The Daryl and Nancy Granner Distinguished Mentor Award honors an outstanding mentor of the Carver College of Medicine.
Awardees are distinguished faculty who have served a significant portion of their career at Iowa and whose mentees have gone on to distinguished careers of their own. Awardees are also known for their collegiality, dedication to their profession, and the advancement of the Carver College of Medicine and the University of Iowa. The annual award celebration includes a Distinguished Mentor’s Lecture given by an eminent scholar.
2026 Daryl and Nancy Granner Distinguished Mentor Award Celebration
The 2025 Distinguished Mentor Award Celebration will be held on Tuesday September 15, 2026, at 3:00pm in the Prem Sahai Auditorium (1110A MERF).
Distinguished Mentor Awardee, Richard J. H. Smith, MD
Dr. Smith is Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics and Director of the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics. He is internationally recognized for his expertise and research discoveries in the genetics of human hearing loss and complement-mediated renal diseases. He also directs the Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratories, which has cloned approximately one quarter of all genes implicated in deafness. He has made major contributions to understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms and made significant contributions to novel forms of gene therapy. He is an exceptional mentor who is sought out for his focus on advancing the careers of trainees and young faculty, enabling them to progress to distinguished careers of their own.
Distinguished Mentor’s Lecturer, Stuart H. Orkin, MD
Dr. Orkin is the David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics and an HHMI Investigator at Boston Children’s Hospital. His pioneering work in genetic disorders of hemoglobin has unraveled molecular mysteries behind how blood cells develop and how disorders of blood arise. He discovered the molecular mechanism responsible for the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin gene expression during human development and has translated that knowledge into a novel treatment for the hemoglobin disorders – sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. He is also an exceptional mentor.
Past Distinguished Mentor Awardees and Lecturers:
Year
Awardee
Lecturer
2025
Val Sheffield, MD, PhD
Jeffrey M. Drazen, MD
2024
Daniel Tranel, PhD
Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD
2023
Joseph L. Zabner, MD
William G. Kaelin Jr, MD
2022
Peggy C. Nopoulos, MD
Abraham Verghese, MD
2021
Donald D. Heistad, MD
David J. Skorton, MD
2019
Edward F. Bell, MD
Richard S. Finkel, MD
2018
Mary E. Wilson, MD
Peter Hotez, MD, PhD
2017
Robert G. Robinson, MD
Eve E. Marder, PhD
2016
John E. Donelson, PhD
Thomas R. Cech, PhD
2015
M. Sue O'Dorisio, MD, PhD
Robert A. Weinberg, PhD
2014
Peter Densen, MD
Bonnie L. Bassler, PhD
2013
Allyn L. Mark, MD
Bruce M. Spiegelman, PhD
2012
Michael A. Apicella, MD
David M. Oshinsky, PhD
2011
David P. Wacker, PhD
Huda Y. Zoghbi, MD
2010
Bruce J. Gantz, MD
David J. Julius, PhD
2009
Ignacio Ponseti, MD Stuart L. Weinstein, MD
David M. Kingsley, PhD
2008
Arthur A. Spector, MD
Jeffrey M. Friedman, MD, PhD
2007
Gary W. Hunninghake, MD
Anthony S. Fauci, MD
2006
François M. Abboud, MD
Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD
2005
Kevin P. Campbell, PhD
Eric R. Kandel, MD
2004
Jeffrey C. Murray, MD
Mary-Claire King, PhD
2003
Michael J. Welsh, MD
Günter Blobel, MD, PhD
2002
James A. Clifton, MD
Stephen O'Rahilly, MD
Nominations for the Distinguished Mentor Award:
Candidates for the Distinguished Mentor Award should be outstanding mentors whose mentees have gone on to distinguished careers of their own. Candidates should have spent a significant portion of their career at Iowa. Candidates may include: a) Mentors who have finished their active careers or achieved emeritus status, or b) Senior active faculty who have already made a substantial impact in the training of individuals who have gone on to success as independent faculty members. Candidates should be known for their collegiality, dedication to their profession, and the betterment of the Carver College of Medicine and the University of Iowa.
UI Carver College of Medicine faculty, staff and alumni may submit nominations. Complete nominations should include: a letter outlining the rationale for the nomination, the nominee's curriculum vitae, a list of former trainees, and up to ten supporting letters from colleagues and former trainees.
Nominations remain active for three years. Nominators may update previous nominations that are still active. Please submit nominations online. Questions may be directed to COM-research@uiowa.edu.
The Distinguished Mentor Award and Distinguished Mentor's Lecture are made possible through a generous gift from Daryl Granner, 58BA, 62MS, 62MD, and Nancy Granner, 58BA. Dr. Granner is a Distinguished Almunus, Professor Emeritus, and Founding Director, Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, UI Carver College of Medicine.
