Dean’s Excellence Awards for Faculty are awarded to one junior faculty member (instructor or assistant professor) and one senior faculty member (associate professor or full professor)—in each area of service: teaching, research, mentorship, and diversity enhancement.
New in 2023, the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff acknowledges the outstanding contributions of exceptional Heersink staff members across all mission areas: education, clinical care, and research.
Awardees for the Dean's Excellence Awards are selected through a peer-review process facilitated by a dean’s leadership team member.
Faculty Honorees
Jessica Fazendin, M.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Jeremey Walker, M.D.
Teaching
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine
James Hwang, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Ryan Kraemer, M.D.
Teaching
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Pankaj Arora, M.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Romi Gupta, Ph.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Gang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Research
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Emily Wong, M.D.
Research
Junior Faculty
Department of Medicine
John Fanning, M.D.
Regional Site Award
Huntsville Regional Campus
Department of Internal Medicine
Quince Gibson, M.D.
Regional Site Award
Whitfield Regional Hospital
UAB Department of Surgery
Jeffrey Blount, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Neurosurgery
Kara Huls, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
Patrick Hussey, M.D.
Service
Junior Faculty
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Helen Krontiras, M.D.
Service
Senior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Namasivayam Ambalavanan, M.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
Lily Gutnik, M.D.
Mentoring
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Sherell Hicks, M.D.
Mentoring
Junior Faculty
Department of Emergency Medicine
Lynn Matthews, M.D.
Mentoring
Senior Faculty
Department of Medicine
Andrea Gillis, M.D.
Diversity Enhancement
Junior Faculty
Department of Surgery
Tracey Wilson, M.D.
Diversity Enhancement
Senior Faculty
Department of Urology
Staff Honorees
April Agne
Program Director II
Department of Medicine
Division of Preventative Medicine
Donna Bailor
Executive Administrator
Department of Neurosurgery
Paula Clawson
Rural Program Coordinator
Huntsville Regional Medical Campus
Office for Family Health Education and Research
Kristi Gidley
Executive Administrator
Department of Otolaryngology
Betsy Hopson
Director of STEP/School of Medicine Research
Department of Medicine
Division of General Internal Medicine
Emily Knighton-Akins
Program Manager I
Heersink Dean’s Office
Office of Strategic Leadership Recruitment
Jason Noah
Director of the Student Success Program
Department of Medical Education
Division of Medical Student Services
Ryan Outman
Executive Administrator
Department of Family Medicine
Theresa Wright
Administrative Associate
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Hospital Medicine