Each year UCSF Master of Science in Global Health honors the Outstanding Mentor and Outstanding Capstone, the research project that forms the backbone of the master’s program. Both awards are named for the founding director of the program, John L. Ziegler.

The John L. Ziegler Outstanding Mentor Award recognizes the impact that mentors have on the student experience with the capstone project and in the program overall. Each year, students write letters to nominate those mentors and advisors who significantly influenced their educational experience.

This year, Nadia Diamond-Smith, PhD, received the award. Students reported that Dr. Diamond-Smith guided them through “a project design rife with complications.” She was, they said “a fierce advocate” not just for IGHS students and their work but also for in-country collaborators and study participants. In short, she modeled “how to be a thoughtful, conscious global health partner.”

The John L. Ziegler Outstanding Capstone Award celebrates the hard work that students engage in to complete their capstone practicum projects. The prize is awarded each year to a student who has demonstrated excellent research skills and produced an excellent written capstone and oral presentation.

This year, Chelsie Anderson, MS, was honored with her capstone project, “Global Health Equity in Surgical Care: A Novel Surgical Pipeline Program Curriculum for High School Students in the San Francisco Bay Area.” Anderson described her work in a previous blog post. The overall quality of student work was so exceptional this year that the committee also awarded a so-called silver medal to Mariam Carson, MS, for her capstone, entitled, “Examining COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness among Latinx Essential Workers in San Francisco: A Qualitative Assessment.”