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Ruth Humphry, PhD OTR/L, FAOTA, has received the 2017 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring.
Ruth Humphry, PhD OTR/L, FAOTA, has received the 2017 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring.

Ruth Humphry, professor and director of the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and Enrique Neblett Jr., an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, have received the 2017 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring.

The Graduate School presents the annual award to UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members who have: encouraged graduate students to establish their own records of scholarly activity, provided a supportive environment that brings forth the very best from students, and achieved a successful record of graduate degree completion among students they have advised.

This year, The Graduate School presented awards to two faculty members, honoring faculty who are seasoned as mentors and those who have successfully demonstrated expertise at an early stage, according to Graduate School Dean Steve Matson.

Humphry has served as a dissertation adviser or committee member for 12 doctoral students at UNC-CH and continues to serve on the committees of numerous current students.

The nomination letter for Humphry also cited her role as “the major force in the creation of the [occupational science] doctoral program,” in addition to her commitment to making herself available to all doctoral students in the program.

From the letter: “She has been the face welcoming every new student at orientation, has taught every student in introductory research courses and occupational science seminars, and has at one point served as an adviser to every student in the program.”

Neblett, who also directs the African American Youth Wellness Laboratory, encourages graduate students to establish their own records of scholarly activity and performance through collaboration, publications, national presentations and their own mentoring of other students.

The nomination letter also said that Neblett works tirelessly “at every stage” to ensure that graduate students under his mentorship are prepared for conference presentations.

From the letter: “For instance, he goes through presentations slide by slide to collaboratively improve the quality of the presentation and gives his students valuable strategies to improve their presentation skills. This dedication ensures that his students develop effective presentation skills and excel in conferences.”

Matson presented the awards during the 2017 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, during which more than 270 graduate students received their academic hoods.

“A big part of our students’ success, I’m sure they’d agree, is due to their faculty mentors,” Matson said. “The faculty members at Carolina take their roles as mentors very seriously and it is this mentoring role that makes this ceremony so special.”