Compretta earns 2026 SEC Faculty Achievement Award

A career defined by service, visionary leadership and measurable impact has placed Dr. Caroline Compretta, assistant vice chancellor for research, among the Southeastern Conference’s most distinguished academic leaders.  
 
She is a recipient of the prestigious 2026 SEC Faculty Achievement Award, which recognizes faculty whose work leaves an enduring imprint on students, colleagues and institutions through excellence in teaching, research and service.  

Compretta said the recognition is both humbling and deeply meaningful.  

“I was genuinely surprised and honored,” she said. “The SEC is known nationally for excellence in athletics. It’s powerful to see that same energy applied to research and academic achievement. It elevates important work and reinforces the innovation and scholarship being conducted across the Southeast.” 

Her accomplishment means she will receive a $5,000 honorarium and a memento from the SEC, and it qualifies her to become a nominee for the overall SEC Professor of the Year honor, which will be announced later this spring. The overall award recognizes faculty who serve as role models for junior colleagues and students, emphasizing scholarly contributions and impact on the field. The honor comes with a $20,000 prize. 

Compretta’s career reflects a steadfast commitment to advancing health equity throughout Mississippi. She serves as professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine, with additional appointments in the School of Population Health, and departments of Pediatrics and Advanced Biomedical Education. She is also core faculty in the UMMC Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities and is associate director of community outreach and engagement at the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute. 

“Dr. Compretta is a driven leader and a champion for public health, and her dedication to her work exemplifies the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s overarching mission to serve the people of Mississippi,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce said. “This award is a testament to her many significant contributions in teaching, mentorship and research.” 
 
With approximately $10 million awarded in research funding, Compretta has built a reputation as a trusted leader in community-engaged public health initiatives. Her work centers on building long-term partnerships and ensuring that academic research remains accessible, relevant and responsive to the communities it is designed to serve. 
 
“Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked to build sustained relationships with communities and bring their voices into the biomedical sphere,” she said. “Through our work – especially in nutrition and food security – we’ve seen measurable improvements in biometric markers such as A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol. We’ve helped shift how individuals and families think about food and its relationship to chronic disease.” 

Her impact was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working alongside a statewide team, Compretta helped strengthen trust in public health messaging and improve vaccination rates throughout Mississippi. By prioritizing listening, transparency and partnership, her team helped reduce infections and address misinformation in vulnerable communities. 

Beyond documenting health disparities, Compretta focuses on designing practical, community-centered solutions to close them. Her work has influenced youth health initiatives and cultivated lasting partnerships with institutions including Mayo Clinic, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tuskegee University, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and faith-based organizations. 

“Collaboration is key,” she said. “It brings diverse expertise together and ensures everyone’s strengths are valued. This is especially beneficial in creating significant research opportunities to improve health outcomes in Mississippi, particularly in rural communities.” She noted vital needs for access to care, clinical trials, nutrition resources and continuous research engagement. 

Dr. Scott Rodgers, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, describes Comprettta as a consummate researcher and scholar. 

“When considering nominees for the SEC Faculty Achievement Award, we wanted to put someone forward who represented the very best of UMMC. Dr. Compretta is that person. She has risen in the ranks to become our assistant vice chancellor for research, a position that allows her to work closely with Dr. Lee Bidwell, associate vice chancellor for research.”  

Additionally, Rodgers said, “Her scholarly work within the School of Population Health, which has included extensive community engagement, along with her establishment of UMMC’s first teaching kitchen, has established her reputation as one of UMMC’s strongest leaders and faculty members. She is an absolute treasure and someone whom we all truly admire and respect.” 

A Hattiesburg native, Compretta graduated from Millsaps College before earning an MA and PhD degree in anthropology from the University of Kentucky. She later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in medical anthropology at UMMC. Before joining UMMC in 2013, she worked in the nonprofit sector, dedicating her efforts to improving health outcomes, preventing disease and advancing the well-being of underserved populations. 

She credits mentors such as Dr. Jennifer Robinson, former associate dean for research in the School of Nursing, who helped her envision a long-term research path grounded in community engagement, and the late Rev. Donnell Flowers of Jackson, Mississippi, who taught her the power of listening. 

Those lessons became foundational to her approach. 

Among her proudest accomplishments is the Bower Center for Culinary Medicine. For nearly nine years, through grants and foundation support, Compretta helped build a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen that serves medical students and residents, and ultimately the broader community. 
 
“Our goal is not just education, but empowerment,” she said. “We’re training providers who can confidently guide patients toward practical, affordable nutrition solutions.” 
 
Compretta describes UMMC as the most nurturing research environment she has experienced. 
 
“Even during challenging times,” she said, “I’ve been given the freedom to explore innovative ideas and grow in ways that might not have been possible elsewhere.” 
 
She believes the SEC Faculty Achievement Award reflects more than individual accomplishment; it also highlights a culture of research excellence at UMMC. 
 
“The research happening here creates the foundation for meaningful change throughout Mississippi,” she said. “When research is grounded in trust, collaboration and accessibility, it can truly transform lives.”