Seven Women in Higher Education Who Have Received Notable Honors and Awards

Katie Ehrlich, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Georgia, has received the 2019 Association for Psychological Science Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. The award, named for the association’s first elected president, honors individuals who have made significant early career contributions to the field of psychological science. Dr. Ehrlich was recognized for her work as principal investigator of a program that will implement a new approach to examine how stress exposure is linked to children’s antibody response to vaccination.

Dr. Ehrlich is a graduate of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. both from the University of Maryland.

Patricia Belton Oliver, dean of the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, has been named one of 2019’s distinguished professor award laureates by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. In 2010, Oliver became the first woman dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Houston. During her tenure, she has implemented several new programs including designLAB, the professional/research arm of the college, the Hines International Studio, and the Center for Sustainability and Resilience.

Oliver holds a bachelor’s degree in independent studies and a master of architecture degree both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Francine Newsome Pfeiffer, vice president for federal relations at Rutgers University in New Jersey, is the inaugural recipient of the Ripple Effect Award from the American Association of Universities. The award honors particularly memorable public service contributions to the AAU community.

Pfeiffer is a graduate of Rutgers University. She has been on the Rutgers staff since 1996.

Nikole Bouchard, assistant professor in the School of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has received the 2018 New Faculty Teaching Award from the Association of Collegiate School of Architecture. The annual award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in teaching performance during the formative years of their architectural teaching career.

Professor Bouchard holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a master’s degree in architecture from Princeton University in New Jersey.

Janet Currie, the Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and co-director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University, has won the Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award from the NOMIS Foundation, a private, Swiss foundation that supports scientific endeavors across all disciplines. Dr. Currie will receive a $2 million research grant that she will use to support her work in harnessing big data to better understand children’s mental health

Dr. Currie is a graduate of the University of Toronto where she earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in economics. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University.

Huiping Zhou, a professor of microbiology and immunology in the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, has won the 2020 Takeda Distinguished Research Award from the American Physiological Society. The award recognizes an outstanding investigator who is known internationally for contributions to research in gastrointestinal and liver physiology. Dr. Zhou’s research focuses on drug-induced liver injury and bile acid signaling in metabolic diseases.

Dr. Zhou holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree both from China Pharmaceutical University and a Ph.D. from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky.

Sandra Sims, associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the recipient of the Southern District College/University Physical Educator of the Year award from the Society of Health and Physical Educators. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership in physical education programs, provide service within in their community and the society, and make significant contributions to the profession.

Dr. Sims holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montevallo in Alabama, a master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi.