Current Awards
Current Awards
MedExcellence Awards
The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Alumni Association’s MedExcellence Awards is an annual tradition recognizing the exceptional achievements of our alumni and distinguished members of the health care community.
The awards celebrate individuals whose commitment to excellence in medicine, education, research, and community health has shaped lives, strengthened communities, and advanced the future of health care locally and globally.
Through its Distinguished Awards and other honors, MedExcellence recognizes the remarkable contributions of physicians, physician assistants, scientists, educators, and community partners whose work reflects the highest ideals of the health professions.
Distinguished Alumni Award
TED M. DAWSON, MD ’85, PhD ’86, R ’87
Dr. Ted Dawson is among the most highly cited neuroscientists in the world. The Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Professor in Neurodegenerative Diseases and director of the Institute for Cell Engineering at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Dawson is a pioneering physician-scientist whose discoveries have transformed the understanding and treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Dawson's groundbreaking discoveries include pioneering the role of nitric oxide in neuronal injury, uncovering the molecular mechanisms by which nitric oxide kills neurons, discovering parthanatos (a novel form of programmed cell death), and defining the roles of Parkin and PINK1, two proteins encoded by genes associated with Parkinson's disease. Board-certified in psychiatry and neurology, his laboratory’s translational research has identified therapeutic targets and biomarkers that are advancing clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Dawson’s work has been published in leading scientific journals, including Science, Nature, Cell, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and he has earned numerous prestigious honors, including election to the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Inventors. During his time at the University of Utah, Dawson received several distinguished honors, including the Dr. James A. Bush Memorial Research Award, the Upjohn Achievement Award, and the Merck Manual Award, recognizing his outstanding academic performance and research contributions.
Throughout his career, Dawson has combined scientific innovation with exceptional leadership and mentorship. His commitment to advancing biomedical research, training future scientists, and serving the broader scientific community exemplifies the highest standards of academic medicine.
Distinguished Humanitarian Award
KATHY PEDERSEN, PA-C ’80, BUS ’85, MPAS ’02
Kathy Pedersen graduated from the U's MEDEX Project, the original University of Utah Physician Assistant Program (UPAP). She began her career in family medicine and would go on to dedicate more than three decades to providing compassionate, high-quality, and cost-effective care for underserved and underinsured populations.
An associate professor emerita, Pedersen joined UPAP as a clinical associate, where she mentored students in clinical skills and medical decision-making. Her passion for education evolved into a commitment to global health during a five-week physician assistant (PA) student exchange in Papua New Guinea. That experience inspired her to develop international clinical rotations in Nepal and Thailand, creating transformative learning opportunities that continue to broaden PA students' understanding of the vital connection between public health and global health.
A strong advocate for the PA profession, Pedersen has served in leadership roles with the Utah Academy of Physician Assistants, the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Alumni Association Board, the American Academy of Physician Associates, the Physician Assistant Education Association, and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, as well as editor of global heath sections for leading journals. She authored the seminal white paper on international PA programs and facilitated a core global health curriculum and competencies for PA students.
Although she retired from UPAP in March 2024, Pedersen continues to advocate for underinsured patients and remains a mentor to students and faculty. Through both her example and her service, she has inspired generations of physician assistants to deliver exceptional care with compassion, humility, and a global perspective.
Distinguished Service Award
GEORGE H. CANNON, BA ’73, MD ’76
A lifelong commitment to excellence in medicine, leadership, and service has defined the career of Dr. George H. Cannon. He distinguished himself early by being elected to Alpha Omega Alpha as a junior medical student and receiving the prestigious Paul Wintrobe Memorial Award for Outstanding Medical Student in the Class of 1976.
Board-certified in pathology and internal medicine, Cannon completed his internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital before returning to the University of Utah for residency training in pathology. He practiced anatomic and clinical pathology in the Salt Lake Valley for over 40 years prior to retiring in 2023. His broad clinical expertise has been matched by an unwavering dedication to advancing the practice of medicine and supporting his colleagues.
Throughout his career, Cannon has earned the respect of peers as a principled and compassionate leader. He served as president for several groups, including the Salt Lake County Medical Society and the Utah Medical Association, helping shape health care policy and advocate for physicians and patients across the state. He also served twice as medical staff president—first at Alta View Hospital and later at Intermountain Medical Center.
Whether caring for patients, mentoring colleagues, leading complex health care organizations, or guiding the next generation of physicians as a clinical assistant professor in the U’s Department of Pathology, Cannon has consistently demonstrated integrity and humility in his leadership philosophy. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to improving health care, strengthening the medical profession, and advancing the well-being of both patients and the communities he has served.
Golden Anniversary Prize for Distinguished Clinical Investigation
AMIKO UCHIDA, MD ‘14
Advancing the understanding of immune-mediated gastrointestinal disease through innovative, patient-centered research has defined the career of Dr. Amiko Uchida. An assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, Uchida is a board-certified gastroenterologist and clinician-investigator whose research program is driven by questions arising directly from clinical care.
Uchida's research has helped reshape our understanding of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) from a condition viewed primarily as food-driven to one best understood as the result of complex interactions among diet, the immune system, and the microbiome. This advance has expanded therapeutic possibilities and opened new avenues for diagnosis and treatment.
She has led numerous impactful clinical investigations, including serving as lead principal investigator of the NexEos clinical trial, which developed a novel imaging modality to improve the diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring of EoE. She also serves as principal investigator on multiple competitive awards.
Uchida co-founded the Microbiome and Gastrointestinal Immunology Consortium (MAGIC) Biobank, creating a multidisciplinary resource that accelerates research for gut microbiome and host immune responses. Her work has been published in leading journals, including Gastroenterology, Nature Communications, JAMA, and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
In recognition of her exceptional work as a physician-scientist, Uchida was inducted into the Young American Society for Clinical Investigation—only the third U faculty member to receive this distinction. Equally dedicated to education, she directs a multidisciplinary Eosinophilic GI Disease Clinic, mentors physician-scientists across multiple training programs, and is widely respected for her collaborative leadership and unwavering commitment to improving patients' lives.
Hibbs-Jackson Medical Scientist Award
GERALD J. GLEICH, MD
Gerald J. Gleich, MD, fundamentally reshaped the field of eosinophil biology by demonstrating that eosinophils are active drivers of disease rather than passive participants in inflammation. Through decades of pioneering research, he reshaped the fields of allergy, immunology, and inflammatory disease, translating basic scientific discoveries into advances that have transformed patient care worldwide.
Gleich's landmark investigations identified and characterized the principal granule proteins of eosinophils, revealing the mechanistic role of eosinophils in diseases including asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, and eosinophilic myocarditis. His work shifted the field beyond descriptive pathology and paved the way for biologic treatments that have become the standard of care for eosinophilic disorders, replacing broad immunosuppression with precise, mechanism-based interventions.
His contributions extend well beyond the laboratory. Gleich identified and characterized novel eosinophil-related diseases, including episodic angioedema with eosinophilia—now known as Gleich syndrome. He has authored more than 700 peer-reviewed publications, earned more than 50,000 citations, and is recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by ISI Thomson Scientific, reflecting the global influence of his scientific leadership.
Do you know someone whose work deserves to be celebrated? We invite you to help us honor those making a lasting impact in medicine, education, research, and community health. Graduates, former students, faculty, staff, and friends of the school are encouraged to nominate.
Nominations for the 2027 awards are due January 1. Find more details on award categories and nominations requirements here. For questions, please contact the Alumni Association at SOMalumi@hsc.utah.edu or call 801-546-6179.
