February 24, 2020
Faculty/staff honors: Finnish knighthood, NIH grant, new annual Sharona Gordon Award
Recent honors to University of Washington faculty and staff include a Finnish knighthood, an NIH award to extend a research grant and a new annual award from the Society of General Physiologists.
Andrew Nestingen, Scandinavian Studies chair, receives Finnish knighthood
Andrew Nestingen (right), chair of the UW’s Department of Scandinavian Studies, receives the Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland from Stefan Lindström, Finland’s Los Angeles-based Consul General in December.Connor Klentschy
Andrew Nestingen, professor and chair of the UW Department of Scandinavian Studies, has been awarded a knighthood by the government of Finland.
Finnish Consul General Stefan Lindström awarded Nestingen the Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland, on behalf of the country’s president, Sauli Niinistö, in a December ceremony at Allen Library.
Matti Suokko, Finland’s honorary consul for Washington state, said such honors “recognize the work of men and women who represent the interests of Finland and its people and culture in their local communities,” adding, “Andy leads a department that has become a cornerstone of the Finnish community in Seattle.”
Nestingen, whose research focuses on Finnish literature and culture as well as Nordic cinema and crime fiction, first visited Finland as an exchange student 30 years ago.
In the ceremony, Lindstrom said, “Andy’s trailblazing leadership of Scandinavian Studies is held in high esteem by Finland and other Nordic countries. It is a question of promoting Finnish and Nordic values — and in this case, what happens in Finland doesn’t stay in Finland.”
Read more on the department website.
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Society of General Physiologists names new award for UW physiologist Sharona Gordon
Sharona Gordon
The Society of General Physiologists has announced a new annual award named for Sharona Gordon, professor of physiology and biophysics and the UW School of Medicine’s associate dean for research and graduate education.
The new award recognizes the contributions Gordon has made “in changing the scientific environment, including establishing standards of equity in the peer review process during her time as editor-in-chief of the Journal of General Physiology.” Gordon also developed mentoring networks for early-career scientists, provided information on harassment in academia and worked to reduce inequities in the scientific community.
The new Sharona Gordon Award will be given each year to recognize an individual showing “extraordinary commitment to promoting equity and inclusivity in the physiology and biophysics community.”
The first winner of the award, announced Feb. 16, is Karen Fleming, a professor of biophysics at Johns Hopkins University.
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Dr. Christoph Lee, professor of radiology, receives $4.5 million NIH award to extend research time
Christoph Lee, MD, professor of radiology in the UW School of Medicine, will receive a $4.5 million Method to Extend Research Time award — MERIT for short — for up to seven years from the National Institutes of Health.
Christoph Lee
Lee is a faculty member with the Breast Imaging program in the Department of Radiology. His research project is titled “Artificial intelligence for improved breast cancer screening accuracy: External validation, refinement, and clinical translation.” The research addresses the human limitations of mammography interpretation, which contribute to missed cancers and false positive exams.
The award supports early-stage investigators who the NIH has found superior in research and productivity. Such awards have the effect of extending the time and support of a Research Project Grant, called an R01, converting it to what’s termed an R37 MERIT award, for five years of support with opportunities to apply for two additional years.
The NIH typically chooses only eight proposals each year to extend in this way. Lee’s is the first MERIT award for the Department of Radiology.
UW Notebook is a section of the UW News site dedicated to telling stories of the good work done by faculty and staff at the University of Washington. Read all posts here.
Tag(s): Andrew Nestingen • Christoph Lee • Department of Radiology • Department of Scandinavian Studies • School of Medicine • Sharona Gordon
