Two University of Minnesota faculty members were honored for their outstanding mentorship at the CTSI Translational Science Symposium and Poster Session on Sept. 17, 2024.
These awards honor outstanding research mentors within CTSI’s many training programs for students, fellows, and early-career faculty. Mentees nominate the mentors, and submissions include letters from at least one additional mentee and one of the mentor's colleagues. Faculty are selected for these awards based on the research guidance they provide, their interpersonal and motivational skills, their promotion of mentees’ career development, and their mentor training record.
This year’s outstanding mentors are:
- Mentor of the Year: Dr. David Boulware
- Junior Mentor of the Year: Dr. Casey Burrows
Mentor of the Year: Dr. David Boulware
David Boulware, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine at the Medical School. His primary research interest is meningitis in resource-limited areas including diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. His team works to conduct research to translate knowledge into improved care in order to impact guidelines. He has a longstanding research collaboration in Uganda.
Dr. Boulware is probably best known for the pioneering of remote, internet-based COVID-19 clinical trials on hydroxychloroquine testing post-exposure prophylaxis, early treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis in March-April 2020.
Excerpts from letters nominating Dr. Boulware:
“Dr. Boulware is a visionary. He sees opportunity where few others dare venture. For instance, when the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic halted global clinical studies in March 2020, Dr. Boulware adeptly redirected his team's focus to address the urgent need for COVID-19 treatment research.
“Dr. Boulware is an effective leader. People follow him. He inspires dedication and belief within his team, while simultaneously building people up to be successful in their own right.
“He has carefully given of his time and effort to mentor and nurture others on various projects. His desire for excellence has not only crafted the path to success to many young faculty, residents and fellows across various Universities in the United States, but this involvement has also ensured young Ugandan medical officers, faculty and students have had fantastic opportunities to develop.
“For me, David is the mentor who believed in my research career before I did. He is unique in that he sees promise in young investigators, students, and trainees, with an understanding that they do not yet have the necessary research experience.
Junior Mentor of the Year: Dr. Casey Burrows
Catherine (Casey) Burrows, PhD, LP, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience at the Medical School. Her research interests focus on characterizing pathways and predictors of adaptive and maladaptive outcomes in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Excerpts from letters nominating Dr. Burrows:
“What I find to be most notable is her ability to connect with her team. Despite being booked with meetings and busy with her projects, she prioritizes her people. She always assists me when I need personal or academic support. Dr. Burrows also makes an effort to celebrate wins with our project team and the entire lab.
“Dr. Burrows’ meticulous revisions of my grant application drafts, constructive feedback on my presentations, introduction to numerous professional development opportunities, and unwavering support have been invaluable. Thanks to her mentorship, I have secured additional funding for my research and am planning to present my findings at more conferences in the future.
“Transitioning to a new academic institution is challenging, and can be a stressful experience to navigate. As a research mentor, Dr. Burrows has not just provided general advice and support but has worked to help me establish connections within her research network that have led to new research collaborations…
CTSI and its partners offer training to help University of Minnesota faculty members improve their research mentorship skills. This ultimately prepares them to support budding student, trainee, and faculty researchers. Find more information on the CTSI website.
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