Celebrating the Breakthroughs of USU's 2026 Graduate Program Scholars

USU's 2026 Graduate Education Awards Ceremony honors the quiet endurance and vital discoveries of military medicine's rising scientists, health professions educators, clinical psychologists, and public health professionals.

May 13, 2026 by USU News

On May 6, 2026, the Uniformed Services University (USU) community gathered in Rice Hall for the fourth annual Graduate Education Awards Ceremony. The event honored the profound dedication, intellectual endurance, and compassionate spirit of master's students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral fellows whose research shapes the future of military medicine.

USU President Dr. Jonathan Woodson noted that the ceremony provides a rare, reflective moment to pause between the intensity of the academic year and the celebration of Commencement.

"Today is about recognizing excellence," Woodson said. "But it is also about recognizing impact-impact that is already being felt, and that will continue long after you leave this campus."

The Hidden Realities of Research

While degrees and peer-reviewed publications mark the completion of a program, they rarely capture the emotional and intellectual endurance required to achieve them. Dr. Lisa M. Shank, an assistant professor of Medical and Clinical Psychology and the event's keynote speaker, spoke movingly about the personal sacrifices embedded in every academic success.

Reflecting on her own journey as a 2019 USU graduate, Shank reminded the audience that a curriculum vitae is a terrible historian because it completely erases the rejected grants, dead ends, and tears that define a researcher's grueling path.

"Intelligence is important, and often can help you get in the door," Shank shared. "However, my time in research has taught me that what keeps you in the room is resilience and persistence."

From Microscopic Discoveries to Lifesaving Impact

The ceremony's highest honor, the Board of Regents Award, was presented to two extraordinary scholars whose microscopic laboratory work directly translates to the real-world survival and care of our service members.

U.S. Navy Ensign Brianna Daley, an M.D./Ph.D. student in the Molecular and Cell Biology program, was honored for pioneering a sophisticated experimental framework modeling the evolution of cancer cells under therapeutic pressure. Her microscopic investigations into SOS1-targeted therapies have already influenced the preclinical portfolios of major pharmaceutical partners, accelerating the search for durable lung cancer treatments. Embodying the university's quiet driving force of selfless leadership, Daley also became the first M.D./Ph.D. student to complete the Foundations of Health Professions Education certificate, dedicating her time to lifting up her junior peers.

The second Board of Regents Award went to U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Savannah Kounelis-Wuillaume, who completed her Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Her intricate research examined how infiltrating immune cells contribute to molecular responses in the brain following an experimental traumatic brain injury. Beyond the laboratory, her fierce commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care earned her induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, bridging the crucial gap between bench science and bedside empathy.

A Legacy of Mentorship and Community

The emotional core of the afternoon centered not just on the students, but on the faculty who guide them through the rollercoaster of academia. Dr. Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, a professor in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology retiring after 20 years, received the 2026 Outstanding Biomedical Graduate Educator Award. Dr. Eric Elster, Dean of the School of Medicine, highlighted her profound legacy and dedication to her students' success.

"They didn't come to study at USU," Elster noted. "They came to study with Marian Tanofsky-Kraff."

Students were also celebrated for their deep, enduring care for one another. Ms. Yoland Victor earned the Graduate Student Leadership Award, while Ms. Bridget Finniff received the Graduate Student Esprit de Corps Award for exemplifying humanistic qualities of compassion and concern for the well-being of her peers.

As Woodson emphasized, these scholars expanded the definition of what it means to contribute-building food pantries, running ultramarathons, and choosing a path defined not by ease, but by meaning.

As they continue their journeys, they carry with them the fortitude, humanity, and scientific mastery required to protect the military personnel of tomorrow.