The University of Colorado Anschutz honored recipients of the 2026 CU Anschutz Research Awards on Feb. 24 during a hybrid ceremony on campus. An annual tradition established during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony is now in its sixth year.

“There were a lot of different challenges [during the pandemic], and we saw so many individual and team efforts that helped us get through that difficult time. We wanted to have a ceremony to recognize the great work that was done by so many people,” said Thomas Flaig, MD, vice chancellor for Research. “The ceremony was so well received, it was suggested that we make that an annual event — to recognize the people in the research community that were key to that.”

More than 250 nominations were submitted across nine award categories, reflecting the depth and strength of research at CU Anschutz. 

“We often talk about the major missions of the institution, and there are three: clinical care, research and education,” said Chancellor Don Elliman. “If you think of these as an arch, the keystone of the arch is research. It’s a key element that differentiates us in both our clinical operations and in our educational operations. So, I think of it as the soul of this campus and having an opportunity to reward the people who’ve shown that outstanding work that’s being done around here is a wonderful and fitting occasion.”

The awards were presented by Vice Chancellor Flaig, Lori Sussel, PhD, associate vice chancellor for Basic Science Research and Jori Leszczynski, DVM, DACLAM, assistant vice chancellor for Animal Resources — both of whom chaired award review committees — and John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. Chancellor Elliman presented the third annual Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Lectureship Awards — the university’s most prestigious research honors.

2026 CU Anschutz Research Award Winners

Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Lectureship Award: Recognizes extraordinary research accomplishments by CU Anschutz faculty. It is intended to showcase impactful and innovative research from any research discipline. This award includes a subsequent celebration and lecture.

• Basic Science: Heide L. Ford, PhD, Professor, CU Medicine Endowed Chair, Department of Pharmacology, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  
• Clinical Science: Wendy M. Kohrt, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Nancy Anschutz Chair in Women's Health Research, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Research Administration Award: Recognizes an administrative staff member who consistently goes above and beyond to advance research excellence and keeps operations running smoothly across the CU Anschutz.

• Alesia El Ali, CRA, Research Office Program & Post-Award Core Manager, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Research Collaboration Team Award: Recognizes a team for their outstanding contribution in research collaboration. It highlights effective research collaborations within and across disciplines utilizing a team approach to scientific discovery that brings together different perspectives for greater success and impact.

• Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC)
  
  • Department of Medicine: Paul MacLean, PhD; Daniel Bessesen, MD; Wendy Kohrt, PhD; Janine Higgins, PhD; Edward Melanson, PhD; Bryan Bergman, PhD; Victoria Catenacci, MD; Matthew Jackman, PhD; Christine Swanson, MD, MCR; Karin Zeminski-Berry, PhD; Seth Creasy, PhD
    
  • Department of Pediatrics: Darlene Sandoval, PhD & Kristen Boyle, PhD
    
  • Administrative Support: Caro Henauw, MS & Olivia Schmidt
    
  • Executive Committee: Amy Keller, PhD; Dan Lark, PhD; Emily Hill, PhD, RDN; Nancy Krebs, MD

Research Mentor Award: Recognizes a member of CU Anschutz for their dedicated and extraordinary efforts to mentor others in their research careers. This award is intended to recognize mentoring of faculty, staff and/or students. 

• Kristine Erlandson, MD, MSC, Professor, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Research Staff Award: Recognizes an individual staff member for their outstanding contribution in research collaboration. Specifically, it highlights effective research collaborations within and across disciplines utilizing innovative and cooperative approaches to the process of scientific discovery.

• Delaney C. Swindle, MS, Research Services Principal PRA, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Research Sustainability Award: Honors an individual or laboratory at CU Anschutz that has creatively and impactfully integrated sustainability into their research operations.

• Hailey Wilkinson, MS, Anatomy Prosection Manager & Instructor, MD Anatomy Lab, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  
• Ruby Martini, MS, Anatomy Instructor and Prosector, MD Anatomy Lab, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, CU Anschutz School of Medicine

Rising Star Research Award: Recognizes junior faculty members who are emerging as leaders in research through significant discoveries and original scholarship. This is designed for researchers in the first three years of their appointment.

• Basic Science: Gina Bouchard, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
  
• Translational Science: Anna Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  
• Clinical Science: Paul Christine, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Steven Fadul Award: Recognizes professional research associates who are self-directed, highly technically competent, professional, supportive and have given outstanding service to the School of Medicine. 

• Berenice Cabrera-Martinez, MSc, Research Service Professional, Department of Immunology & Microbiology, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Trainee Research Excellence Award: Recognizes a trainee’s accomplishments for their excellence in conducting research and scholarly activity that is creative and impactful. It is intended for scholars who show great potential for future research impact during their training.

• Basic Science: Carley N. Miller, PhD, MD-PhD Student, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  
• Clinical/Translational Science: Ana J. Pinto, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, CU Anschutz School of Medicine
  

Photos by Daniel Brenner