A Celebration of Postdoc and Grad Student Mentors

2024 Dean's Mentoring Award honorees pose for a photo with Dean Blake and Assistant Dean Allen
2024 Dean's Mentoring Award honorees gather for a photo after the awards ceremony. Back row (l to r): Brooke Jarvie, Finn Wolfreys, Andrew Nelson, Emily Twedell, Darwin Kwok, and Nicholas Stevers. Front row (l to r): Graduate Dean Nicquet Blake, Alexander Marr, Ashley Mitchell, Megan Chong, Stephanie Sandoval-Pistorius, Molly Hodul, and Assistant Dean Chequeta Allen. Photo by Mike Mullen.

The Graduate Division Dean’s Office wrapped up National Mentoring Month on Tuesday, January 30 by honoring recipients of the 2024 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars with a ceremony and reception in Genentech Hall at Mission Bay.

Nicquet Blake, PhD, dean of the Graduate Division and vice provost of Student Academic Affairs, and Chequeta Allen, EdD, assistant dean for postdoctoral scholars, were on hand to emcee the event and hand out certificates to six awardees and six honorable mention recipients, and nominators offered brief intros and appreciations for awardees. A reception for the crowd of about 80 followed in the atrium, with light bites from La Mediterranee. The Dean’s Mentoring Awards ceremony was just one of a series of activities on offer for UCSF learners throughout National Mentoring Month.

nominator Olivia Barnhill offers remarks about awardee Emily Twedell while audience looks on
Olivia Barnhill, a PhD student, offers remarks about graduate student awardee Emily Twedell during the ceremony. Photo by Mike Mullen.

 

Attendees enjoy reception at dean's mentoring awards celebration
Guests enjoy the reception following the ceremony. Photo by Mike Mullen.

 

Launched in 2019 in partnership with grad students and postdocs, the Dean’s Awards recognize graduate students and postdocs who consistently serve as excellent mentors for their colleagues at UCSF, and who have formally or informally taken on some of the responsibilities typically held by traditional mentors, supervisors, and sponsors during their training. This year’s honorees were selected from over 50 nominations reviewed by a panel comprising faculty, staff, and grad students. 

Awardees:

Graduate Students
Megan Chong, Tetrad PhD program
‌Nicholas Stevers, Biomedical Sciences PhD program
‌Emily Twedell, Neuroscience PhD program‌

Postdocs
Brooke Jarvie, PhD, Physiology
‌Stephanie Sandoval-Pistorius, MS, PhD, Neurosurgery
‌Finn Wolfreys, PhD, Ophthalmology

Honorable Mentions:

Graduate Students
Darwin Kwok, Biomedical Sciences PhD program
‌Alexander Marr, Global Health Sciences PhD program
‌Ashley Mitchell, Global Health Sciences PhD program‌

Postdocs
Molly Hodul, PhD, Neurology
‌Andrew Nelson, PhD, Neurology
‌Parul Verma, PhD, Radiology‌

Learn more about this year’s awardees.

awardees and colleagues gather for a photo
Honorable mention recipient Darwin Kwok (front center) and awardee Nick Stevers (front right) celebrate the occasion with colleagues. Photo by Mike Mullen.

 

Ray Care, Linda Louie, and Jocelyne Fadiga staff OCPD's resource table
The Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) hosted a mentoring resources table at the reception. Pictured: OCPD program directors Ray Care and Linda Louie, and Jocelyne Fadiga, a PhD student and participant in the Career and Professional Development Leadership Program. Photo by Mike Mullen.

 


Nominations for the 2025 Dean’s Mentoring Awards will be accepted in fall 2024.