Dedication, innovation and impact celebrated at Dean’s Excellence Awards Gala

Last month, The Ohio State University College of Medicine honored this year's Dean's Excellence Awards recipients with a night of celebration.

Fifteen faculty and staff were recognized for their dedication to innovative education, transformative patient care, life-altering research, impactful community service and inclusive excellence. The March 6 gala, held at the Ohio Union, brought together award recipients, their nominators, family and friends.

“The faculty and staff honored through these awards reflect the very best the college has to offer and are critical to its work,” says Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, dean of the Ohio State College of Medicine. “These kind hearts and innovative minds have excelled in their careers and in their fields and are true stewards of our mission to transform the health of our communities through inclusive and innovative education, discovery and care.”

As the lead specialist for Financial Services and Enrollment, True Parks has a significant impact on the financial well-being of the college’s learners. She received the Professional Staff of the Year Award for her dedication to empowering students and helping them succeed in their educational journeys.

“Without financial aid, access to a medical education may not be possible for many students, so I don't take my job lightly,” says Parks. “The work that I'm doing and the ability that I have to really help influence a student, and allow them to be here, I’m so thankful for that.”

Kartik K. Venkatesh, MD, PhD, FACOG, is an associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the College of Medicine and of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health. He received the Excellence Award for Translational Science Research for his work to improve outcomes for people with high-risk pregnancies who are living with diabetes and cardiometabolic conditions.

“I'm truly humbled to be recognized by our medical school community,” says Venkatesh, who also directs the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Perinatal Epidemiology Program and the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program. “This award is a collective recognition of the patient-oriented research to improve the lives of pregnant women, their children and their families from across the state of Ohio, who come to us to seek care during one of the most transformative and important times in their lives.”

To be recognized for teaching is a great honor for Ashley K. Fernandes, MD, PhD, FAAP, who received the Distinguished Clinical Science Educator Award. Fernandes is a clinical professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine and at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and is the associate director of the Center for Bioethics and the director of the Professionalism Competency.

“I teach ethics and professionalism, where we are trying to reinforce to our students, residents and even faculty what doctors really are — people who lift up the spirit of those who are broken,” says Fernandes. “The fact that Dean Bradford and the College of Medicine have chosen to award a person who teaches those disciplines says a lot about our leadership and a lot about our college.”

The nomination window for the 2026 Dean’s Excellence Awards will be open from May 1–June 30. All are encouraged to submit a nomination for a staff or faculty member who is excelling in their career; making exceptional contributions to education, research, care and community service; and advancing inclusion and belonging.

View the complete list of this year’s Dean’s Excellence Awards winners.