Faculty and staff
Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., FACE, associate dean for research and dean’s professor of epidemiology, has been named president-elect of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science.
Jessica Kramer, Ph.D., OTR/L, associate professor of occupational therapy, received the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s Mid-Career Research Excellence Award in recognition of research accomplishments that contribute to advancing knowledge in the field of occupational therapy and improving practice and health.
Sarah McKune, Ph.D., M.P.H., research assistant professor of environmental and global health, was named UF’s 2020 Junior Faculty International Educator of the Year.
Christine Myers, Ph.D., OTR/L, clinical associate professor of occupational therapy and director of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, has been elected to receive the Roster of Fellows award from the American Occupational Therapy Association for exemplary leadership in early childhood and interprofessional education.
Catherine Price, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical and health psychology, received the International Neuropsychological Society’s Arthur Benton Award for Mid-Career Research in recognition of substantial research impact.
Barbara Smith, Ph.D., P.T., assistant professor of physical therapy, received the American Physical Therapy Association’s James Dunleavy Distinguished Service Award, which honors an outstanding APTA Acute Care member whose contributions have been of exceptional value.
Ashby Walker, Ph.D., assistant professor of health services research, management and policy, received the 2021 Graduate Education Diversity Champion Award from the UF Graduate School and the Multicultural Association of Graduate Students.
Elizabeth Wood, D.H.S., director of the Bachelor of Public Health program, was awarded UF’s Leadership and Service Advocate of the Year Award for Faculty/Staff for going above and beyond in promoting service and leadership opportunities to students.
Rachel Yoho, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of environmental and global health, received the Rising Star Award from the UF Center for Teaching Excellence in recognition of commitment to ongoing educational improvements and excellence.
Eleven PHHP employees were named UF Superior Accomplishment award winners in the Health Science Center division. They include Francesca Antoine, business manager, department of health services research, management and policy; LuzMaria Escoto, academic coordinator, department of clinical and health psychology; Amanda Gillis, clinical services representative, department of clinical and health psychology; Mary Gipson, administrative specialist, department of epidemiology; Lauren Guidi, administrative specialist, dean’s office; Lisa King, Psy.D., clinical assistant professor of clinical and health psychology; Katherine Pizarro-Gutierrez, academic program specialist, dean’s office; Emily Plowman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, associate professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences; Jacky Scott, marketing and communications specialist, department of physical therapy; Robyn Smith, college academic programs coordinator, dean’s office; and Ikiah Young, academic programs coordinator, department of health services research, management and policy. In addition, Scott and Young were named the college’s 2020 Employees of the Year.
Students
Kanika Bansal, a Ph.D. student in rehabilitation science, received the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Stroke Special Interest Group’s Best Platform Award for her platform presentation, “Validation of Speed-Based Classification of Community Ambulation Post-Stroke: GPS Uncovers Real-World Performance.”
Natalie DelRocco, a Ph.D. student in biostatistics, earned the Best Poster Award in the 2020 Florida American Statistical Association Poster Competition for her poster, “An Enhanced Prognostic Index for Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL): A Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Report.”
Gabriel Cartagena, a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology, was awarded the 2021 American Psychological Association/American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology Award. He will address the 2021 APA convention in Washington, D.C., regarding systemic inequality and the field of psychology.
Erin Ferguson, a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology, has received funding for an NIH F31 Kirschstein Individual Research Fellowship Diversity award for her dissertation research entitled “Impact of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness on Demand for Alcohol and Marijuana among Co-Users.”
Francesca Lopez, a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology, has been named one of the 2020-2021 recipients of the APA Society for Clinical Neuropsychology Education Advisory Committee Dissertation Award. She also received an NIH F31Kirschstein Individual Research Fellowship Diversity award.
Karah Mechlowitz, a Ph.D. student in social and behavioral sciences, was awarded a Summer Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship through the UF Center for African Studies to intensively study an African language.
