by Cindy Abole
Public Relations

At MUSC's Aug. 20 Faculty Convocation, the research community recognized the efforts of Judy R. Dubno, Ph.D., and Jeanette Andrews, Ph.D., R.N., as recipients of the inaugural Peggy Schachte Research Mentor Award.

Dubno and Andrews were selected among other faculty nominees for their excellence in mentoring and guiding junior faculty in obtaining research support from public and private support and government agencies. Each finalist received a $1,000.

Peggy Schachte, center, congratulates Drs. Judy Dubno, left, and Jeanette Andrews. Dubno and Andrews were recipients of the research mentor award, which is named in honor of Schachte, former director of the Office of Research Development and associate professor in the Department of Library Science and Informatics.

Dubno, professor of medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, is an audiology researcher. She has mentored about 50 students and junior faculty including 27 individuals since 2009.

Andrews joined the College of Nursing as associate dean for research in 2008 and has served as director of the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute Center for Community Health Partnerships. Since that time, the college went from no research ranking in 2007 among National Institutes of Health institutions to the top 30 last year – only the College of Medicine had a higher level of research funding in 2011. During her tenure, Andrews established an infrastructure to promote research development and mentorship within the college. She organized individual and group meetings with junior faculty, monthly "Research for Lunch" mock grant reviews and bi-weekly think-tank sessions. Andrews recently accepted the position of dean of the University of South Carolina's College of Nursing.

Associate Provost for Research Stephen M. Lanier, Ph.D., who helped establish the award, organized an awards committee headed by Donald R. Menick, Ph.D., professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, to review nominations, and support letters.

"Judy and Jeannette are outstanding mentors who have given graciously to nurture the success of developing investigators at MUSC. Contributions as mentors deserve special recognition, and I'm glad that the College of Medicine established this award in honor of Peggy and the contributions she made to MUSC," said Lanier.