GWIM Celebrates Female Faculty at Annual Awards Ceremony

Posted in GUMC Stories

DEC. 11, 2015 – Georgetown Women in Medicine (GWIM) ended its 21st year by celebrating the achievements of female faculty members at its annual awards ceremony on Dec. 3.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments, achievements, appointments and promotions of our women faculty,” said Kristi Graves, PhD , GWIM president and associate professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Leaders from both Georgetown University Medical Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) echoed Graves’ sentiments.

“To say the obvious, GWIM is very important to the medical center and Medstar-Georgetown communities,” said Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH , executive vice president for health sciences and executive dean of the School of Medicine. “GWIM is a great example of the power and importance of medical center faculty and Medstar-Georgetown faculty with common purpose and common goals.”

“Tonight’s honorees are really extraordinary examples of leadership in medicine,” said Lisa M. Boyle, MD, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer for MGUH. “It’s a tremendous honor to be in the presence of such great mentors and leaders.”

Recognizing Research and Mentorship

GWIM honored Jeanne Mandelblatt, MD, MPH , professor of oncology and medicine and associate director for population sciences at Georgetown Lombardi with the Karen Gale Outstanding Achievement Award. The award was renamed this year for the late Karen Gale, PhD, professor of pharmacology at GUMC and past president of GWIM, who passed away in 2014. This award recognizes a woman from GUSOM or MGUH for outstanding achievement throughout a career in research, education or service. The recipient must also be nationally or internationally renowned and have made significant contributions to the Georgetown community. Awardees are selected by a review committee of senior faculty members from the medical and main Georgetown campuses.

Mandelblatt’s many achievements include being named one of the top three ranked faculty members at Georgetown Lombardi for over five years. She also founded the Capital Breast Cancer Center, which provides health and wellness services and education to all women in the Washington, D.C., area, regardless of their ability to pay. Earlier this year, Mandelblatt received the prestigious National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award.  

“I would like to thank all the investigators who worked with me,” said Mandelblatt, when accepting her award. “None of us does our research alone. The work I do is very much team research and involves often hundreds of investigators and thousands of women participants.”

The Estelle Ramey Mentorship Award, which honors a male or female faculty member who has provided outstanding encouragement, support and mentorship to women faculty, was given to Dorothy Anne Richmond, MD , associate professor of pediatrics.

Citing excerpts from the nomination letter, Maria Marquez, MD , associate professor of pediatrics and GWIM president-elect, shared: “Dr. Richmond is an indefatigable warrior in the arena of academic mentoring. She has spent many hours advising women on their careers. She is a staunch supporter and role model for women faculty at the School of Medicine for many years. Dr. Richmond is one of the brightest women we have at Georgetown.”

Richmond cited her first chair of pediatrics and her husband Barry as the two most important mentors she had in her career.

The final award, the John Eisenberg Career Development Award, is given annually to four women faculty members who show the most leadership potential within GUSOM and MGUH and are selected through a competitive process to attend the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Faculty Professional Development Seminar. This year’s awardees are Amrita Cheema, PhD , Evagelia Laiakis, PhD , Yuliya Rekhtman, MD and Heidi Young, MD .

Leigh Ann Renzulli
GUMC Communications