U of M Medical School Dean Receives Distinguished Service Award

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL July 16, 2007 — Deborah E. Powell, M.D., dean of the Medical School and assistant vice president for Clinical Sciences, will be presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Association of Pathology Chairs (APC) on July 18.

Powell is the first woman to receive the award, which has been presented annually since 1986 to an individual who has made substantial contributions to academic pathology in research, in education, or in advancing the discipline of pathology in the medical community and to the public. Powell was selected by her colleagues to be the recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor given by the APC.

"To be honored by your colleagues in medicine is wonderful," said Deborah E. Powell, dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School. "The members of the Association of Pathology Chairs have been extraordinarily collegial to me and I am pleased to receive the Distinguished Service Award from such a special group."

Powell served as a member of the APC from 1988 to 1997 and was president elect from 1996 to 1998. As a member of the APC Veterans Affairs Committee since 1994, Powell has worked to advance the mission of the APC to provide leadership and advocate for the discipline of pathology throughout her tenure with the association. Akin to previous Distinguished Service Award recipients, Powell has distinguished herself in more than one aspect of academic pathology and has profoundly impacted the lives and training of students, trainees, faculty, and colleagues.

“In her years as a dean, Dr. Powell has been one of the leading individuals in the country for advancing medical education and adapting to challenges and opportunities of the 21st century,” said James Crawford, M.D., Ph.D., president of the APC. “She is held in the highest regard by the academic pathology community for her national leadership and it is our privilege to recognize her with the awarding of our highest honor.”

Powell is a board-certified surgical pathologist and medical educator with more than 30 years of experience in academic medicine. Before moving to the University of Minnesota in 2002, Powell served as the vice chair and director of Diagnostic Pathology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and was later named the chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at that same institution. Powell is an active member in a number of national organizations, including the American Board of Pathology and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology.

The award will be presented at the Association of Pathology Chairs Annual Meeting, which will focus on new frontiers for pathology education, an area in which Powell has focused greatly during her nearly four years as dean of the Medical School at the University of Minnesota.

“Dr. Powell has been a champion of medical education and a dedicated servant of the Association of Pathology Chairs and academic pathology,” said Crawford.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact: Jenna Langer, Academic Health Center, 612-626-4784
Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, 612-625-2640