3 to receive Sarah Goddard Power Awards

The winners of the 20th annual Sarah Goddard Power Awards all have worked throughout their careers to mentor women and girls through research, academic development and outreach efforts, according to the selection committee.

The Academic Women's Caucus will present the awards to Mary Corcoran, Dr. Janet Reed Gilsdorf and Marilee Benore Parsons at 4 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Hussey Room of the Michigan League.

Corcoran is a professor in the Political Science Department, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the Women's Studies Program and the School of Social Work. She also is a faculty associate in the Institute for Social Research, the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and the Program on Poverty and Social Welfare Policy.

Corcoran (Photo by Paul Jaronski, U-M Photo Services)

She has promoted and mentored women and students of color, offering support not only of their academic endeavors but also through processes such as admissions and financial aid, the award says. "As a result, she has helped to increase student diversity as well as guiding these students to success," the award says.

As a scholar, she has collaborated with women on research projects and has "investigated fundamental questions" about women's wages, work history, the impact of childbearing and more, the award says. She also has researched the employability of welfare recipients, and has examined the experiences of African American and Latina women in the job market, including the implications for the economic well-being of their families.

Gilsdorf is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases at the Medical School, and in the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health. She also directs the Pediatric Infectious Disease Section, and she served as interim chair for the Department of Pediatrics in the mid-1990s.

Gilsdorf (Photo by Biomedical Communications)

She "has been tireless in her efforts to advance the academic development and achievements of women in medicine," the award citation says. Her work as a clinician is nationally recognized by her inclusion in every edition of Best Doctors in America.

Her research has focused on Haemophilus influenzae pathogenesis, a major cause of otitis media (ear infections). She has been the developer and leader of the National Institutes of Health-funded Department of Pediatrics basic research training grant, a major resource for the department. She is the co-director of the Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, sponsored jointly by the School of Public Health and the Medical School. In addition, she is a creative writer with a published article about her experiences as a patient, and a novel in progress.

Parsons is associate professor of biology and biochemistry and chair of the Biology Discipline at U-M-Dearborn. "Parsons' passion is to increase opportunities for women and girls in science," the award says.

Parsons (Photo by Tom Laundroche)

She is committed to improving the curriculum for women; she teaches in the campus-wide Women's Studies Program and developed a new biology course on "Diversity Issues in Healthcare Research and Treatment," the award citation says. She is a faculty adviser for nontraditional students as part of a women's outreach program. Parsons has worked with many young women in her laboratory. She was the founding co-adviser of the Women's Studies Student Alliance and is the adviser for the campus National Organization for Women chapter.

Her research is on riboflavin binding protein, and she publishes in the field of biochemistry education. Parsons is a board member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and co-organizer of the group's national undergraduate research poster competition. Her outreach efforts include the development of science day camps for Girl Scouts and junior high school girls. She received a Susan B. Anthony Award from the U-M-Dearborn Commission for Women in 1994 and an award for mentoring from the Detroit section of the Association of Women in Science in 1995.

Committee members were Elizabeth Duell, retired assistant professor, Department of Dermatology; Judith Heady, associate professor of biology at U-M-Dearborn; Ann Larimore, professor emeritus of women's studies; Jean Loup, special collections librarian at University Library; Cynthia Marcelo, research professor at the Medical School; and Rosemary Sarri, senior research scientist emeritus at the Center for Political Studies.