VCU news

By Malorie Burkett

Three Virginia Commonwealth University faculty members have received the Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine (WISDM) Professional Achievement Award for their special contributions, dedication, leadership, mentorship and accomplishments in the schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

This year’s honorees — Aradhana Bela Sood, M.D., Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., and Carole Pratt, D.D.S. — were recognized during the 15th Annual Pathways to Leadership conference at the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building and the Egyptian Building, MCV Campus. All three have served as strong role models and mentors for the professional development of women faculty and have consistently demonstrated qualities that show excellence in areas such as teaching expertise, leadership and scholarly endeavors, according to conference organizers.

A recipient of the School of Medicine award, Sood is chair of child and adolescent psychiatry and medical director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children. She also is a three-year president of WISDM and was honored as one of the YWCA’s 2006 Outstanding Women.

“I have observed her work to calm the fears, referee the angers and solve the problems of others,” said Brian L. Meyer, Ph.D., executive director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children. “She has the capacity to bring together a group of talented people and to pull, push and cajole them into producing excellent products.”

Spiegel, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry, is also a recipient of the School of Medicine award. According to colleagues, her arrival as chair in 2001 brought with it new talent and re-energized existing staff and researchers.

Spiegel also was instrumental in securing funding for a complete renovation of the department’s aging research space. In fewer than five years, she took a department ranked 103rd in NIH funding and drove it to 32nd.

“Sarah takes a sincere interest in each and every one of us on her faculty,” said Robert F. Diegelmann, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, anatomy and emergency medicine. “She makes us feel like we are her sole focus, and she is highly supportive to help us succeed.”

Pratt is the recipient of the School of Dentistry Award. She is a 1976 graduate of the dental school and has worked as a private practice dentist in rural Southwest Virginia.

She has been active on the Virginia Board of Health, the Virginia Rural Health Association, the Economic Development Alliance, the Chamber of Commerce and a variety of other public policy groups.

The Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine Professional Achievement Award was established in 1993. The WISDM faculty organization solicits nominations annually. For more information, visit http://www.womeninmedicine.vcu.edu/APAA.html.