The School of Medicine spent Thursday evening celebrating its outstanding staff members during the 7th annual Dean's Staff Excellence Awards.

The event, hosted by Toni Ganzel, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, and Glenn Gittings, PhD, chief of staff, honored staff members nominated by their colleagues for their outstanding excellence exhibited over the last 12 months.

"The nominations tell a compelling story about the excellence, creativity, and personal dedication of a great number of our staff who lean in each and every day to help us carry out our mission," said Ganzel, "The Dean’s Staff Awards recognizes a thriving SOM support system full of staff members that have made a significant impact and contribution to the life of others here at the School of Medicine."

Over 30 staff members were nominated for seven different award categories. The awards were presented to:

• Brigitte Warren, for Performance Excellence in an Administrative Office
• Katherine Linzy, for Performance Excellence in a Clinical Department
• Russ Howard, for Performance Excellence in a Basic Science Department
• Robert Peck, for Heart of the School
• Jan Ke-McCue, for the Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
• Green Dot, for Team of the Year
• Beth Williams, for Employee of the Year
• Gordon Stout and Sherri Gary, co-awardees for the Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award

The celebration was the conclusion to a day-long event for School of Medicine Staff members.

"Investing time, energy, and resources into our staff is the key to making the School of Medicine the place it is today. Without our staff, we couldn't operate at the high capacity we do daily," said Gittings, "Their hard work never goes unnoticed, and I hope the resurgence of S.M.A.R.T. Staff events will help our colleagues feel better supported in their daily efforts."

View photos from the event here.