Seven BIO5 members honored as 2024 Women of Impact
Congratulations to Erika Eggers, Lisa Elfring, Kirsten Limesand, Kathleen Rodgers, Janet Roveda, Lisa Shubitz, and Stacy Tecot on their awards.
Each year, the University of Arizona Office of Research, Innovation & Impact (RII) leads the Women of Impact campaign and recognition event, inviting nominations from across the U of A community to honor exceptional faculty and staff who have made significant contributions to the university's reputation as a leading research institution.
Seven BIO5 members were selected as award recipients based on their dedication to the university’s mission and values, their remarkable skills in driving discovery and innovation, their impact on the community, and their commitment to empowering others. They will be honored at a private event on November 7.
Erika Eggers
Professor, Physiology
Erika Eggers and her lab research retinal neurophysiology, examining how retinal neurons are damaged by diabetes. Currently, their focus is on how issues with calcium and dopamine affect the retina's function for people with diabetes. Learn more about their research on the Eggers Laboratory of Retinal Neurophysiology website, or listen to to Eggers on ‘Behind the Beaker.’
Lisa Elfring
Assistant Vice Provost, Assessment, Teaching and Technology
At the heart of Lisa Elfring’s work is teaching, with her primary focus on understanding how students learn the biology. She considers the classroom her research lab, and has been a driving force for discovering approaches to teaching in higher education. She was awarded the Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize in May of 2024 for her efforts in education across the university. She is also an instrumental part of the BIO5 Institute's KEYS Research Internship as the faculty associated with the KEYS course (MCB 103), as well as mentoring KEYS staff on curriculum development.
Kirsten Limesand
Vice Provost, Graduate Education and Dean of Graduate College
Kirsten Limesand’s research focuses on the effects of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer in surrounding normal tissue. Along with her research, she dedicates her time on improving education for upper-level students. During her time at the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences, she has implemented support for teaching assistants and research assistants as well as a professional development program for graduate students.
Kathleen Rodgers
Associate Director, Center for Innovation in Brain Science
Kathleen Rodgers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Innovations in Brain Science (CIBS) holds more than 50 U.S. patents, has six drugs in discovery and development, has founded four companies, and has authored nearly 200 scientific papers. Along with her passion for research, Rodgers has a passion for supporting Diné (Navajo) students, a community she has assisted for decades. In 2019, she launched the Undergraduate Readying for Burgeoning Research for American Indian Neuroscientists (URBRAIN) program to create research opportunities at Diné College and facilitate student visits to the U of A Health Sciences, helping them engage with mentors and pursue their dreams of becoming scientists.
Janet Roveda
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Janet Roveda has made significant contributions to the wearable medical technology sector, with her work on sleep apnea diagnosis, real-time wearable sensor-based stress management, and time-resolved bioinstrumentation. She is leading a multi-institution team in building a future in which wearable devices will allow clinicians to gather patient data remotely and provide "care in place" so patients don't need to leave their homes. These contributions, along with her leadership in translational research, led to her being elected to the 2024 AIMBE College of Fellows, which represents the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community.
Lisa Shubitz
Research Scientist, Valley Fever Center for Excellence
Lisa Shubitz has engaged with Valley fever research at the University of Arizona Valley Fever Center of Excellence for over 25 years. Her research has centered around developing a vaccine for Valley fever, analyzing the epidemiology of the disease in canines, the distribution of the fungus in Southern Arizona, and how it interacts between both animals and humans. Her work at has been crucial in the development of a vaccine for dogs with the hope that will lead to a therapy for humans.
Stacey Tecot
Associate Professor, Anthropology
Stacey Tecot’s research focuses on the behavioral and physiological strategies animals use to adapt to environmental changes. In Madagascar, she has co-directed the Ranomafana Red-Bellied Lemur Project, aimed at creating a long-term demographic dataset to monitor individual reproductive success and changes in population growth or decline over time. Additionally, she directs the Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates (LEEP), which develops new assays for sample measurement, trains researchers in their analysis, and conducts hormonal assays. Better understanding hormonal responses to pregnancy and birth in any species could shed new light on how moms and dads prepare for infant care, according to a recent study by Tecot on red-bellied lemurs.