Two exceptional educators earned top awards for staff and faculty at the annual Celebration of Excellence and Achievement Among Women on April 5.

This year’s event was a return to an in-person ceremony for the first time in three years.

Jill De Young, assistant dean and chief of staff at the College of Law, received the Susan C. Buckley Distinguished Achievement Award for Staff.

Jill Endres, clinical professor of family medicine, received the May Brodbeck Distinguished Achievement Award for Faculty.

Susan C. Buckley Distinguished Achievement Award: Jill De Young

The Susan C. Buckley Distinguished Achievement Award for Staff recognizes an outstanding accomplishment or a lifetime record of service and achievement that provides a role model for women and/or girls. This year, the award recognizes the achievements of Jill De Young.

De Young serves as the chief of staff and an assistant dean in the UI College of Law.

She began her career at the College of Law in 1999—the year she graduated from Iowa Law—and has worked in numerous roles, including career services, alumni and external relations, and marketing and communications. She has served as chief of staff since 2014.

May Brodbeck Distinguished Achievement Award: Jill Endres

The May Brodbeck Distinguished Achievement Award for Faculty recognizes an outstanding accomplishment or a lifetime record of service and achievement that provides a role model for women and/or girls. This year’s award recognizes Jill Endres.

Endres has served as the director of medical student education in the Department of Family Medicine for 18 years, supporting health education throughout Iowa. She directs multiple courses in the Carver College of Medicine and teaches medical students and residents/fellows in the classroom and clinic. Her areas of clinical focus include nutrition, health promotion and disease prevention, and women’s health.

Jean Y. Jew Women’s Rights Award: Abbey J. Hardy-Fairbanks

The Jean Y. Jew Women’s Rights Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the UI; a long-standing record of leadership, effort, and activism; and accomplishments of national scope or impact.

Abbey J. Hardy-Fairbanks is an obstetrician and gynecologist at UI Hospitals & Clinics. She has made remarkable contributions in many critical areas of reproductive health and is a talented and visionary clinician, impactful educator, innovative scholar, and transformational leader.

Hardy-Fairbanks is highly respected by her students, having received recognition such as the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) Faculty Award for Teacher of the Year and the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology (SASGOG) Academic Teacher of the Year Award. Further, her dedication to top-notch education extends beyond the UI. She is often invited to speak at national meetings on family planning education and care and at prestigious events across the country. 

Student achievements

Nine students were recognized with scholarships to honor their work and commitment to women’s issues, diversity, and social activism.

Margaret P. Benson Memorial Award

• Abigail Escatel, of Chicago, Illinois, is a graduate student majoring in communication studies.
• Jada McDonald, of Iowa City, Iowa, is a senior majoring in public health.

Wynonna G. Hubbard Scholarship

• Sabrina Lacy, of Ballwin, Missouri, is a junior majoring in English and creative writing and psychological brain sciences.

Stephen Lynn Smith Memorial Scholarship for Social Justice

• Alison Holmes, of Andover, Illinois, is  an undergraduate majoring in gender, women’s and sexuality studies.
• Angelina Malenda, of Weehawken, New Jersey, is a graduate student majoring in communication studies with a minor in gender, women's and sexuality studies.

Adah Johnson/Otilia Maria Fernandez Scholarship

• Aimen Hameed, of Lahore, Pakistan, is a graduate student majoring in educational policy and leadership studies.

Kristin K. Lippke Memorial Scholarship

• Sarah Hovey, of Davenport, Iowa, is a sophomore majoring in social justice with a minor in criminology.
• Bree Rubel, of Grimes, Iowa, is a junior majoring in gender, women’s and sexuality studies in pre-law.

Jane A. Weiss Memorial Dissertation Scholarship

• Berkley Conner, of Logansport, Indiana, is a graduate student majoring in communication studies with a certificate in gender, women's and sexuality studies.