Congratulations to the 2021 Excellence in Mentoring Award recipients!
Join the Center for Faculty Development in congratulating the 2021 Excellence in Mentoring Award winners and amazing nominees! If you missed the event, click below to watch the recordings!
2021 John T. Potts, Jr., MD, Faculty Mentoring Award Recipient 
To recognize and honor senior faculty members with ten or more years of mentoring experience at MGH, in the spirit of further building a culture of mentoring at MGH. 
Susan A. Slaugenhaupt, PhD
Professor of Neurology, HMS; Scientific Director, Mass General Research Institute (MGRI); and Investigator, Center for Genomic Medicine, MGH
Dr. Slaugenhaupt spearheads several programs and educational initiatives at MGH, including a thriving undergraduate summer internship program. She also co-directs the Mass General Brigham Biobank at Mass General, an exciting initiative that will speed the translation of research discoveries into improved clinical care for patients.
2021 Rising Mentor Award Recipients 
To recognize two faculty members, one clinical and one research, at the Instructor through Assistant Professor rank with less than ten years of mentoring experience at MGH. 
Clinical Recipient -
Laura E. Dichtel, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, HMS; and Assistant Physician in the Neuroendocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, MGH
Dr. Dichtel led the Endocrine Division initiative to improve the culture for young women. She assumed a leadership role as Chair of the Endocrine Division Parental Wellness Committee and developed the parental wellness program to promote faculty success during a critical time in their careers, drove forward the most important initiatives and performed the majority of the
work.
Research Recipient -
Shannon Stott, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, HMS; Mechanical Engineer in the Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, MGH
Dr. Stott has mentored numerous interns through programs such as a SPARC and CURE that specifically target women and URM trainees. In addition to the 21 scientists that she has mentored within her work group, she has also mentored seven scientists for which she had no supervisory responsibilities; she had helped shepherd many of these through the transition from postdoc to faculty.
2021 Ally for Women Faculty Award Recipient 
To recognize allies, particularly men faculty, who support and empower women colleagues in advancing their career and achieving their professional goals and who actively work to create a more open, equitable environment in which women can thrive, grow, and attain major leadership roles. 
Kenneth A. Freedberg, MD
Professor of Medicine, HMS; Professor of Health Policy and Management, HSPH; and Director of the Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, MGH
Dr. Freedberg is a Principal Investigator of the T32 HIV Clinical Research training grant, through which many research trainees have been nurtured and launched into successful research careers. He has served as a direct mentor to 25 post‐doctoral trainees and four pre‐doctoral trainees. Twelve of these former trainees have received federal funding, including multiple K01, K08, K23, K24, and R01 awards ‐ ten of whom are women. Four of his female mentees are full Professors at HMS.
2021 Outstanding Mentor of Underrepresented in Medicine (UiM) Faculty and Trainees Award Recipient 
To recognize faculty who support and empower their UiM colleagues in advancing their career and achieving their professional goals and who actively work to create a more open, equitable environment in which UiMs can thrive, grow, and attain major leadership roles. 
Derri L. Shtasel, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, HMS; Associate Chief, Community Psychiatry and the Michele and Howard J. Kessler Chair and Director of the MGH Division of Public and Community Psychiatry; and Co-chair of the Race Equity Subcommittee of ECOCH
Dr. Shtasel has consistently used her vast professional expertise and experiences to guide many trainees and faculty, while advancing MGH’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. Her mentoring of junior and mid-level faculty has led to new program development and research in underserved populations (young men exiting the criminal justice system; LGBT populations; homeless youth) and to new models of treatment engagement through training non-clinicians to deliver services based on clinical principles (CBT). 
2021 Outstanding Principal Investigator Mentor of Graduate Students Award Recipient 
To recognize MGH Principal Investigators (PI) who mentor PhD graduate student(s) in their lab, who historically have had more than one PhD graduate student, and who have demonstrated outstanding contribution in helping PhD graduate students to advance their skills and provide support with scholarly activities.
Ksenia V. Kastanenka, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, HMS; and Assistant Investigator in Neurology, Mass General Research Institute
Dr. Kastanenka's primary research interests lie in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), specifically elucidating neural network perturbations that underlie cognitive and memory deficits. Besides mentoring the mentees in her laboratory, she hosted eminent speakers in a series of Virtual Symposia held during the summers of 2020 and 2021. 
2021 Outstanding Research Fellow Mentor Award Recipients 
To recognize one or more research fellows who has demonstrated outstanding contribution in helping students/trainees advance their skills, provided support and guidance in navigating the research realm, and assisted in cultivating the path for these fellow lab mates.
Risa Burr, PhD
Research Fellow in the Center for Cancer Research, MGH/HMS; Social Committee Chair, Vice Chair, and then Chair of Mass General Postdoctoral Association
Dr. Burr directly supervises 6 technicians, in addition to training and mentoring countless other graduate students and technicians. She has created an environment and structure within the lab for technicians and other graduate students to connect and support each other, allowing for daily guidance on projects, personal goals, and other professional advice.
Alexandre Lussier, PhD
Research Fellow in the Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; and Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, MGH/HMS
Dr. Lussier a committed mentor and teacher to trainees at all
levels. Since 2019, he has mentored 13 scientists, including two doctoral students, four undergraduate students, one high school student, and six research staff. The successes of these mentees can be directly related back to Alex’s mentoring.