The VKFS Excellence in Mentorship Awards
Call for nominations
The CUIMC Virginia Kneeland Frantz Society (VKFS) for Women Faculty invites nominations for the VKFS Excellence in Mentorship Awards, recognizing any and all faculty who exemplify outstanding inclusive mentorship, sponsorship, and advocacy of faculty, students, and/or trainees at CUIMC. Awards are presented at the annual VKFS Lecture.
Nominations for 2026 are currently closed.
Award Categories
- The Ignite Award – Early-Career faculty
- The Catalyst for Change Award – Mid-Career faculty
- The VKFS Dr. Anne L. Taylor Legacy of Excellence in Mentorship Award – Senior faculty
Eligibility & Nomination
Who can be nominated?
CUIMC faculty who demonstrate exceptional commitment to mentorship, professional development, and career advancement of faculty, trainees, and students.
Who can nominate?
Students, postdocs, trainees, residents, fellows, and faculty.
Mentorship Excellence Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate mentorship excellence in at least six of the following areas:
- Exemplary mentorship and professionalism
- Advocacy and sponsorship of others
- Support for career development and advancement
- Facilitation of internal and external professional networks
- Effective communication
- Guidance through challenging professional or life situations
Award Descriptions
The Ignite Award: For Early-Career faculty who ignite growth and collaboration.
- Eligibility:
- Full-time faculty at the assistant professor rank
- Primary appointment at a CUIMC health science school
- Minimum of 4 years on faculty
- Nomination criteria:
-
- Models and inspires excellence in their field and/or in professionalism
- Advocacy
- Supports professional development goals
- Facilitates connections and growth of professional networks (internal and/or external)
- Demonstrates effective communication
- Supports mentees through difficult situations (i.e., providing psychosocial or emotional support or providing key resources and/or connections through career or work/life changes, navigating conflicts, facing failures, etc.)
- Provides support to those who have less access to traditional mentoring opportunities
-
The Catalyst for Change Award: For Mid-Career mentors and sponsors transforming careers and academic culture.
- Eligibility:
- Full-time faculty at the associate professor rank or early-stage professor (first year at rank)
- Primary appointment at a CUIMC health science school
- Nomination criteria:
- Demonstrates sustained support and commitment to the promotion, active sponsorship, and professional development of faculty, students, and/or trainees
- Sustains commitment and support by celebrating and spotlighting the career success of others
- Demonstrates leadership in the development and/or expansion of professional development, networking, and leadership opportunities
- Expands professional networks (internal and external) and research collaborations
The VKFS Dr. Anne L. Taylor Legacy of Excellence in Mentorship Award: For Senior leaders whose mentorship has shaped generations.
- Eligibility:
- Full-time professor rank (tenure or non-tenure track)
- Primary appointment at a CUIMC health science school
- Nomination criteria:
- Champions continued support of career advancement, increases opportunity, and representation in our community
- Recognized as modeling inclusive mentorship, leadership, and advocacy for faculty, students, and/or trainees
- Demonstrates impact on mentee career advancement and success
- Impact on institutional transformation, such as:
- Key contributions to shaping institutional policies, programs, or initiatives focused on academic career advancement
- Demonstrates leadership in faculty development, curriculum reform, or strategic planning for the support and success of the next generation
- Creates opportunities for those underrepresented in medicine and the health sciences
- A proven track record of fostering lasting, inclusive collaborations and intentionally connecting mentees with external networks to support their professional growth and national visibility
Nomination Materials
- CV (CUIMC format)
- Nomination letter
- One letter of support
- Career impact data demonstrating mentee or institutional impact (required for the Legacy Award)
*The nomination letter and letter of support should come from different individuals.
* If submitting a group letter of support, the nominator can be on the list of signers.
*OAA will contact nominees to submit their CV and complete a brief Qualtrics form.
2026 Awardees
The Ignite Award: Allison A. Norful, PhD, RN, ANP-BC
- Assistant Professor of Nursing
- Department of Nursing, SON
Allison A. Norful, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, is a PhD-prepared nurse practitioner who is jointly appointed as an Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing and a Nurse Scientist across the New York-Presbyterian Hospital enterprise. Dr. Norful’s research program focuses on interdisciplinary care delivery models and the impact of work environment factors on clinical workforce. Specifically, she studies physiological and epigenetic stress that precipitates adverse psychological outcomes in clinicians, including depression, anxiety, and suicide risk. She has been recognized as a leading international researcher and expert consultant in latent construct measurement, care delivery model analysis, nurse work environments, and psychometric testing. She is the developer of several licensed survey instruments including the Provider Co-Management Index, now being used across 6 countries in both research and clinical settings. Dr. Norful has received national and international accolades for her research and clinical efforts including fellowship in the New York Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Nursing.
The Ignite Award: Jordan Gabriela Nestor, MD, MS
- Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Center
- Department of Medicine, VP&S
Dr. Jordan Nestor is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and a physician-scientist in the Division of Nephrology, specialized in the diagnosis and management of hereditary kidney diseases. Her research focuses on advancing precision nephrology by expanding access to genomic testing and equipping nephrologists with real-time genomic data for personalized care, particularly in understudied and underserved patient populations. She develops clinical pathways and digital tools to help non-expert clinicians effectively integrate genomic data into patient care.
She earned her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2012), completed her medicine residency at Weill Cornell (2015), and her nephrology fellowship at Columbia University (2017). She joined Dr. Ali Gharavi's laboratory in 2016 and remained for four years, supported initially by a T32 Precision Nephrology training grant followed by two years through the Irving Institute TL1 award. She then received an Irving Institute KL2 award supporting completion of a master's at the Mailman School of Public Health (2024). Her additional honors include the National Kidney Foundation's Joseph M. Krainin, MD Memorial Young Investigator Award (2020), the American Society for Clinical Investigation's Emerging Generation Award (2023), and Columbia University's Irving Institute Junior Mentor of the Year Award (2024).
The Catalyst for Change Award: Penelope Lema, MD
- Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center
- Department of Emergency Medicine, VP&S
Dr. Penelope (Penny) Lema is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She has served as the inaugural Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs for the Columbia University Department of Emergency Medicine, Chair of the Emergency Medicine Committee on Appointments and Promotions (COAP) and was recently appointed Director of VP&S Mentoring Initiatives and Faculty Engagement for the Office of Academic Affairs. Dr. Lema has played a pivotal role in advancing the sub-specialty of Emergency Ultrasound for the past 20 years and is a nationally recognized leader in Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Lema has held several prominent leadership positions. She is the past Chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Emergency Ultrasound Section, past Treasurer of the Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships (SCUF) and currently serves as President-Elect of the New York Chapter of ACEP (NY ACEP) and is Chair of the NY ACEP Government Affairs Committee. As a dedicated educator, advocate, and leader, Dr. Lema has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the ACEP American Association of Women Emergency Physicians National Outstanding Mentor Award (2020) and the NY ACEP Physician of the Year Award (2019). Dr. Lema is deeply committed to academic medicine, faculty development, and empowering the next generation of physicians.
The VKFS Dr. Anne L. Taylor Legacy of Excellence in Mentorship Award: Christine H. Rohde, MD, MPH, FACS
- Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (in Surgery) to Honor Dr. Jeffrey A. Ascherman at the Columbia University Medical Center
- Department of Surgery, VP&S
Dr. Rohde is the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Surgery, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Executive Vice Chair, External Affairs in the Department of Surgery. After a BA in molecular biology from Princeton University, she graduated from Harvard Medical School. Following her medical school education, she began her general surgery training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and then completed a plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Rohde then completed a microsurgical fellowship at New York University Medical School’s Institute of Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, and then took a faculty position at Columbia, taking over as Division Chief in 2021. Her research focuses primarily on outcomes of plastic surgical interventions, particularly as they relate to cancer reconstruction and post-surgical care. In 2013, Dr. Rohde graduated from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with a Masters in Public Health, focusing on comparative effectiveness research.
Dr. Rohde has a long track record of participation and leadership in local, national, and international plastic surgery organizations. She is currently Research Co-Director for PSF SHARE and co-PI on the first multi-institutional RCT supported directly by the Plastic Surgery Foundation. Under Dr. Rohde’s leadership, the Columbia Division of Plastic Surgery and NYP Plastic Surgery residency have grown in size, prominence and productivity. She is proud to have mentored countless medical students and residents, many of whom are now Chiefs and other leaders at their institutions.
