Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., Hotchkiss Professor and chair of otolaryngology, received a Presidential Citation from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the 2008 annual meeting in Chicago last September. The award is one of the academy’s highest honors and recognizes individuals selected by the organization’s president for their outstanding contributions and dedication to the specialty at the national level.

Astrid K. Mack, Ph.D., was honored by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Student Affairs-Minority Affairs Section with its Special Recognition Award at the organization’s annual meeting in San Antonio last November. The AAMC bestowed the award for Mack’s “unwavering dedication and service to medical students and minority medical students in particular.” Mack retired as associate dean for minority affairs last summer after 35 years at the Miller School.

Judy Schaechter, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics and director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Injury Free Coalition for Kids, received the 2008 Clay Hamilton Hope Award from the Human Services Coalition in Miami last October. The award, given to a leader who gives back to the community, honored Schaechter for her dedication to improving the health and well-being of children and for her commitment to increasing access to health care for families in Miami-Dade County.

Gaofeng Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor of human genetics, received the Cotterman Award during the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics last November. Every year the editorial board of The American Journal of Human Genetics selects two articles that best represent outstanding contributions in the field of genetics and in which the first author was either a pre- or postdoctoral trainee and is a member of the society; these authors are recipients of the award. Wang’s paper was titled “Variation in the miRNA-433 Binding Site of FGF20 Confers Risk for Parkinson Disease by Overexpression of Synuclein.” He collaborated on the study with other researchers at the Miami Institute for Human Genomics.