Keck School faculty honored during USC’s spring awards season

Also at the Convocation, Pragna I. Patel, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine, was honored with the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching.

In addition, USC Emeritus Professor Robert E. Maxson, PhD, was presented with the Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor goes to “a very select number of retired faculty at the annual Academic Honors Convocation, the USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes eminent careers and notable contributions to the university, the profession and the community.” Florence A. Clark, Michael Waterman and Martin H. Weiss also earned the accolade.

Read more about Maxson’s work and adventurous life in this feature by USC Stem Cell.  

Four KSOM faculty members were selected as recipients of the 2021 USC Mentoring Award for Faculty Mentoring Graduate Students. Congratulations to Gabriel Zada, MD, MS, professor of neurological surgery (clinical scholar); Jesse Berry, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology (clinical scholar); W. Martin Kast, PhD, professor of molecular microbiology & immunology, obstetrics & gynecology and urology, and the Walter A. Richter Cancer Research Chair; and Rita Burke, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical preventive medicine.

USC Provost Charles F. Zukoski said the award “recognizes exceptional individuals who go above and beyond what is expected, fostering an engaging, supportive, and inclusive academic environment through their mentorship of colleagues, graduate and undergraduate students.”