SHP Awards of Excellence
2024 Awards of Excellence
Call for Nominees for Faculty, Student, and Alumni Awards
Nominations for the 2024 SHP Awards of Excellence are now being accepted. The awards recognize students, faculty, volunteers, and alumni for outstanding accomplishments in their field, or service to the school and larger community.
Please open the tabs below to see the criteria for each award, and to find the submissions link.
Faculty Awards:
Excellence in Research Award
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Awarded by SHP on behalf of the New Jersey Health Foundation. Presented to a faculty member in recognition of exemplary research. Last year’s winner: Weili Lu, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation & Counseling.
Excellence in Teaching Award
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Awarded by SHP on behalf of the New Jersey Health Foundation. Presented to a faculty member for outstanding teaching and for dedication to educating our students. Recommendations come from students. Last year’s winner: Stephanie Hubbell, M.S. – Lecturer, Speech-Language Pathology.
Alumni Awards
Distinguished Alumnus Award
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Awarded by the School of Health Professions. Presented on behalf of faculty and students to an alumnus in recognition of outstanding achievement in their specialty. Last year’s winner: Colonel Cindy M. Saladin-Muhammad, B.S. in Toxicology ‘91, Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
Award for Contribution to SHP By Adjunct Faculty, Volunteer Faculty, or Individual or Organization
Distinguished Service Award
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Awarded by the School of Health Professions. This prestigious award is presented to an individual or organization whose leadership and guidance advanced our school. Nominations are from faculty members. Last year’s winner: Rebecca Shulman, M.A., Senior Program Director, Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) of MetroWest New Jersey.
Student Awards
Academic, Clinical & Service Awards of Excellence
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Awarded by SHP. Presented on the recommendation of program directors to students who have excelled academically and/or clinically in their programs. The service award is presented to those who have contributed outstanding service to the community, the school, the university or the health profession.
Stanley S. Bergen Medal of Excellence
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The Stanley S. Bergen Medal of Excellence is the premier award given to a SHP graduating student. Nominees must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at SHP. Nominees may not be winners of the Clinical, Academic or the Student Excellence in Service Awards. Each program may nominate one graduate with the approval of the Program Director. The final GPA must be 3.5 or better to be eligible for consideration. Please see below criteria to be considered for the Bergen Medal Award. See Criteria below. Last year’s winner: Lt. Tapan Patel, DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy ‘23.
For more information, email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
Excellence in Research
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This award recognizes outstanding research or scholarly activity by a faculty member. Faculty may self-nominate or nominate a colleague who has done outstanding work in research or scholarship. This recognition includes a monetary award.
Award criteria:
- Submission of nomination form along with a copy of a journal article or presentation abstract
- Completion and publication, or presentation of research or scholarship activities, from two years prior to the application deadline date.
- Research or scholarly work can focus on: patient care, professional issues, basic science, educational issues, community and public health issues, or ethics.
- Faculty members at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences are eligible.
- Former Excellence in Research Award winners are ineligible for a one-year period
Questions? Email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
Excellence in Teaching
Student Nomination Period Closed
Each year the School of Health Professions, on behalf of the New Jersey Health Foundation, grants this award to a faculty member for outstanding effort in teaching and dedication to the education of our students during the academic year. Nominations should be made by students. Please include nomination letter.
All student nominations must be submitted electronically.
Criteria:
- Planning and providing effective instruction: Focus should be on course content, faculty expertise, innovativeness, and creativity.
- Personal and professional role modeling: Focus should be on role modeling through scholarship and research, personal professional growth/development, and extracurricular activities.
- Facilitating growth, and development through means other than instruction: Focus should be on formal counseling and advisement and informal support and encouragement.
Faculty who are nominated by students for this award will be notified and requested to submit a nomination packet.
Note: SHP Faculty may not receive the award more than once in a five-year period.
Previous 5 year awardees
2024 Aaron Dallman
2023 Stephanie Hubbell
2022 Riddhi Vyas
2021 Stephanie Cochrane
2020 Rebecca Brody
Questions? Email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
Stanley S. Bergen Medal of Excellence
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The Stanley S. Bergen Medal of Excellence is the premier award given to a SHP graduating student.
The Nomination Package must include three items:
- A nominating letter, usually from the Program Director, describing the nominee’s accomplishments and specifically addresses the four categories listed below.
- A copy of the graduate’s final transcript
- A completed Nomination Form – (completed online)
Nominees must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at SHP. Nominees may not be winners of the Clinical, Academic or the Student Excellence in Service Awards. Each program may nominate one graduate with the approval of the Program Director. The final GPA must be 3.5 or better to be eligible for consideration. Please see below criteria to be considered for the Bergen Medal Award.
- Demonstrated leadership and advocacy during their time in their program indicative of future ability to move their chosen profession forward based on the solid foundation they received at Rutgers.
- Scholarly Activity: to include excellence in research and scholarly projects, reports, presentations and papers.
- Community Service: to include volunteer or community service activities in any area.
- Service to the University: to include participation on University or school committees or task forces, or other related activities.
Note: The nomination letter must address ONLY those activities that occurred while the individual was a student at RUTGERS UNIVERSITY in the professional phase of the program.
Any questions, please email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
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This award recognizes alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to health care through service, education, or research. Recipients will be chosen for their ability to work with patients and fellow professionals, their level of community involvement and for achieving a positive reputation among health care professionals and community members. Please include a nomination letter.
Questions? Email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
Nomination Period Closed
This award is presented to an individual or organization outside of SHP who has made significant contributions to our school, and to health care through education, service, or research. SHP’s adjunct faculty (less than 50% FTE) and volunteer faculty members may also be nominated. No other SHP employees are eligible to be nominated for this award. Please submit a nomination letter. The award will be presented by a faculty member.
Questions? Email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
Student Awards of Excellence
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These awards are presented on the recommendation of program directors or faculty members to students in approved programs (not tracks) who have excelled academically and/or clinically in their educational programs. The Service Award is presented to those who have contributed outstanding service to the community, the school, the university, or the health professions. Failure to meet the March 15th deadline may mean omission of a student’s name and award from the commencement program.
Questions? Email OSA@shp.rutgers.edu
Past Award Recipients
Student Awards of Excellence
2024 – Click for full list
2023 – Click for full list
2022 – Click for full list
2021 – Click for full list
Excellence in Research
2024 – Dr. Nima Toosizadeh – Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences
2023 – Weili Lu, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling
2022 – Suril Gohel, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Health Informatics
2021 – Carrie Esopenko, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Excellence in Teaching
2024 – Dr. Aaron Dallman – Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation And Movement Sciences
2023 – Stephanie Hubbell, M.S., Lecturer, M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology
2022 – Riddhi Jagdishbhai Vyas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Informatics
2021 – Stephanie Cochrane, M.S. – Lecturer, Clinical Laboratory Science
Stanley. S. Bergen Award
2024 -Oonagh Breen, DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy ‘25
2023 – Lt. Tapan Patel, DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy ‘23
2022 – Daniel Martingano, O.D., Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics ‘22
2021 – Sylvia Zabielski – B.S. Clinical Laboratory Science ‘20
Distinguished Alumnus Award
2024 – Dr. Moore – Associate Research Professor of Nutrition and Transplantation in Surgery, Houston Methodist Academic Institute
2023 – Colonel Cindy M. Saladin-Muhammad, B.S. in Toxicology ‘91 Clinical Laboratory Sciences
2022 – Lisa LaCon, Ph.D., CRC, M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling ‘08; Ph.D.,Psychiatric Rehabilitation ‘20
2021 – Dr. Matthew Putts, M.S, Ph.D. – M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling ‘10
Distinguished Service Award
2024 – Nancy Daly, RN, Volunteer Faculty Nurse at the Rutgers H.O.P.E. Clinic.
2023 – Rebecca Shulman, M.A., Senior Program Director, Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) of MetroWest New Jersey
2022 – Dr. Joachim Sackey, Ph.D., M.S., Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences
2021 – Dr. Noa’a Shimoni, M.D., MPH – Director of Student Health Services RBHS