Vishwanatha receives Presidential Award for mentoring work

By Jan Jarvis

Jk Web

Regents Professor Jamboor K. Vishwanatha, PhD, is one of three educators in the state and 15 nationwide who have been named recipients of Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

Dr. Vishwanatha, Vice President and Principal Investigator for the National Research Mentoring Network and Director of the Texas Center for Health Disparities, will receive the award in a Washington, D.C., ceremony on Thursday.

The Presidential Award is a great honor, especially to be recognized among such excellent educators and mentors, Dr. Vishwanatha said.

“I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to make a difference in the lives of many individuals,” he said. “It is gratifying to see them as successful citizens contributing to the scientific advancement in our country. The award is a recognition of the important role of mentoring in developing and diversifying our national science workforce.”

White House officials said the award recognizes the critical role mentors play outside the traditional classroom setting in the academic and professional development of the future STEM workforce. Individual nominations are reviewed based on the impact, significance and quality of their mentoring activities. Colleagues, administrators and students nominate individuals and organizations for exemplary mentoring sustained over a minimum of five years.

Recipients receive a certificate signed by President Donald Trump and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

Charles Taylor, PharmD, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, praised Dr. Vishwanatha.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment by Dr. Vishawanatha, and I’m so pleased he is being recognized at the highest level for his leadership and commitment to the development of STEM.”

Dr. Vishwanatha serves as a mentor to students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty who have trained in his laboratory. He also promotes opportunities for under-represented students and faculty through various institutional, regional and national programs. Together, these activities have resulted in mentoring of more than 3,200 students and faculty.

As a faculty member, Dr. Vishwanatha has personally trained and mentored 36 undergraduate students from the partnerships he has built with minority-serving institutions.

He has personally mentored 17 graduate students, including 10 women and six individuals from other under-represented and disadvantaged groups. Of the six, two are faculty, one is working in the biotechnology industry, one is a veterinary doctor, and two are currently in PhD programs. He has personally trained 19 postdocs, five of whom are women. Eight of the postdocs have achieved faculty positions, nine are in the biotechnology industry, and two are in non-academic positions.

He is currently the principal investigator for two short-term research-training programs, a Center for Excellence in Health Disparities program, a Department of Defense-funded prostate cancer-training program for under-represented students, and a minority-based training program.

Dr. Vishwanatha said that as a mentor he feels it is of critical importance to demonstrate a strong commitment from himself and to expect the same from those he mentors. An important focus of his mentorship is to impact self-reliance in the career development of his mentees.

 

 

Recent News

Eun-Young Mun
  • Our People
|Jun 16, 2025

Dr. Eun-Young Mun receives national award for advancing prevention science

  Eun-Young Mun, PhD, a regents professor and associate dean for Research and Innovation at The University of North Texas Health Science Center of Fort Worth’s College of Public Health, has received the Nan Tobler Award at the 33rd annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research....
Dr. John Licciardone
  • Research
|Jun 12, 2025

Long-term study shows better chronic pain outcomes in patients treated by osteopathic physicians

The first long-term study involving three years of follow-up of osteopathic medical care for chronic pain has been published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. The research team was led by Dr. John Licciardone, executive director of the Osteopathic Research Center and regents professor at T...
Dsc01266
  • Community
|Jun 12, 2025

Legacy Writers: TCOM students bring life stories to the final chapter

When Azelia Lau arrived at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, she brought more than a passion for psychiatry. She also carried a long-held idea inspired by an undergraduate program she never got to join. Now a third-...
Lillee Smith Gelinas 666 X 750
  • Research
|Jun 5, 2025

TCOM course linked to higher patient safety awareness knowledge and residency readiness

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is the first medical school in the country to require a patient safety course that prepares students for the Certified Professional in Patient Safety credential — and a new study publishe...