At the department annual meeting on June 17, 2026, we honored 11 members of our staff who have contributed in various ways to the success of our department. A big congratulations to each of them!

Collaborative Impact Award – Katie Osterhage, MMS
The Collaborative Impact Award recognizes individuals who encourage and support an environment where people work together effectively. This year’s winner is Katie Osterhage from the UW Alacrity Center.

“As manager of the UW ALACRITY Center, Katie Osterhage holds together a team of 12 core staff and faculty plus seven teams with more than 40 members, and she does it by building genuine collaboration, not just managing logistics. She excels at highlighting and utilizing our team’s unique strengths while ensuring all members remain focused on common goals, tasks, and priorities. With Katie facilitating, every team member has a voice at the table. Each week, Katie starts our meetings with optional “moments of joy” during which we celebrate professional and personal wins. This activity fosters congeniality, respect, and inclusivity among the team, allowing us to show up as our whole selves and feel valued as team members.”

Mentorship Award – Jodie Buntain-Ricklefs, MPH, MSW
Individuals receiving the department Mentorship Award have engaged in continuous learning and help others grow through mentorship and professional development. This year’s winner is Jodie Buntain-Ricklefs from the SMART Center.

“What I find most remarkable is how Jodie has developed future leaders. She co-created and facilitated a six-month leadership development program for our team, and two staff members who completed it have since transitioned successfully into supervisory roles. That kind of downstream mentorship impact is rare and meaningful. Beyond her formal efforts, Jodie is someone people turn to when things are hard. She navigates difficult conversations with compassion and directness. Her mentorship extends to advocating for staff even when they aren’t in the room, ensuring their voices and needs are represented. That quiet, consistent advocacy is itself a form of mentorship at its best.”

Ethics in Action Award – Payton Smythe
The Ethics in Action Award is presented to individuals who model integrity and accountability in their work. They manage resources in a responsible, sound, and transparent manner. This year’s winner is Payton Smythe from the Center for Suicide Prevention and Recovery (CSPAR).

“Payton exemplifies integrity in her work, actions, and communication. She steps in to support colleagues without being asked and works hard to prioritize the collective success of the projects she’s part of. She is a team-player who we can consistently rely on both to get the work done, get it done well, to bring up concerns proactively if any come up – all while contributing to a friendly, collaborative, and supportive work environment for everyone around her.”

Public Service Award – Tess Grover
The Public Service Award is presented to Individuals who have demonstrate a desire to go above and beyond expectations, are proactive, and actively contribute to the department’s success. This year’s winner is Tess Grover from the Division of Population Health.

“With more than ten years of dedicated service, Tess has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the mission of the department and to the communities served by her work. Her ability to balance scientific rigor with compassion exemplifies public service at its best. Both internal and external colleagues recognize Tess as a trusted, dependable, and empathetic professional. She fosters strong relationships with clinicians, investigators, and community partners, helping to build trust in research institutions and ensuring that the voices of those with lived experience are heard and valued.”

Equity in Action Award – Nicole Morrison Winters
The Equity in Action Award is presented to individuals who build a welcoming and respectful learning and working environment, fold EDI into their work, and for their efforts to promote access and opportunity. This year’s winner is Nicole Morrison Winters from the AIMS Center.

“Nicole has spearheaded AIMS Center efforts to ensure that all of our vast digital content complies with WCAG-2 accessibility standards, a key pillar of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has taught all of our staff how to make a variety of media accessible for people with visual and/or hearing impairment, chaired an accessibility work group, and supervised the conversion of these materials into accessible formats. She was so far out in front of these accessibility efforts that she often asked questions that even the UW Disability Services office hadn’t yet considered. Our efforts to be a center that promotes equity in all we do are significantly enhanced by Nicole’s efforts.”

Team Excellence Award – Designing Real-World, Effective Approaches for Multilevel Implementation (DREAMI) Team
Groups receiving the Team Excellence Award model what effective teamwork looks like in action. This year’s winner is the SMART Center’s DREAMI team including Roger Goosey; Jodie Buntain-Ricklefs, MPH, MSW; Vaughan Collins, MSW; Taylor Ullrich, MS; Rose Reyes; Aislyn Gordon; and Mahima Joshi, MPH.

“What stands out most about this team is the strong culture of collaboration and shared ownership that has been built together. Team members regularly step outside of their formal roles to support one another, share expertise, and ensure collective success. Whether navigating complex implementation research projects, responding to evolving partner needs, or balancing competing priorities, the team approaches challenges with flexibility, communication, and a willingness to problem-solve together. Over the past years, the team has collaboratively participated in leadership development efforts, team development workshops, strategic planning discussions, and initiatives focused on improving team culture and staff well-being. This team exemplifies excellence not only through what gets accomplished, but through an intentional approach to how it gets accomplished, collaboratively and with inclusion of team-wide perspectives.”