Awards distributed for staff excellence, as well as excellence in teaching, service, and research

The URI College of Health Sciences distributed achievement awards to faculty and staff members during the College’s annual end-of-year event on Dec. 8. Dean Patrick Vivier, Interim Associate Dean John Robinson, and Assistant Dean Cindie Cruger handed out awards for excellence in research, teaching, and service, as well as a staff excellence awards.

The categories and winners, along with comments about each recipient from the dean’s and department chair’s offices, include:

Staff Excellence – Wendy Gallo (Psychology)

For the staff excellence award, Wendy Gallo should be the top choice, according to Psychology Chair David Schnyer. “I have worked with her since August on an array of tasks—graduate student orientation, graduate student TA assignments—including formulating a new approach we are implementing for the Spring, new travel policies, and her work teaching URI 101. She is one of the most thoughtful and conscientious staff people I have ever worked with. I can genuinely say that URI is very very lucky to have Wendy working here.” Gallo goes above and beyond, conducting her work in a proactive, thoughtful, professional and highly ethical manner. She puts the needs of others first and is always available in a crisis. “Even in my short time here I have come to rely on Wendy for learning the systems and people at URI that are essential for my work and the functioning of the department. I give her my absolutely strongest nomination for this award,” Schnyer said.

Excellence in Teaching – Caitlin Nash (Public Health)

Caitlin (Cait) Nash is a conscientious and dedicated teacher. She attends professional development trainings to improve her teaching skills and abilities in working with students. This semester alone, she has attended numerous ATL workshops, and earned the Inclusive Teaching badge and Diversity and Inclusion Badge. Nash redesigned HLT 101G, a required course for public health majors, to ensure equitable assignments and grading, which focuses on the mastery of the material and achieving course outcomes, rather than accumulating points and including other considerations in grading. She uses a cutting-edge method in higher education—specifications grading, which includes a pass/fail system for assignments, and gives students who fail the chance to revise and resubmit to a pass. Furthermore, Nash developed HLT 201: Contemporary Public Health Challenges in the 21st Century and HLT 400G: Public Health: Social Justice and Advocacy, which introduces students to a comparative study of the relationship between public health and social justice using ethical, global health, and environmental perspectives. Nash’s students find her classes challenging but rewarding, and they consistently report how much they appreciate her substantial effort and dedication. 

Excellence is Service – Jessica Cless (Human Development and Family Science)

Jessica Cless embodies what it means to serve with dedication, integrity, and heart. Since joining URI in 2021, Cless has been a driving force in advocating for Marriage and Family therapists in Rhode Island, playing a key role in establishing the LMFT-Associate License, a change that has opened doors for new graduates and expanded access to care for countless clients across the state. Her leadership extends nationally through her work with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy’s “Access MFT’s Initiative,” where she continues to push for policies that make licensure more equitable and portable across states. She also serves the profession through her role on the COAMFTE Accreditation Review Committee, ensuring that programs across the country meet the highest standards of training. As a mentor in AAMFT’s Minority Fellowship Program, she gives her time and wisdom to support emerging therapists from diverse backgrounds. Within URI, Cless contributes thoughtfully across multiple committees, and in the community she shares her compassion as a grief group facilitator at Friends Way. Cless’ dedication consistently goes above and beyond what is expected, and her service, advocacy, and mentorship have made a lasting difference to her students, colleagues, and the field.

Excellence in Research – Sammy Ahmed (Human Development and Family Science)

Since joining URI in the fall of 2022, Sammy Ahmed has quickly distinguished himself as a rising leader in his field through his remarkable research productivity and scholarly impact. In just over three years, he has published 12 peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter (serving as first author on five) and has presented at 10 peer-reviewed conferences. His work has been recognized nationally, featured in U.S. News & World Report, and highlighted by the American Psychological Association, underscoring the significance and reach of his research. He was also placed in the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide in his area of expertise and was featured in Rhody Today for this prestigious international recognition. Ahmed has also secured three federal grants from NIH and NSF, further demonstrating his ability to sustain a successful research program. Equally impressive is his commitment to mentorship, having guided 12 graduate students and served as major professor for four. Through his exceptional research, mentorship, and dedication to the advancement in his field, Ahmed has made an extraordinary contribution to URI.