Ten graduate faculty were honored with the UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award for exceptional work with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows during a public virtual reception 5 p.m. April 19.
Cullen Clark, Ph.D., teaching assistant professor in the Department of Sociology; Stephanie Corcoran, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Alan Eberhardt, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering; Jeremy Herskowitz, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurology; Suzanne Lapi, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Radiology; Leann Long, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics; Kerry Madden-Lunsford, associate professor in the Department of English; Adelais Markaki, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems; Greg Pavela, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior; and Lyne Racette, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, are the 2021 recipients.
Each recipient has a different idea about what makes mentoring graduate students and postdocs special. One says it’s about helping them expand their imaginations, and another about watching as they transform into professional scientists and researchers.
“Beyond any other accomplishment in my career, I have learned that the privilege of witnessing graduate students transform into serious, independent scientists is the most rewarding experience,” said Herskowitz.
Read what the award recipients say they learned as mentors to UAB’s up-and-coming scientists.
A fellow explorer
“To be a mentor is to be a collaborator. The mentor is not a sage, but a fellow explorer. And, even though my musical taste leans more towards Robert Johnson than Phil Collins, I still have to admit that Collins was onto something when he said, ‘In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.’”
— Cullen Clark, Ph.D., teaching assistant professor in the Department of Sociology
Establishing trust
“I have learned through mentoring graduate students that they need to know that I care for them, that I am available for them, that I will help them succeed and that they can trust me.”
— Stephanie Corcoran, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Individual needs
“The most important thing that I have learned is that everyone is different and a good mentor must pay attention to the individual needs of their students.”
— Alan Eberhardt, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Witnessing the transformation
“Beyond any other accomplishment in my career, I have learned that the privilege of witnessing graduate students transform into serious, independent scientists is the most rewarding experience. Prior to this I was unaware of the deep pride and admiration that can be felt knowing that I played some small role in the development of these highly respected and insanely talented young investigators.”
— Jeremy Herskowitz, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurology
Positive culture
“The most important thing I have learned from mentoring is the value of a supportive team and positive culture. While I can provide support and guidance wherever possible, students at UAB also benefit from interactions from incredibly knowledgeable staff and many other colleagues, which has a huge impact.“
— Suzanne Lapi, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Radiology
Learning alongside
As a mentor, I did not initially appreciate how much I would learn from my students. Their perspectives and new ideas have shaped my approach to both mentoring and scientific research.
— Leann Long, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics
Finding hope
“I've learned everything. My students have taken me on the most extraordinary journeys from prisoner whisperers, to a pistol-packing matriarch in red high heels at an ex's funeral, to the story of a grandmother who also became the first African American to reach the level of EAS-22 Postmaster in Alabama’s postal system, to the unbearable loss of a child and healing again, to being ‘the kid on the milk carton,’ to a woman's 20 years in the Marines, to being the great-granddaughter of a man who escaped slavery in Virginia to find freedom in Wetumpka and who created the railroad switch, to fantasy novels, to cracked fairy tales, to graphic memoirs, to journey journals around the world, to a beloved partner, Skip, dying of AIDS, who said, ‘Brightly, brightly and with great beauty," and so much more. My students have taught me survival, courage and finding hope and possibilities in all their incredible stories, so I'm the lucky one.”
— Kerry Madden-Lunsford, MFA, associate professor in the Department of English
Expanding imagination
"It’s not enough to tell our mentees to follow their dreams; their imagination might be limited. We need to help them shape their dreams by expanding their imagination."
— Adelais Markaki, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems
Regular contact
“Regular, in-person (or virtual) contact is essential to the maintenance of the mentoring relationship. Even if there isn't any official business on the agenda, we usually realize that there is something we should discuss and after the meeting ends; I think, I'm really glad we met.”
— Greg Pavela, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior
No judgments
"Trust is at the heart of the mentoring relationship and is indispensable to effectively support the development and success of each mentee. Because growth can only occur through experimentation, it is critical to create a safe and judgment-free space where errors and failures can be reframed as steppingstones and learning opportunities.”
— Lyne Racette, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
