Medical Center staff reap honors

Published on Monday, August 21, 2023

By: Patrice Guilfoyle, pguilfoyle@umc.edu

Medical Center faculty and staff often are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their academic or medical achievements. These accolades place UMMC among health science centers worldwide.

UMMC resident receives Phi Kappa Phi honor

Elliot Varney, a radiology resident and student in the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, is among the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, recipients of a 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellowship.

The $10,000 fellowship is designed to support active Society members in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study. This year’s class of fellows represents a group of 15 students spanning a number of academic disciplines from science and technology to arts and humanities.

“In its mission to support academic excellence and engage the community of scholars in service to others, Phi Kappa Phi created its Dissertation Fellowship to enable doctoral students to have the necessary resources to support the writing phase of their studies. By providing financial assistance to these doctoral students, our Society supports their continued academic and service journey,” said Society Executive Director and CEO Bradley Newcomer. “We are proud to support these scholars and look forward to seeing their completed dissertations in the not-so-distant future.”

The recipients were selected based on a number of criteria including how the fellowship will contribute to the completion of the dissertation, the significance of original research, and endorsement by the dissertation chair.

Established in 2014, the dissertation fellowships are part of the Society’s robust award and grants portfolio, which gives $1.3 million each year to outstanding students and members through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

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UMMC pharmacists garner statewide recognition

Two UMMC pharmacists were recognized recently at the Mississippi Pharmacists Association’s 152nd Annual Convention and Trade Show in Oxford.

Regan McIntosh was selected as the 2023 Member of the Year, which “is presented to a member who has demonstrated impeccable commitment to the association, dedicated his/her personal time and energy to furthering the objectives of the association, and is active in all aspects of the association.” Regan currently works with UMMC’s specialty pharmacy program as a clinic-based staff member in the Adult Special Care Clinic (ASCC) at the Jackson Medical Mall.

Anna Touchstone was honored with the 2023 Spirit of Pharmacy award, which “recognizes a service-oriented and hard-working member that has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to [MPhA] and volunteer activities.” Anna was promoted to supervisor within the UMMC Pharmacy Services department earlier this year and helps oversee the hospital’s central pharmacy operations.