The Martha A. Hooven Awards for Excellence

Celebrating Employees' Commitment to Excellence

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons proudly presents the annual Martha A. Hooven Awards for Excellence to exceptional employees, or groups of employees, for their outstanding performance and contributions. Initiated in 2008, this award is intended to inspire all of us to strive for the very highest level of excellence by recognizing some of our truly exceptional people.

In 2019 the award was renamed the Martha A. Hooven Awards for Excellence, in recognition of Hooven’s contributions as Vice Dean of Administration at VP&S since 2007, when she joined Columbia from UCSF.

2023 Awards Information

Below you can watch the 2023 award ceremony and find a list of the awardees. Read more about the awardees via the CUIMC Newsroom story, 2023 Martha A. Hooven Awards Honor Six VP&S Employees.

2023 Martha A. Hooven Awards for Excellence

Vincent C. Santana Officer of Administration/Managerial Award

  • Michael Kissner

    • Senior Director of Operations, Flow Cytometry Core, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative

Officer of Administration/Administrative Professional Award

  • Frances Antonetty

    • Grants & Contracts Manager, Department of Anesthesiology

Officer of Research Award

  • Marzhan Atakulova

    • Senior Staff Associate I, Department of Ophthalmology

SSA Union Member/Clerical Technical Award

  • Zurab Ninish

    • Chief Technician, Department of Medicine

Diversity Award

  • Todd Bates, PhD, MSEd, MA

    • Assistant Clinical Professor of Education Assessment (in Medicine), Office of the Vice Dean for Education

Community Service Award

  • Danurys L. Sanchez

    • Senior Staff Associate II, Sergievsky Center

Award Areas

Each year, the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons recognizes outstanding performance with the Awards for Excellence. Honoring individual and group achievements, the dean presents each awardee with a plaque and a $750 gift card. We will recognize one person or group in each of the following categories:

  • Officer of administration
    • Vincent C. Santana Officer of Administration/Managerial Award 
    • Professional / Administrative
  • Staff officer of research
    • Research
  • SSA Union Member
    • Clerical/ Technical
  • Community Service
    • A member of the faculty, staff, or a VP&S-based group that provides exceptional community service
  • Diversity
    • A member of the faculty, staff, or a group within VP&S that promotes diversity

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is a superb place to work because so many of us put forth our best efforts every day. The level of excellence by our employees makes this one of the finest medical schools in the country.

Nominations

To nominate someone for one of the Martha A. Hooven Awards for Excellence, please fill out our nomination form:

Submit a Nomination

Contact Information

For more information, please reach out to the following contact in Human Resources: