• Michael S. Okun, M.D., the Adelaide Lackner Distinguished Professor of Neurology and the director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health, has been named a University of Florida Distinguished Professor. The highest faculty honor awarded at UF, the title underscores Okun’s leadership and lasting impact in neurology. He joins seven other faculty members across UF’s campus selected for the designation this year and is one of only five faculty members in the College of Medicine’s history to be honored with this distinction.
• Lee Dockery, M.D., founding chair of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation whose vision and leadership have guided the growth and direction of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida and propelled translational research in the field of age-related cognitive decline, was recently awarded the University of Florida President’s Medallion for outstanding service to the university.
• Albert Rhoton Jr., M.D., a world-renowned UF neurosurgeon who passed away in 2016, posthumously received the Madjid Samii Medal of Honor by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies at its most recent World Congress of Neurosurgery meeting. The honor, awarded every two years, is bestowed upon eminent international neurosurgeons as a lifetime achievement award for outstanding services to the field.
• Tomas Martin, M.D., a professor in the department of surgery and director of the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, received the Inspiration Award from the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association for his outstanding teaching of generations of residents at UF Health.
• Andrey Suprun, M.D., and David Hutchinson, M.D., were issued a patent for their new technology, “Intravenous Tubing Venting Assembly.” The patent describes a method and intravenous tubing apparatus which provides air bubbles with a venting path that does not permit fluid passage.
• Sherise Rogers, M.D., an assistant professor in the division of hematology and oncology, received the inaugural Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials: Clinical Investigator Leadership Award from Conquer Cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Foundation, funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. The award aims to provide clinical cancer researchers with advanced clinical trials knowledge, leadership skills, mentorship and sponsorship to position them for success as independent clinical researchers, team members and leaders.
• Christopher Edwards, M.D., an assistant professor of anesthesiology, has been invited to serve as a question author for the American Board of Anesthesiology’s MOCA Minute Pediatric Anesthesiology Committee. He will be responsible for crafting questions that provide quality assessment and can help anesthesiologists identify opportunities for growth and continuing education.
• Two department of anesthesiology faculty, Basma Mohamed, MBChB, an associate professor and chief of the division of perioperative medicine, and Keith Howell, M.D., an associate professor of anesthesiology, have received RAPiDS (Rapid AI Prototyping and Development for patient Safety) Cycle 2 grants to support artificial intelligence-aided projects to enhance patients’ postsurgical outcomes and maximize resource efficiency.
• Penny Reynolds, Ph.D., an assistant professor of anesthesiology, has published a new book, “A Guide to Sample Size for Animal-based Studies,” which provides a thorough, accessible approach to minimizing animal use while ensuring animal-based experimentation produces rigorous, valid and reliable results.
• Malú Gámez Tansey, Ph.D., the Norman and Susan Fixel Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology and director of the Parkinson’s Foundation Research Center of Excellence at UF, has been named vice president of the World Parkinson Coalition. Tansey’s lab focuses on the role of inflammation and immune system responses in brain health and mechanisms underlying the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Christopher Hess, M.D., the Jill F. and Richard W. Cope Professor and director of the movement disorders fellowship in the department of neurology, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Residency-Fellowship Program Director Recognition Award from the American Academy of Neurology. He will be recognized during a meeting of the Consortium of Neurology Program Directors in April.
• Karyn Esser, Ph.D., chair of the department of physiology and aging, and Eric Wang, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of molecular genetics & microbiology, have received funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Donor Advised Fund through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. They applied for a collaborative pairs pilot project award from the CZI Neuroscience Program & Neurodegeneration Challenge Network for their proposal titled, “Probing circadian/sleep biology using temporal genetic switches.”
• The College of Medicine communications team received a Platinum Award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals for the fall 2023 issue of Florida Physicianmagazine, the flagship publication of the College of Medicine. Platinum is the highest-level recognition granted as part of the annual MarCom Awards, and the magazine won in the Publications – Educational Institution category.
• Twenty-one faculty and staff members at the College of Medicine were honored with divisional UF Superior Accomplishment Awards. This program annually recognizes faculty and staff who have contributed outstanding service, demonstrated efficiency or economy in their work or created an impact on quality of life for students and employees. Each winner was nominated by supervisors, peers or customers, with outstanding letters of support submitted on their behalf. View a complete list of award winners.

• Several College of Medicine faculty, learners and trainees received awards during February’s annual Celebration of Research event. Awardees were selected for their achievements in basic and translational sciences, clinical science, depictions of research as art, research mentorship and more.
• William Cebulskie, a paramedic and master’s student in the department of pharmacology & therapeutics, received the Best Pediatric Research Award at the 2024 National Association of EMS Physicians Conference and Scientific Session.
• Jessie Barra, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Russ lab in the department of pharmacology & therapeutics, received an advanced postdoctoral fellowship from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
• Vikash Sinha, M.D., a resident in the department of radiology, was selected by the Florida Radiological Society Educational Foundation to attend the 2024 Legislative and Government Fellowship Program in Tallahassee earlier this month.
• With nearly 200 participants, several College of Medicine graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, residents and clinical fellows received poster awards during the 2024 UF Health Cancer Center Research Showcase.

Want to give kudos to someone? Email recent awards and achievements to the UF College of Medicine communications team at med-comms@ufl.edu for recognition in the next quarterly roundup.