Greg Sachs, MD, was one of two faculty members to receive the Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award; while Sylk Sotto, EdD, MBA, MPS, earned the Scholar Educator Award.
Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award
Greg Sachs, MD
About the award: Mentoring among faculty at IU School of Medicine is crucial in sustaining a vital faculty community, promoting faculty development and increasing faculty retention. The Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Awards at IU School of Medicine underscore the commitment to endorse mentoring within the faculty. The purpose is to recognize the outstanding mentoring efforts of one clinical and one basic science faculty member each year who actively mentor other faculty members and learners. These prestigious awards acknowledge the time and dedication faculty mentors devote to fostering colleagues' and learners' career development and academic success in research, education, service and clinical practice. In addition, these awards allow IU School of Medicine to honor and celebrate the valuable efforts of faculty mentors who embody the spirit of mentoring. Two recipients per year will be selected: one clinical faculty and one basic science faculty.
About Dr. Sachs: Dr. Sachs’ research and writing focus on ethical issues in dementia care, including palliative care for people with dementia. He has published more than 115 articles in peer- reviewed journals, with one of his most notable papers being “Dying from Dementia,” which appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine. He has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the leading foundations funding research in geriatrics, ethics, or palliative care.
Scholar Educator Award
Sylk Sotto, EdD, MBA, MPS
About the award: The purpose of the scholar educator award is to recognize faculty who go beyond simply teaching and approach education in a scholarly manner. This prestigious award acknowledges faculty who approach teaching and learning from a scholarly lens. Honorees are consistently noted for their teaching effectiveness, commitment to learning, educational leadership, scholarly activity related to teaching and learning, and passion for biomedical education. This award allows IU School of Medicine to honor and celebrate the scholarly contributions of educators.
About Dr. Sotto: Dr. Sotto serves as the Vice-chair for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, and as Vice-chair for Diversity, Health Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. She co-chaired the school’s Diversity Council (2016-2021) and serves on numerous institutional committees. Dr. Sotto teaches several courses in research ethics, culturally relevant practices in medicine, and Foundations of Clinical Practice in the Spanish immersion program. Her scholarship and research center on (in)equity in academic medicine. Her interests include faculty affairs and professional development; STEM/medical education and inclusive learning environments; organizational structures and institutional bias; and the intersection of health equity and research ethics.