Two Indian-origin faculty among three at University of Michigan receive prestigious award

- ADVERTISEMENT -

University of Michigan faculty members Reshma Jagsi of the Medical School, and Bhramar Mukherjee of the School of Public Health, will receive the prestigious 2022 Sarah Goddard Power Awards. The third recipient of the award is Oveta Fuller also of the Medical School.

The awards, given by the Academic Women’s Caucus, will be presented virtually from 3-5 p.m. Feb. 1, 2022, according to a news report on the university news website Record, Jan. 17, 2022.

Sarah Goddard Power Award is named after the late Regent of U-M, and recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the betterment of women through their leadership, scholarship or other ways in their professional life.

Jagsi is deputy chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and director of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at U-M.

“She has led seminal studies quantifying underrepresentation of women in authorship, editorial, principal investigator and leadership positions in medicine and in comparable compensation,” the news report said.

She also is internationally recognized for research to strengthen autonomy in breast cancer patients and to individualize breast cancer care, it added.

“Dr. Jagsi is an international scholar, advocate and leading voice for gender and BIPOC equity, and a well-funded researcher who lifts many women through inspiration, collaboration, and mentorship. She embodies the virtues of Sarah Goddard Power and I cannot support her more highly for this reward,” David J. Brown, associate dean and associate vice president for health equity and inclusion, is quoted saying in a nominating letter quoted in the news report.

Mukherjee, a professor of epidemiology and global public health, is chair of the biostatistics department. She also serves as the associate director for quantitative data sciences in the Rogel Cancer Center.

“Mukherjee is highly engaged in the Precision Health Initiative and serves as the associate director for cohort development,” the news release noted. Her research interests include statistical methods for the analysis of electronic health records, studies of gene-environment interaction, Bayesian methods, shrinkage estimation and analysis of high dimensional exposure data.

“Her record as a mentor to students and faculty, especially women, is exemplary. Not only does (she) serve as a significant role model for women in biostatistics but she also works to create opportunities for women across the university and beyond,” Jenna Wiens, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is quoted saying in the news report.