This section of our website was created to feature awards and recognitions received by individual faculty, staff and researchers at Northwestern University who are making a difference in areas related to women's health. Some of these individuals are well known and others are unsung heroes. Together, they are breaking the barriers to advance women's health and we applaud their efforts!
Phyllis Zee, MD, associate director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology at the Feinberg Schoool of Medicine and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, was recently named the Benjamen and Virginia T. Boshes Professor of Neurology.
Sharon L. Green, MHA, Executive Director, Institute for Women's Health Research, was awarded the 2012 Medical Activist of the Year Award from the Women's Health Foundation in July, 2012 for her advocacy work on behalf of women.
Teresa K Woodruff, PhD, the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, and professor of Molecular Biosciences at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, was recently elected to the presidency of The Endocrine Society. The Endocrine Society was founded in 1916 and is the premier organization whose mission is to advance scientific discovery, medical practice and human health in the field of endocrinology. The society currently has more than 15,000 members, including clinicians and basic scientists, from all over the world. Dr. Woodruff continues Northwestern’s tradition of leadership in the field of endocrinology, and follows Neena Schwartz (1982-83), J. Larry Jameson (1999-2000), Andrea Dunaif (2005-06) and Kelly Mayo (2010-11) as Endocrine Society presidents from Northwestern University. On March 3, 2012, Dr. Woodruff was also honored by the Northwestern Alumnae with the Alumnae Merit award.
Kathryn Montgomery, PhD, professor in medical humanities and bioethics and general internal medicine, has been named the Julia and David Uihlein Professor in Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Northwestern. Montgomery came to the medical school more than 20 years ago and has dedicated her career to advancing its medical bioethics efforts. Prior to her current role as director of graduate studies for the Master of Arts in Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program, she served as the program's director (1995-2009) and co-director (1988-1995). Montgomery's research interests include the epistemology of medicine and the use of literature in medical education. She is the author of Doctors' Stories: The Narrative Structure of Medical Knowledge and How Doctors Think: Clinical Judgment and the Practice of Medicine. As past president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities and a member of the Fellows' Council of the Hastings Center, Montgomery has served on the editorial boards of numerous publications, including Literature and Medicine, Medical Humanities Review, American Journal of Bioethics, and the Journal of the Evaluation of Clinical Practice. In her area of interest, Montgomery is credited as one of the founding scholars of the field of literature and medicine.
Kathleen Green, PhD, Joseph L. Mayberry Professor, Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, has been chosed as the 15th Annual Distinguished Woman in Medicine and Science. (March, 2011)
Martha Daviglus, MD, PhD, professor in preventive medicine and medicine, received the national Medical Fellowships Champion of Community Health Award.
M. Christine Stock, MD, James E. Eckenhoff Professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, became the first woman to receive the lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists on October 15, 2010. ASCCA is dedicated to the education of anesthesiologists in the care of critically ill patients and fosters the knowledge and practice of critical care medicine by anesthesiologists through education, admocacy, and community.
Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, professor of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, has won one of four Women's Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) 2010 Women with Vision Awards. The WBAI recognized Dr. Van Horn for her work in academic research in areas affecting women's health, with a special emphais on assisting and supporting women faculty members at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Van Horn's research includes the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of a low-fat, nutrient-dense diet in growing children; biomarkers of dietary adherence in premenopausal women (the Diet and Hormone Study); impact of a low-fat, high-fiber diet on breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis outcomes in postmenopausal women (Women's Health Initiative); and cross-cultural comparison of diet and blood pressure in China, Japan,
Paula Stern,PhD, professor and vice-chair of the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University, was honored by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research who created a special award in her honor. The ASBMR Paula Stern Achievement Award annually recognizes a woman in the bone field who has made significant scientific achievements and who has promoted the professional development/advancement of women in the field. Dr. Stern is a leader in the field of bone and mineral research. Her contributions include the first bioassay for 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D, studies on the effects of thyroid hormone on bone metabolism, and most recently studies on alternative signal transduction pathways for parathyroid hormone. She was the first female President of ASBMR, a founding member of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, and served ASBMR as a volunteer leader in numerous capacities, including chair of the Science Policy Committee, as well as ASBMR representative to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Board.
Cynthia LaBella, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, received the award for the best overall research at the American Medicial Society for Sports Medicine annual conference on April 28, 2010. She is also the medical director of the Institute of Sports Medicine at Childrens' memorial hospital in Chicagl.
Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD and Ms. Megan Faurot, MEd were presented with the first Girl Power Leadership Award by Young Women’s Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) on April 16, 2010. Click here for more information.
Teresa Woodruff, PhD, Thomas J. Watkins Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, chief of the Division of Fertility Preservation, and director and founder of the Institute for Women's Health Research has been named the winner of the Tripartite Legacy Prize, presented annually to the faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in research that emphasizes translational approaches, teaching and mentoring, and leadership. (April 2010)
Melina Kibbe, M.D., associate professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, vascular surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and co-chief of the vascular surgery service and director of the Vascular Laboratory at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center recently received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at the White House.This is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their research careers. Her current research portfolio was primed, in part, by two Pioneer Awards the Institute for Women’s Health Research (IWHR) awarded Dr. Kibbe and her postdoctoral fellow in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Her research focuses on preventing vascular injury and scarring in blood vessels following stent surgery. (February 2010)