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 Mosquitoes and adolescents' body image are the research areas of the two winners of the University's 2009 Distinguished Women Scholar Awards, sponsored by the Graduate School and the Office of University Women (OUW). The recipients were honored April 20 at the Celebrating U Women event, hosted by the OUW.
Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, epidemiology, is a pre-eminent national and international scholar in adolescent health, obesity prevention, and eating disorder prevention, generating findings that have guided local, national, and international policies and interventions. Her work was the first to address the role of media literacy and activism as a prevention approach, one that is now routinely incorporated into public health intervention programs.
Neumark-Sztainer's work, which includes 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications, has been recognized by a National Institutes of Health research grant and a fellowship in the Academy for Eating Disorders. Her book, I'm like, SO Fat! Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices About Eating and Exercise in a Weight Obsessed World, translates years of academic research into a valuable resource for parents and guardians of teens. One of her innovative obesity prevention interventions, New Moves, which helps adolescent girls appreciate their bodies with a goal toward more healthful eating and physical activity, is currently being tested in 12 local high schools that serve high percentages of ethnically diverse and low socioeconomic adolescents. Thus, Neumark-Sztainer's work is informing the theoretical study of weight-related issues and their public health implications as she works toward the reduction of these problems. In addition, last year she received the University of Minnesota's Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Postdoctoral Scholars Award. Her work has been featured in the Driven to Discover campaign.
Science and Engineering: Ann Fallon, entomology, is a leading international figure in the field of insect molecular biology. Her work on the molecular genetics of mosquitoes is innovative, groundbreaking, and immensely valuable in the effort to understand the genetics of disease transmission. "Those little bloodsuckers," as she refers to them with unmistakable respect, kill millions of people every year. Instead of aiming to exterminate them, she approaches the study of disease-transmitting insects from the perspective of a student of biology, molecular biology, and virology. Fallon has been recognized with a National Institutes of Health research grant and a University of Minnesota Distinguished McKnight University Professorship. Additionally, the World Health Organization selected her to be a member of an international working group, Biological Control of Vectors: Prospects for Malaria Control by Genetic Manipulation of its Vectors. Fallon is a dedicated teacher and mentor whose former students have gone on to conduct cutting-edge research at prestigious institutions around the country. In addition, she has demonstrated her commitment to improving the University by actively participating in governance and representing the University at programs as varied as the White Earth Indian Reservation, Northwestern College Child Development Center, and Minnesota State Fair.
Associate dean Shirley Garner presented the awards to Neumark-Sztainer and Fallon on behalf of the Graduate School, which administers the award in collaboration with the Office for University Women.
The annual program, sponsored by the Office for University Women, celebrates the academic, professional, and civic achievements of University of Minnesota women staff, faculty, and students. Other awards presented included the Mullen, Spector, Truax Women's Leadership Award; the Civil Service and Bargaining Unit Staff Award; and the Sharon L. Doherty Award.
Read more about the Distinguished Women Scholars Awards. |
