Voices of U of U Health
Monthly Momentos: March 2026
This ongoing blog series celebrates people, milestones, and achievements from across our health system. Content is adapted from monthly updates shared with the University of Utah Board of Trustees.
Class of 2026 celebrates Match Day, Presidential Societal Impact Scholars announced, neuroscience student earns multiple medals at 2026 Winter Paralympics, breakthroughs in prostate cancer imaging, and more March highlights.
Kudos
- Three health sciences faculty were recognized as the 2026-2027 Presidential Societal Impact Scholars for translating their research and expertise into real-world impact and addressing major societal challenges to improve communities:
Kensaku Kawamoto, MD, PhD, MHS, endowed professor of biomedical informatics and associate chief medical information officer for University of Utah Health.
Susanna R. Cohen, DNP, CNM, CHSE, FANN, associate professor of nursing, and founding director of the LIFT Simulation Design Lab at the ASCENT Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Michael H. Morgan, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine and medical director of the 4th Street Clinic student-led clinic. - Sydney Peterson, a University of Utah neuroscience PhD student, represented Team USA at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, earning multiple medals in cross-country skiing and exemplifying the balance of academic excellence and elite athletic performance.
- Kelly Tappenden, PhD, RD, dean of the College of Health, was named a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association, for her exceptional achievements and contributions to gastroenterology—one of the field’s highest honors.
- Brenda Bass, PhD, professor of biochemistry, received the RNA Society Lifetime Achievement in Science Award for her groundbreaking discovery of the A-to-I RNA editing. Additionally, Joe Aruscavage from the Bass Lab, received the RNA Society Outstanding Career Researcher Award.
- The University of Utah Medical Group is co-sponsoring the David Eccles School of Business Health Sciences Leadership Development Program, offering scholarships for faculty participation to strengthen leadership capacity across U of U Health.
- Two College of Pharmacy PharmD students, Kayla Holland and Jackson Johnson, placed fifth nationally in the 2026 Sparx Data Analytics Competition and received first-place honors in Utah for their sepsis management dashboard. The competition is designed for student pharmacists to test data skills, analyze real-world health care data, and create actionable, patient-focused dashboards.
Achievements in Education
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The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine celebrated Match Day for the Class of 2026. This year, 120 students matched into 98 programs across 32 states in 29 specialties. They achieved an impressive 97.5% match rate—one of the highest in the country and well above the national average (93.5%).
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The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and the University of Idaho entered into a collaboration agreement to develop a regionally based undergraduate medical education program in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. This partnership allows students to complete their training in Idaho and includes a return-to-practice commitment to strengthen the state’s physician workforce and rural health capacity.
- The Department of Population Health Sciences (PHS) was ranked No. 10 in Public Health in the 2025 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) rankings of NIH funding, up from No. 19 in 2024. The rankings reflect total NIH funding awarded during that fiscal year and are widely referenced as an objective benchmark of scientific vitality. Three PHS faculty members ranked in the national top 40: Adam Bress, PharmD, MS, ranked No. 8; David W. Wetter, PhD, MS, ranked No. 38; and Cornelia Ulrich, PhD, MS, ranked No. 40.
- The Athletic Training Program announced plans to launch a hybrid pathway for students to earn their Master of Athletic Training, starting in 2027. This pathway blends online coursework, virtual synchronous learning sessions, and in-person lab immersion with nationwide clinical opportunities, making it ideal for students who need a rigorous, accredited program without relocating.
Achievements in Clinical Care
- The Department of Family & Preventative Medicine was officially renamed the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, completing a two-year restructuring that realigned divisions and integrated community clinic providers. The new name reflects the integration of primary care medicine and the health of our local communities.
- Huntsman Mental Health Institute researchers, led by Warren Pettine, MD, introduced a new “SAFE-AI” framework to ensure artificial intelligence in health care is developed ethically, transparently, and with patient equity at the center. The framework seeks to prevent bias and improve mental health outcomes.
Achievements in Research
- Huntsman Cancer Institute will become the first academic medical center in the nation to manufacture flotufolastat F 18 (POSLUMA), a new prostate cancer imaging drug. The drug—manufactured through Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Center for Quantitative Cancer Imaging and Theranostics (CQCIT), led by Jeffrey Yap, PhD (radiology and imaging sciences)—makes prostate cancer easier to detect and stage by attaching to the cancer cells themselves. This marks the third PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceutical produced by the institute and expands regional access to advanced molecular imaging and precision diagnostics.
- Research led by Amanda Bakian, PhD, and Dirga Lamichhane, PhD, shows that short-term exposure to heat and air pollution may significantly increase suicide risk—rising by up to 50% on high heat and poor air quality days. These findings, published in Environmental International, highlight the growing mental health impacts of climate and air quality.
Community Collaboration
- The School of Dentistry hosted its annual Give Kids a Smile event, where they served 191 children and provided over $148,000 in free dental care. On average, each child received $776 of free dental care. Over 300 volunteers participated and dental practices from all over the Salt Lake Valley joined dentistry faculty, staff, and students to provide care.
- U of U Health continues engagement with Utah’s Marshallese community to address health care access and enrollment barriers. Plans are underway for a community event in July to provide hands-on support for Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP applications—building trust through culturally responsive outreach.