Nominations for the Levi Watkins Jr. Student Award and the Levi Watkins Jr. Faculty Award are now being accepted through Sept. 29.
The Levi Watkins Jr. Student Award is presented annually to at least one graduate student and one medical student associated with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine who have made outstanding contributions to the institution by fostering a more diverse learning environment.
The Levi Watkins Jr. Faculty Award is presented annually to at least one member of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine faculty or administration who has made outstanding contributions to the institution by fostering opportunities for underrepresented minorities in VUSM’s educational and/or research programs.
Please send letters of nomination for either award to André L. Churchwell, senior associate dean for diversity affairs, to arrive no later than Sept. 29, 2014. The awards will be presented during the annual Levi Watkins Jr. Lecture scheduled for noon Tuesday, Oct. 14, in 208 Light Hall.
Levi Watkins Jr. has made significant contributions toward increasing opportunities for underrepresented minorities in the sciences. A distinguished physician and researcher, in 1966 he became the first African American student to be admitted to Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine. He graduated in 1970 and continued his training at Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities. Watkins embodies the attributes important to serving as a role model for those who pursue careers in medicine and the biomedical sciences.