Awards & Accolades

Congratulations to these recent honorees.

Kraft Recognized for Significant Contributions by American Thoracic Society

Dr. Monica Kraft, chair of the Department of Medicine in the College of Medicine – Tucson, has been selected to receive the American Thoracic Society's Elizabeth A. Rich, MD Award. Kraft will be recognized during the society's conference in Dallas this month.

The society is a membership organization whose aim is to improve global health through "advancing research, clinical care, and public health in respiratory disease, critical illness, and sleep disorders." Its Elizabeth A. Rich, MD Award recognizes "an outstanding woman in ATS who has made significant contributions in the fields of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine."

Kraft is a world-renowned physician-scientist specializing in translational research on severe asthma. The professor of medicine is deputy director of the UA Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, and holds the Robert and Irene Flinn Endowed Chair of Medicine. She earned the ATS Distinguished Achievement Award last year.

Kraft, who is also a member of the UA BIO5 Institute, served as president of the ATS from 2012 to 2013. She joined the UA as department chair in 2014.

Mata, Immigrant Student Resource Center Honored at National Conference

Maria Mata, project coordinator in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice, and the UA Immigrant Student Resource Center earned awards from the American College Personnel Association's Latin@/x Network during the association's annual conference in Boston in March. Mata was named the association's 2019 Outstanding New Professional and the Immigrant Student Resource Center earned the network's Student Success Award.

The American College Personnel Association aims to foster student learning by providing outreach, advocacy, research and professional development. The association's Latin@/x Network provides Latino-focused professional development programs and networking opportunities.

The network's Outstanding New Professional award "highlights a professional who has made a commitment to the long-term enhancement of the Latin@/x Community." Mata is program coordinator for the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice's Upward Bound program, which supports underrepresented, low-income and first-generation high school students during their transition to college.

"Without a doubt, she excels in this position as she can relate to students, and identify inequalities in education, student needs and enrollment management practices," Mata's nominator wrote.

The network's Student Success Award recognizes a campus program, office, service or department "that has significantly impacted the collegiate experience" of Latino students at the awardee's institution or within the field of higher education. The Immigrant Student Resource Center, located in the Office of Early Academic Outreach, provides career, scholarship and social support to students from immigrant and refugee backgrounds.

The center's nominator wrote that center staff members "are fierce advocates for access and equity by supporting students and families from immigrant and refugee backgrounds. They fight to make higher education accessible and provide resources to ensure success for students and families."

AZPM Wins Four Regional Murrow Awards

Arizona Public Media has received four Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the association announced on April 23.

AZPM and KUAT, Tucson's Public Broadcasting Service affiliate, were recognized for stories in the categories of small-market radio and small-market television. The awards came in the association's Region 3, which includes stations in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The award-winning stories are:

• "What A Colorado River in Decline Means for the Radical Idea of Resurrecting Glen Canyon" – News documentary
• "The Survivor" – Excellence in video
• "Where Dreams Die" – Feature reporting
• "Liam Pace" – Sports reporting

AZPM advances to the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition, whose winners will be announced in June.

Tucson Village Farm Wins National Culture of Health Award

Tucson Village Farm, an urban farm and outreach program run by the Pima County Cooperative Extension, has earned a Culture of Health Award from Well Connected Communities. The award was presented at the National Health Outreach Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, last week.

Well Connected Communities is an initiative by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension System, in partnership with the National 4-H Council and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The initiative convenes local health councils in 12 states to "develop and implement action plans to address public health priorities in their area."

The initiative's Culture of Health Awards recognize those who have been leaders in "healthy living programming in their community," particularly in regard to health equity and inclusion. Awards are given to an adult volunteer, a youth volunteer and a land-grant university.

Tucson Village Farm helped earn the UA the land-grant university award. The award comes with $9,000 to go toward its health programs. The farm, at 4210 N. Campbell Ave., is designed to connect local youth from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to healthy food systems through field trips and hands-on programming. The farm also holds weekly produce sales and hands-on cooking classes for adults.

UA Wins Gold Worksite Award From Arizona Department of Health Services

The UA was presented with a Healthy Arizona Worksite Gold award from the Healthy Arizona Worksites Program at an event in Phoenix on May 1.

The Healthy Arizona Worksites Program is a public health initiative offered by the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. The program aims to help employers implement worksite wellness initiatives "to improve the health of their employees and businesses."

The award recognizes "Arizona employers for their efforts to support the health and wellness of their employees, families and communities," and is offered at copper, silver, gold and platinum levels.

Life & Work Connections won the same award last year.

Walsh Named 2019 Chapman Lecturer

Bruce Walsh, professor and associate head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, was selected to deliver the 2019 A.B. Chapman Lectures in Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Animal Sciences. Walsh gave two lectures at the college on May 1.

The lectures, held every year since 1994, feature "leading world scholars in the various fields related to genetic improvement of livestock." The occasion honors Arthur B. Chapman, a professor of animal breeding and genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1936 to 1975. Walsh is the first UA faculty member to be selected.

Walsh's research interests include using mathematical models to explore the interface of genetics and evolution. A member of the UA BIO5 Institute, Walsh began at the University as an assistant professor in 1986.

To submit your news, please send us an email with the following information:

• Name of the person, team or unit receiving the honor with full UA titles.
• Information about the award/honor and the organization that granted it. Please include a link to the official announcement of the award/honor.
• When the honor was announced and when it will be presented (or was presented).
• A photo of the honoree. If others appear in the photo, please provide their names and identifying information, such as their UA title or other affiliation.

Questions? Contact Lo Que Pasa at uaatwork@email.arizona.edu.