John E. Larsh Jr. Award for Mentorship

2024 Larsh Award recipient, Stephen Cole, PhD, Professor Department of Epidemiology

Established in 1997, the highly competitive John E. Larsh Award for Mentorship honors Dr. Larsh, a faculty member in the School’s Department of Health Behavior from 1942 to 1981. The Larsh Award recognizes an established, long-term faculty member who has spent several years of their career mentoring students for which Dr. Larsh was well known and valued highly.

The amount awarded each year is dependent on endowment funding. This year’s award is $4,500. The recipient may use the funds in any way that enhances their ability to mentor and support students.

Eligibility

All full- or part-time faculty members of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health are eligible for consideration. Past recipients (see below) of the Larsh Award are not eligible.

Selection Criteria

Factors to be considered in judging excellence in mentoring should at least include, but are not limited to the following:

• Maintenance of high standards and outstanding moral character as a role model
• Long-term commitment to the overall growth of students
• Availability (accessibility) to students
• Stimulation of learning, generating passion and intellectual curiosity
• Research guidance and oversight that generates excitement
• Personal traits leading to excellence in mentoring
• Demonstration of a commitment to inclusive excellence

Mentoring done at the University as well as in other settings should be considered when making a nomination, as being a mentor is a full-time, around-the-clock commitment.

With the information provided, an awards committee will prepare a recommendation to the dean, who will make the final decision about the award recipient.

Application Process

Gillings faculty, staff, students and alumni may submit a nomination online via Qualtrics survey. Please include a statement of support (1-2 pages) that addresses the above criteria and add the link to or upload the CV for the person whom you are nominating. The deadline for submitting your nomination is Thursday, February 22, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST.

A committee will review all nominations received and prepare a recommendation to the dean, who will make the final selection. The associate dean of academic affairs will deliver the award at the School’s spring commencement.

If not included in the CV, you must provide the following information for the past ten years, including the names of students involved for each category below. (The department or nominee may be able to provide you with this information.)

Doctoral students:

• A list of the total number of doctoral student dissertations the nominee has personally supervised (or is in the process of supervising)
• A list of the total number of doctoral student committees on which the nominee has served, including names of the students involved
• A list of the total number of doctoral students the nominee has mentored in other ways

Postdoctoral students:

• A list of the total number of postdoctoral students the nominee has mentored

Master’s students:

• A list of the total number of all master’s student theses/papers the nominee has personally supervised (or is in the process of supervising)
• A list of the total number of master’s student theses/papers on which the nominee has served as a second reader
• A list of the total number of students the nominee has advised
• A list of the total number of students the nominee has mentored in other ways

Undergraduate students:

• A list of the total number of undergraduate students the nominee has advised and/or mentored in a significant way, including a short explanation of these mentoring relationships

Assisting students in preparing awards/fellowship applications:

• A list of the number and types of student awards, grants and fellowships the nominee has helped students obtain (e.g., student funding to enable them to conduct their research, awards for outstanding papers), including the names of the students

Past Recipients

2023 – Michael Hudgens, PhD, Biostatistics

2022 – Andrew Olshan, PhD (Epidemiology)

2021 – George H. Pink, PhD (Health Policy and Management)

2020 – Steve Meshnick, MD, PhD (Epidemiology)

2019 – Barry M. Popkin, PhD, W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor (Nutrition)

2018 – Jeffrey Simms, MSPH (Health Policy and Management)

2017 – Stephanie Engel, PhD (Epidemiology)

2016 – Carolyn Halpern, PhD (Maternal and Child Health)

2015 – Jennifer Smith, PhD (Epidemiology)

2014 – Steve Wing, PhD (Epidemiology)

2013 – Morris Weinberger, PhD (Health Policy and Management)

2012 – P.K. Sen, PhD (Biostatistics)

2011 – Gerardo Heiss, PhD (Epidemiology)

2010 – William Zelman, PhD (Health Policy and Management)

2009 – Don Lauria, PhD (Environmental Sciences and Engineering)

2007 – Gary Koch, PhD (Biostatistics)

2005 – Jo Anne Earp, ScD (Health Behavior)

2003 – Lawrence Kupper, PhD (Biostatistics)

2001 – David Leith, PhD (Environmental Sciences and Engineering)