visible reminder of what it means to be a Jayhawk.

Doris and Larry WellerThe Lawrence A. Weller '03 Family Research Fund honors the legacy of Larry Weller, a lifelong learner with degrees in physics, applied mathematics, and public health. Larry's final academic achievement, a master's in public health earned at 76, underscores his commitment to education. His family, recognizing the value of continuous learning and research, created this fund to aid students facing financial constraints. Doris Weller, Larry's wife, emphasizes the importance of this support, recalling their own reliance on scholarships and the GI Bill. This fund supports Wichita MPH students at the KU School of Medicine who are engaged in research while completing their internships or capstone projects.

Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award is voted on by MPH students and given to the faculty member on each campus that the student’s feel best exemplifies excellence in public health teaching, encourages students to think critically and demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.

  • 2023-2024 Recipients: Christina Pacheco, JD, MPH (Kansas City) and Melissa A Armstong, EdD, MA (Wichita) 
  • 2022-2023 Recipients: Niaman Nazir, MD, MPH (Kansas City) and Lisette Jacobson, PhD, MPA, MA (Wichita)
  • 2021-2022 Recipients: Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Babalola Faseru, MD, MPH (Kansas City), and Jack Brown, MPA (Wichita)
  • 2020-2021 Recipients: Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH (Wichita)
  • 2019-2020 Recipients: Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Deborah B. Fromer, MT (ASCP), MPH (Wichita)
  • 2017-2018 Recipients: Sarah Kessler, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH (Wichita)
  • 2016-2017 Recipients: John Neuberger, DrPH, MPH, MBA (Kansas City) and Deborah B Fromer, MT (ASCP), MPH (Wichita)
  • 2015-2016 Recipeints: Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH (Wichita)

Current Awardees

Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award is given to an outstanding MPH graduate selected by vote of the MPH faculty.

  • 2024 Recipient: Hannah-Kaye Ruth Carter

Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award This student award was established to honor Dr. Fredrickson and is awarded to the MPH graduate who will carry on Dr. Fredrickson's mission and serve as visible reminder of what it means to be a Jayhawk.

  • 2024 Recipient:  Kilyn Rain Parisien and Kipchoge Kenyatta VanHoose, Jr.

Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)

  • 2023- 2024 Recipients: Christina Pacheco, JD, MPH (Kansas City) and Melissa A Armstrong, EdD (Wichita)

Past Awardees

2023 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Julia Boge, MPH and Courtney Cloud, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Lindsey Votaw, PharmD, MPH
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Niaman Nazir, MD, MPH (Kansas City) and Lisette Jacobson, PhD, MPA, MA (Wichita)

2022 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Olivia Funk, MPH and Sydney Walls, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Cristi Cain, MPH
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Babalola Faseru, MD, MPH (Kansas City), and Jack Brown, MPA (Wichita)

2021 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Michael Arnold, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Lauren Elizabeth Haag, M.D., MPH
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH (Wichita)

2020 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Michael Arnold, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Lauren Elizabeth Haag, M.D., MPH
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Deborah B. Fromer, MT (ASCP), MPH (Wichita)

2019 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Cora Elizabeth Burgoyne, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Grace Nassim, MPH and Mason Ronald Rohleder, MPH
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Hayrettin Okut, Ph.D. (Wichita)

2018 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Jordan Gunville, MPH and Shelby Marie Webb, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Dulcinea D. Rakestraw, Ph.D., MPH
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Sarah Kessler, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH (Wichita)

2017 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Joey Michael Platt, MPH and Nandi Linette Taylor, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Daniel Ryan Clifford, Ph.D.
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • John Neuberger, DrPH, MPH, MBA (Kansas City) and Deborah B Fromer, MT (ASCP), MPH (Wichita)

2016 Recipients

  • Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Award
    • Molly Allison, MPH and Tawana Evans, MPH
  • Doren D. Fredrickson Public Health Excellence Award
    • Laura Mayans, MD
  • Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award (Kansas City and Wichita)
    • Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., MPH (Kansas City) and Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH (Wichita)
Program: MS-CR

Master of Sicence in Clincial Research Thesis Award is given to an MS-CR student recognized for the excellent work put into their final thesis. This award was created by Dr. Theresa Shireman and nominees are MS-CR students who have successfully completed their thesis defense by the end of the spring semester of the current academic year.

  • 2024 Recipient: Moustafa Younis, MD, MSCR
  • 2023 Recipient: Marisha Madhira
  • 2022 Recipient: Bertha De Los Santos, PharmD, M.S.
  • 2021 Recipients: Charles Bengtson M.D. and Lucas Richards B.S.
  • 2020 Recipients: Stephanie Assimonye, M.S. and Garth Fraga, M.D., M.S.
  • 2018 Recipients: Natalie A Eisenach M.D. and Carlee Ingrum Oakley, M.D.
School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Population Health
Mail Stop 1008
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-2775
Fax: 913-588-2780