UMMC faculty, SON reap honors
Published on Monday, February 21, 2022
Ojeda honored by IHL for excellence in diversity, inclusion
Dr. Norma Ojeda, left, professor of pediatrics and neonatology, was honored Feb. 17 by IHL as UMMC's Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award nominee. She is pictured with Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.
Dr. Norma Ojeda, professor of pediatrics and neonatology, has been honored by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) as the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s nominee for the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award.
IHL recognized Ojeda and other public university nominees Feb. 17 during a virtual ceremony at its board meeting in Jackson. IHL bestows the awards as part of Black History Month. Those honored are leaders at their universities and the community at large for their commitment to improving diversity and supporting underrepresented populations.
Ojeda and others were lauded for exemplifying the ideals of diversity and inclusion. Honorees were nominated for the award by their university president or chancellor.
One nominee is selected Diversity Educator of the Year. Selected for 2022 was Dr. Todd Davis of Delta State University.
Tandon chairs American Heart Association basic sciences committee
TandonDr. Ritesh Tandon, associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology, has been tapped to serve as chair of the American Heart Association’s Transformational Project Award Basic Sciences Committee.
Tandon is a fellow of the AHA. This committee reviews grant proposals to fund highly innovative, high-impact projects that build on work in progress that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate the AHA’s mission.
The Basic Sciences committee covers the disciplines of microbiology and infectious disease, immunology and virology, molecular signaling, and cell transport and metabolism.
School of Nursing recognized by U.S. News and World Report
U.S. News and World Report magazine has ranked the UMMC School of Nursing’s online master of nursing degree program as 38th out of 179 programs nationally.
The magazine ranks schools according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence, including enrollment, tuition per credit, faculty credentials and training, services and technologies, engagement and student excellence.
In the category of services and technologies, the SON received a perfect score of 100, ranking it first nationally in that category.
The School of Nursing at UMMC “offers the MSN degree in administration, education and practice. Course delivery is flexible, predominantly online with asynchronous classes, part-time and full-time plans of study available,” the magazine wrote. “Multiple entry options, 24/7 tech support and low tuition costs also make this program distinctive.”
Tied for 38th with the SON are Marquette University, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and University of Memphis