Notes - 6/13/08

At this time of year, we celebrate the accomplishments of our students.  We also have the chance to recognize and congratulate our outstanding teachers.

Robert Pojasek received a Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award from the Harvard Extension School during Commencement exercises in Cambridge on June 5, 2008.  Bob is adjunct lecturer in our department and instructor for the “Strategies for Environmental Management” course at the Extension School. He was described by his students as "my savior" and "a font of valuable information," and is lauded for his generosity of time, praised for his sage guidance, and commended for his depth of knowledge.  This is a great honor given by the 14,000 extension school students to Bob as one of approximately 600 instructors at the Extension school.

Adrienne Ettinger received a 2008 Mentoring Citation from the HSPH student body at the Commencement Eve Social on June 4th.  Adrienne was selected by a student committee that noted her desire and willingness to give up time to help others, maintaining a positive outlook, yet is able to be realistic, and having a strong interest in growth and self-development of the students. Note this is a new award by the students this year recognizing the importance of mentoring in addition to classroom instruction.

Jack Dennerlein was honored by the Residents in the Occupational & Environmental Medicine Program as the Academic Professor of the 2007-2008 year at a dinner on May 9th.  Jack was recognized for his “exceptional contributions to the training and residency program.”  Congratulations Jack!

We also want to congratulate Patrice Ayers on her promotion to Faculty Assistant III.  Patrice has been an employee at HSPH for over 30 years and in the Respiratory Biology/Physiology/MIPS Program for almost 25 years.  In announcing this promotion, Cheryl Magoverny noted “Patrice's original job description was clearly outdated compared to what she is doing now.  It is amazing to me that this promotion didn't take place at least 10 years earlier.  She is an integral part of our Administrative team and is clearly the Historian of our Program.  I depend heavily upon Patrice's knowledge of past, present, and future post-doc's, as well as in understanding the Psyche of the average Faculty Member. While her new working title is Faculty Assistant III, because of her devotion to MIPS faculty, I will fondly consider her Faculty Diplomat X.”

Christina Hemphill, a doctoral student in EER, has been awarded a Switzer Foundation Fellowship for 2008-9.  These are highly competitive awards, and HSPH has not had a Switzer Fellow for many years.  There is a terrific story about and picture of Christina at the Switzer web site (http://www.switzernetwork.org/fellowships.taf). Congratulations Christina!

Good luck to two of our Associate Professors in the MIPS program who will be leaving us this month. Best wishes in their future endeavors to Bea Gonzalez-Flecha and Jay Mizgerd.  We hope to have the opportunity to continue to work together. Since Jay is taking a position will be close by, as Professor at BU Medical, there is no excuse!

Finally, congratulations to Wally Hayes on the publication of the fifth edition of PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF TOXICOLOGY. A great deal of work well done.

Have a great weekend and remember the Fathers.  My kids are taking me on a chartered boat fishing for stripers and blues.  Having just seen mercury data from Jim Shine and PCB data from Larissa Altshul from local striped bass, we will only be keeping the smaller ones (>28 inches) to eat.

Go Celtics!

Doug