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Congratulations to NSH's Award Winners

  

NSH is pleased to announce 2018’s awards and scholarships recipients. Awards and scholarships are given to members to honor dedication to the profession and support new advancement in the field. Applications for 2019 awards and scholarships will open February 4th.

Luminary Award

marilyn_gamble.pngMarilyn Gamble Weber

Marilyn Gamble Weber is the 2018 recipient of the NSH Luminary Award, an award given by the NSH President to recognize an individual who has generously provided NSH with leadership, mentorship, education and advocacy. Marilyn is a founding Board member of NSH. She has lead the Society as President and Secretary, and was instrumental in developing NSH’s Committees, several of which she herself served on. Marilyn co-authored the preeminent text book for the Histology profession Bancroft, JD and Gamble, M, Theory and Practice of Histological Techniques, Sixth Ed. She is also deeply involved with the ASCP, where she served on the Board of Governors and the Histotechnology Exam Committee. She has dedicated her life to leadership, education and advocacy, and continues to serve the profession as a mentor.

President’s Award

mary_abbuhl.pngMary F. Abbuhl, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Mary Faith Abbuhl is the 2018 recipient of the NSH President’s Award, an award given by the NSH President to an individual who has made significant contributions to the Society. Mary is currently employed as Anatomical Pathology Manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, TN. She has served as the Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee for NSH since 2009, and been a member of the Committee since 2002. She has also served on numerous other NSH committees, including the Judicial Committee and the Nominations & Election Committee, and been involved with the ASCP as a CAP Inspector. She has also been involved in her state societies in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio. She has presented numerous workshops for NSH since 1988, poster presentations, authored a book chapter, and contributed to countless publications.


Editor’s Award

sharon.pngSharon Kneebone, National Society for Histotechnology

The Editor’s Award is presented by the Editor of the Journal of Histotechnology to an individual who has been an invaluable asset to the Journal. Sharon Kneebone has been the Executive Director for the National Society for Histotechnology since 2015. She was selected for this award by JOH acting Editor in Chief, Gayle Callis. Gayle says of Sharon, “With her delightful sense of humor and strong professional background, Sharon has been my biggest support as Acting Editor in Chief for the Journal of Histotechnology.  In addition to her other NSH duties, she works quietly, efficiently and skillfully on suggestions to make JOH stronger and on business transactions with the publisher.  She is very deserving of the 2018 Editor’s Award for making my editor’s work a pleasure and her often unnoticed service to our Journal.  

Diamond Cover Award

shiela_criswell.pngSheila Criswell, Thomas O’Brien, Omar Skalli for “Presence of intermediate filament protein synemin in select sarcomas”

This article was published in Volume 41, Issue 2 of the Journal of Histotechnology. The purpose of this study was to determine whether synemin is present in tumors of soft tissue and myogenic origin, and to semi-quantitate the amount of synemin therein. Using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, it was determined using immunohistochemistry that synemin was present in most sarcomas but was in highest quantities in gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors (GIST) and leiomyosarcomas.

 

Histotechnologist of the Year Award

jerry.pngJerry Santiago, Florida State College

Jerry Santiago is the 2018 recipient of the Histotechnologist of the Year Award. Dr. Santiago is the Program Director for the Histotechnology Program at Florida State College in Jacksonville, and has recently earned his Doctorate from Capella University. Dr. Santiago is heavily involved in NSH, where he has served as Region Director and Vice President, as well as his local State Societies, the Florida Society for Histotechnology, and the Puerto Rico Society for Histotechnology. He was nominated for this award by members of the Puerto Rico Society, for his assistance to the Island’s histotechs in the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico last September.

J.B. McCormick Award

beth.pngElizabeth Sheppard, Roche Tissue Diagnostics

Elizabeth (Beth) Sheppard is the 2018 recipient of the J.B. McCormick Award. Beth is the Immediate Past President of NSH, and has also previously served in many other capacities, including Region Director, Speaker of the House, and Vice President. Beth earned her MBA from Wake Forest University, and is now employed as Senior Director for Global Market Access at Roche Tissue Diagnostics. Beth has been instrumental in promoting and expanding the HistoQip Program, working in conjunction with NSH and CAP. Her continued support of emerging technology has led to the development of quality improvement programs for ISH and whole slide imaging.


Leica Leadership in Teaching Award

gayle.pngGayle Callis, GCallis Histology Service LLC

Gayle Callis is the 2018 recipient of the Leica Leadership in Teaching Award. She has been nominated for this award because of her never-ending interest in educating her fellow histologists. She has not only presented numerous workshops and serves as acting Editor in Chief for NSH’s Journal of Histotechnology, Gayle also embraces opportunities to connect and mentor on an individual level. She routinely responds to questions on NSH’s Open Forum on The Block, and the listserv, HistoNet. To quote her nominator, “If its hard to do, Gayle has done it and has taught it again and again”. Gayle specializes in a list of topics including, cryosectioning, plastic embedding, fluorescence, calcified bone, and more.




Jules Elias Excellence in Immunohistochemistry Award

luis.pngLuis Chiriboga, NYU Langone Cancer Center Institute

Luis Chiriboga is the 2018 recipient of the Jules Elias Excellence in IHC Award. Luis earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, and is now employed as the Director of Experimental Pathology at the Immunohistotechemistry Core Laboratory at NYU Langone Cancer Center Institute. Dr. Chiriboga also serves as a Research Assistant Professor at the NYU School of Medicine, and is deeply involved with his alma mater, the SUNY Cobleskill Histotechnology Program. Dr. Chiriboga is active within NSH as a member of the IHC Committee and has recently been elected the Region I Director. Despite his many commitments, he finds time to share his knowledge of IHC, presenting at numerous workshops, for his local New York Society, and nationally for NSH.


Biocare Medical Excellence in Patient Care Award

laurie.pngUtah Gastroenterology

Utah Gastroenterology is the 2018 recipient of the Biocare Medical Excellence in Patient Care Award. The Utah Gastroenterology Histology Lab is a relatively new, small, private practice histology lab in Salt Lake City. The lab was nominated by the group of pathologists that provide diagnosis for the biopsies taken at Utah Gastroenterology. The pathologists were impressed by the extra efforts the lab takes to provide them with information above and beyond what is needed to make an accurate diagnosis. The histology lab manages a complex workflow, accepting specimens from different locations across the state. Despite this, they are meticulous with their processes, and quality control.


Polysciences Ann Preece Award

izak.pngIzak Dimenstein, Retired

Izak Dimenstein is the 2018 recipient of the Polysciences Ann Preece Award. This award is given to someone, like Dr. Dimenstein, who is dedicated to the field of hard tissue histology. Dr. Dimenstein earned his Ph.D. in Leningrad, before coming to America, where he worked as a grossing technologist at Mt. Sinai Hospital and Loyola University Chicago Medical Center. Though now retired, Dr. Dimenstein has not stopped being an active member of the hard tissue histology community, presenting numerous workshops at the NSH Symposium/Convention. In 2017, he published a book on the subjects he teaches, titled Grossing Bones: Techniques, Principles, and Equipment.


Rosemary and Donald Ostermeier Award

jenny.pngJennifer Bull, Northwest Pathology

Jennifer (Jenny) Bull is the 2018 recipient of the Rosemary & Donald Ostermeier Award. Jenny has worked her way up through the ranks, to become the Chief Operations Officer for Northwest Pathology, in Bellingham, WA, overseeing the 70+ people employed by the laboratory. Jenny has been instrumental in implementing a telepathology system at NWP, allowing them to take on additional consult cases. She has also instituted numerous other novel histology practices, including whole mount slide imaging of breast and prostate specimens. Despite her tremendous workload, Jenny remains active in NSH as the Convention Committee Chair, and an advocate of Society membership. Jenny was nominated for this
award by her staff, who view her not only as an amazing leader and mentor, but as a friend.


Newcomer Helping Hand Award

linda_cherepow.jpgLinda Cherepow, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo

Linda Cherepow is the 2018 recipient of the Newcomer Helping Hand Award. This award is given to an individual involved in a philanthropic histology project. Linda has been working for the past two years, establishing a histology laboratory at the Makerere University Veterinary School in Uganda. Here she has been educating local histologists in necropsy, fixation and grossing techniques. By improving the skills of the local histologists, Linda hopes to reduce the turnaround time for wildlife specimens, to help the organization she works with, Gorilla Doctors, reach their goal of better wildlife health and disease surveillance.



Cancer Diagnostics, Inc., Frank J. Monek Memorial Scholarship

amanda.pngAmanda Kelley, Washington University Medical School

Amanda Kelley is the 2018 recipient of the Cancer Diagnostics, Frank J. Monek Memorial Scholarship. Amanda is currently the Clinical Laboratory Manager at Washington University Medical School Dermatopathology Center. She plans to use this scholarship to pursue her MBA, so that she can better lead her team, and move up to higher managerial positions at Washington University. In addition to her position at Washington University, Amanda serves as the Legislative Committee Chair for NSH, and is deeply involved in her state society in Missouri.



NSH Scholarship for Excellence in Standardization of Immunohistochemistry

robin_sams.pngRobin Sams, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Robin Sams is the 2018 recipient of the Roche Diagnostics Scholarship for Excellence in Standardization of IHC. Robin is currently employed as a histology tech at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Here Robin’s focus is on IHC. She has been instrumental in bringing up new antibodies for clinical use, troubleshooting problems, and revalidating several sub-optimal IHC assays. Robin intends to use this scholarship to pursue her QIHC Certification from ASCP, so that she can continue to grow in this area.




NSH In Situ Hybridization Scholarship

alexa_buskey.jpgAlexa Buskey, University of Vermont Medical Center

Alexa Buskey is the 2018 recipient of the Roche Diagnostics In Situ Hybridization Scholarship. She began her career as a Histotechnologist in Phoenix, AZ in 1999. In 2003, she joined the University of Vermont Medical Center, where she now works as Charge Histotechnologist- Research. She is currently working with her department’s Technical Specialist to implement an automated system. With this new equipment, the lab will be diving further into the world of IHC and ISH. Alexa plans to use this scholarship to learn more about validation and optimization of new ISH assays in preparation for additional responsibilities as the lab explores new technology.



Lee G. Luna Foreign Travel Scholarship

dave.pngDavid Davis, Retired

David (Dave) Davis is the 2018 recipient of the Lee G. Luna Foreign Travel Scholarship. Dave is well known within the histology community for his work with international histology efforts. Previous projects include work in Tanzania, Costa Rica, Libya, Germany, Cambodia, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, and the eastern Caribbean. Dave plans to use the funds from this scholarship to hold his second Western African Histology Congress, where he will be speaking, and working with Ghana leaders to create a Ghana Histology Society, and a new laboratory there.



Leica Leadership in Management Scholarship

michelle.pngMichelle Coker, Clinical Pathology Associates

Michelle Coker is the 2018 recipient of the Leica Leadership in Management Scholarship. Michelle is currently employed as the Clinical Pathology Support Manager at Clinical Pathology Associates in Texas. She is working towards a degree in Business Administration from The University of Texas so she can better serve the labs she manages. In addition to her managerial responsibilities, Michelle is an active member of NSH, and was recently elected as the NSH Secretary. She is also involved with her local, Texas, State Society.



Peggy Wenk Histology Program Scholarship

katherine.pngMarshfield Labs Histotechnician Program

The Marshfield Labs Histotechnican Student Program is the 2018 recipient of the Peggy Wenk Histology Program Scholarship. The program, run by the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, WI, was established in 1951, and has graduated over 200 students during that time. As a small program, students benefit from class sizes of 2-3 students a year, and are able to do rotations/training in not only routine histology, but in specialized areas such as electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, muscle/nerve biopsy processing, and molecular laboratory testing. This scholarship will go towards new study materials for the students to
prepare them for their HT exam.


Constituent Society Scholarship

Louisiana Society for Histotechnology

The Louisiana Society for Histotechnology is the 2018 recipient of the Constituent Society Scholarship. This scholarship will be used to run a membership drive to increase interest in the State Society, in preparation for the 2019 NSH Annual/Convention, to be held in New Orleans. The Society was nominated for this scholarship by their neighboring Society, Texas.  

Avantik Educational Scholarship

Sara Laviska, Columbia Memorial Hospital

Sara Laviska is the 2018 recipient of the Avantik Educational Scholarship. Sara is currently employed as Supervisor of Histology at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson, NY. Sara is currently pursuing her Masters Degree, to help her further her career in histology management. She was nominated for this award by her colleagues, who acknowledge her role in streamlining their lab’s histology processes, and admire her commitment to continuing education, for herself and her coworkers. Sara has been active her local, New York State Society, where she has served as Membership Secretary, Board Member and Education Coordinator.

 

Thermo Fisher Scientific Educational Scholarship

Sarah Mack, University of Rochester Medical Center

Sarah Mack is the 2018 recipient of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Educational Scholarship. Sarah is currently employed as the Manager of the Histology, Biochemistry and Molecular Imaging Core in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research (CMSR) at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, NY. Here she manages three individuals that provide support on a number of levels, including tissue fixation/decalcification and embedding (paraffin, frozen, plastic), sectioning, standard and special staining, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Sarah is highly involved in her local, New York Society, where she is President, and NSH, where she serves as Hard Tissue Committee Chair.

 

Robert A. Clark Educational Scholarship

Simone Terouz, IRCM Histology Core Facility

Simone Terouz is the 2018 recipient of the Robert A. Clark Educational Scholarship, sponsored by Sakura Finetek. Simone is currently employed as a Research Assistant at the IRCM Histology Core Facility in Montreal. She specializes in the processing and cutting of paraffin and frozen tissue, as well as routine and special stains for the different research areas of the institute. She has been a co-author on several publications, and recently provided translation assistance to NSH for French speaking Histologists from Haiti. She plans to use this scholarship to attend workshops at the NSH Symposium/Convention that relate to her research at IRCM.

 

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