Health Sciences community invited to celebrate faculty, staff at Chancellor’s Awards ceremony

West Virginia University Health Sciences is recognizing ten individuals and one team with Chancellor’s Awards, as well as four individuals with a WISH (Women in Science & Health) Awards, for their significant contributions to its mission.

A ceremony to honor the 2024 award winners will be held Thursday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. in Pylons Commons. A live stream will be available via Youtube.

Each year, the Chancellor’s Awards and WISH Awards honor faculty and staff who have been recognized by their peers for their outstanding accomplishments. Winners were nominated by their peers and selected by their respective achievement award committees.

Faculty Awards

Master Clinician Award: MARC HAUT, PHD, ABPP-CN, School of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry
This award recognizes faculty for sustained outstanding achievement in providing quality patient-centered care with compassion, integrity and honesty.

Outstanding Achievement in Local or Regional Service: Bethany Pellegrino, MD, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine
This award recognizes faculty for outstanding achievement in advancing the service mission of WVU Health Sciences at the local or regional level.

Outstanding Achievement in Research: Jianhai Du, PhD, School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
This award recognizes faculty for outstanding achievements in research, scholarship or creative activities.

Outstanding Achievement in Teaching: Valerie Watson, MS, School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology
This award recognizes faculty for outstanding achievement in advancing the teaching mission of WVU Health Sciences.

Scholar Award: Heather Hayanga, MD, MPH, FASE, FASA, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology

Mentor Award: David M. Smith, PhD, School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
This award recognizes faculty who have provided outstanding mentorship to students or to faculty colleagues within WVU Health Sciences.

Staff Awards

Chancellor’s Award for Administrative Assistant/Coordinator/Clerical: Joyce Hays, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine

Chancellor’s Award for Administrative/Managerial: Kathryn Smalley Hoffman, CHSE, School of Medicine, Department of WV STEPS

Chancellor’s Award for Paraprofessional/Technical: Amanda Rack, Office of Lab Animal Resources

Chancellor’s Award for Professional Non-Teaching: Natalie Caravasos, Office of Research and Graduate Education

Team Awards

Go First Award: Improve Care Now Team

• Physicians: Amy Guido, MD, Brian Riedel, MD, Audra Rouster, MD, Michael Sweetman, MD, Cortney Menchini, MD

• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses: Emily Rossignol, Sarah Bergstrom

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner: Stacey Gillespie

• Registered Nurses: Sarah Jackson, Chasity Leskosky, Kemberly Honaker

• Registered Dietitians: Karen Higginbotham

• Parent Representative: Christina Hufnagel

This award honors a team of faculty, or staff, or a team of faculty and staff that has demonstrated positive outcomes and enhanced the mission of WVU Health Sciences through the implementation of innovations or quality improvement measures in their respective area.

WISH (Women in Science & Health) Awards

Advance-Career WISH Award: R. Constance Wiener, DMD, PHD, School of Dentistry, Department of Public Health and Professional Practice

Mid-Career WISH Award: Meenal Elliott, PHD, School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology

Early-Career WISH Award: Sabina Onyinye Nduaguba, PHD, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy

Early-Career WISH Award: Angela Goodhart, PHARMD, BCACP, School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine
These awards recognize women faculty members who demonstrate sustained exceptional achievements in diversity and inclusion, education and mentorship, research and scholarship, leadership, and service to the state of West Virginia while supporting the WVU Health Sciences mission and WVU values.