Two CCOM professors win Regents Awards
Two CCOM professors were among six University of Iowa faculty members to win the 2008 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. Given by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, the award honors faculty members for work representing a significant contribution to excellence in public education. Each honoree receives $1,000. From the CCOM, Drs. Pamela Geyer, UI professor of biochemistry, and Jane Paulsen, UI professor of psychiatry, were chosen for the award.
Geyer is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the area of biochemical research on RNA transcription regulation. Insights gained in her lab will likely lead to improved strategies for gene therapy and treatment of disease. A collaborative scholar, highly sought-after presenter, and committed teacher, Geyer has energized countless other scientists at all levels of experience. She has a long record of service to the University and the College, including seven years (1999 to 2006) as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). Under her leadership, the number of students and faculty participating in MSTP increased dramatically. She also used the program effectively as a platform to enrich the College by recruiting underrepresented minority students and other undergraduates for summer research opportunities.
Paulsen researches the neuropsychological aspects of Huntington’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and schizophrenia. She has attracted funding from the NIH and the High Q Foundation to support the largest clinical research program ever undertaken in Huntington’s Disease, and her findings represent the greatest growth in knowledge about the disease since study of it began. The Huntington’s Disease Society of America has given the program its Center of Excellence Award every year since 2000. Paulsen also built and now directs the division of psychology within the Department of Psychiatry, and she also directs the department’s neuropsychiatry service. She is known as a caring and effective mentor, and consistently receives the highest evaluations for her teaching and presentations.
The other recipients were Drs. Peter Damiano, UI professor of preventive and community dentistry and director of the UI Public Policy Center; William LaRue Jones, UI professor and director of orchestral studies in the School of Music in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Craig Kletzing, UI professor of physics and astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Sheldon Kurtz, the Percy Bordwell Professor of Law.