The Woman Pioneer in Research Award is given annually to honor and recognize an established Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) female, non-binary or genderqueer faculty member for outstanding, internationally recognized basic science, translational, clinical, educational, or community research. Additional selection criteria may include leadership, mentorship, teaching, advocacy for women and community engagement.

Congratulations to our 2020 recipient:
Julia Dickson-Gomez, PhD
Professor, division of epidemiology, Institute for Health & Equity

Dr. Dickson-Gomez studies HIV prevention among drug users in the United States and El Salvador and is also interested in the influence of structural factors on HIV risk. Her research explores the effects of housing policy on drug users' access to housing, variations in housing status and housing options of drug users, and levels of HIV risk related to these factors. Dr. Dickson-Gomez's work also explores macro- and micro-social contexts of crack use and HIV risk in communities in El Salvador. Her work develops and evaluates the impact of structural and multi-level interventions in the U.S. and Latin America.

The Rising Pioneer Award is given annually to honor a Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) female, non-binary or genderqueer faculty member who is in the rising stage of their research trajectory. The award will recognize a qualified faculty member whose research is pioneering and is deemed likely to be highly influential for decades to come. The Rising Pioneer Award will be given to a faculty member who is highly respected by their peers and experts and is gaining momentum in building their national and international reputation in basic science, translational, clinical, educational, or community research.

Congratulations to our 2020 recipient:
Julie Freed, MD, PhD
Assistant professor and director of clinical research, department of anesthesiology

Dr. Freed completed her PhD in Physiology at MCW in 2008 and her MD degree in 2011. She was appointed on the NIH T-32 grant during her extended research-track residency in Anesthesiology at MCW prior to completing her clinical fellowship in adult cardiothoracic anesthesia. During her residency she trained under the Northwestern Mutual Endowed Professor of Cardiology David D. Gutterman, MD. Her translational work which focuses on the role that sphingolipids have on human microvascular function has gained international recognition, was featured on the cover of the prestigious American Heart Association journal Circulation Research and has resulted in being awarded a FAER mentored research training grant (MRTG), an NIH K08 award through the NHLBI, and NIH R21 through the NIA. She was selected as the 2018 Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Scholar, has received funding through the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin (AHW) endowment, and has served as a co-investigator on many interdisciplinary grants through foundations as well as the NIH. Dr. Freed has a strong passion for developing the next generation of physician-scientists and takes pride in mentoring students and trainees. A sports enthusiast, she enjoys being active with her husband and two children Will (age 4) and Elizabeth (age 2). 

The Edward J. Lennon, MD Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher Award is given annually to honor a Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) female, non-binary or genderqueer postdoctoral fellow. Established in memory of former Dean and President of MCW from 1978 through 1990, Edward J. Lennon, MD, this special award continues his legacy. Dr. Lennon was a bench scientist, a physician and a teacher, who during his time at MCW appointed the first woman Department Chair and fostered an environment supportive of women faculty in leadership roles. The Edward J. Lennon, MD Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher Award will be given to a postdoc who is making exceptional strides in areas such as basic science, translational, clinical, educational, or community research.

Congratulations to our 2020 recipient:
Jennifer Stancill, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow, department of biochemistry

Dr. Stancill was born and raised in North Carolina, in a suburb of Winston-Salem. Being a Tar Heel her entire life, it was natural for her to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Music. Her first introduction to research was during her summer breaks from UNC at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, where she studied mutations affecting susceptibility to pelvic organ prolapse in women. After she graduated in 2011, she moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University. There, under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Magnuson, she began her diabetes-centered research focus. During this time, she also decided that she wanted to pursue an academic research career, with a continued focus on beta-cell biology. After earning her PhD in 2017, she made the move to MCW to begin her postdoctoral work with Dr. John Corbett in the department of Biochemistry. When Dr. Stancill is not in the lab, she enjoys serving on the Postdoctoral Advisory Committee, playing the clarinet, doing Zumba dance workouts, and baking.

The Women in Science Student Awards are given annually to honor Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) female, non-binary or genderqueer students. The Women in Science Student Awards will be given to MCW students who are already making impressive strides at the beginning of their careers, to assist them in their journeys of becoming outstanding women in science.

Congratulations to all our 2020 recipients:

Lora Daskalska is a doctoral candidate in her fourth year of the Public and Community Health PhD program, advised by Dr. Staci Young. Her dissertation will examine mental health care access for Black and Hispanic teens with anxiety or depression in Milwaukee using qualitative research methods.

Courtney Fisher is a third-year graduate student in Dr. John Auchampach’s lab. Her research is focused on identifying and characterizing novel allosteric modulators of the A3 adenosine receptor that will improve current treatment strategies for a range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Hayley McDaniel is a third-year pharmacy student, with an expected graduation date of May 2022. Her research interests focus on utilization of biomimetic synthesis to generate potential drug leads.

Gopika SenthilKumar is a second-year student in the Medical Scientist Training Program, a dual MD/PhD degree program. Her research thus far has focused on improving therapeutic strategies and clinical outcomes for patients with various cancers.

Antoinette Spector is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Public and Community Health program. Her dissertation research is exploring the initiation of opioid misuse and substance use disorder treatment access among women and is funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Diversity Supplement program.

Alexis Williams is a fourth-year medical student. Her research focuses on the prevalence and significance of sarcopenia, decreasing muscle mass associated with aging, and obesity within multiple myeloma patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Eugenia Wulff is a third-year graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Olivier-Van Stichelen. Her research focuses on the importance of the nutrient-responsive glycosylation (O-GlcNAcylation) in pre- and post-natal development. She wishes to understand how sugar consumption in pregnancy and lactation impacts offspring’s metabolic development by modifying proteins and signaling pathways early on.