“Being part of the Centennial Scholars Program has been key for starting my career at UW-Madison. I am very grateful for the support and opportunities provided by the program.”~current Centennial Scholar
Centennial Scholars/Clinicians Program
A Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Centennial Scholars/Centennial Clinicians (CS/CC) Program is designed to support departments in hiring and developing diverse faculty from groups who experience health disparities in Wisconsin. Faculty diversity enhances the quality of education, clinical care and research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The Centennial Scholars/Centennial Clinicians Program encourages and facilitates the development of a research and educational network of faculty members across the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for each scholar.
Investing in the future
Faculty from communities that are underrepresented in medicine serve as visible and available role models for students and trainees. Diverse role models such as the Centennial Scholars/Clinicians are absolutely vital if we are to prepare our students to be effective participants in the 21st Century healthcare workforce where they will face widely diverse people, cultures, and ideas in an environment that is becoming increasingly global.
Program information
Department Chairs must submit an application for faculty members to join the CS/CC Program. (See Application Process and Budget Guidelines sections below for details).
CS/CC Program start dates are either July 1 or January 1 each year.
- For a January 1, 2025 start date, applications are due October 1, 2024.
- For a July 1, 2025 start date, applications are due April 1, 2025.
- Departments wishing to let the candidate know at the time a job offer is made that they are accepted in the program may follow the Expedited Application Process described here.
When a faculty member joins the CS/CC Program, their Department will receive $210,000 of financial support. CS/CC Program financial support is meant to enhance departments’ ability to recruit and hire faculty from groups who are considered underrepresented in medicine in Wisconsin (Black, Hispanic, Hmong, and Native American). CS/CC financial support is not intended for departments to regard as supplemental salary support for faculty if other funds are available to hire a candidate.
- Centennial Scholars’ financial support is generally distributed as $70,000 per year for three years, however a different distribution schedule can be approved by the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development if requested by the department chair and the candidate.
- Centennial Clinicians’ financial support is generally distributed as $30,000 per year for seven years. Again, different distribution schedules can be approved by the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development if requested by the department chair and the candidate.
- Funding may be designated for salary support, faculty development opportunities or to support program development and evaluation of scholarly work that the faculty member will pursue.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Eligibility
- To be eligible for the CS/CC Program, the faculty member must be enrolled during their first year on the faculty, and must be from an ethnic or racial group that has documented health disparities in Wisconsin. Individuals from the following four groups are eligible: Black, Hispanic, Hmong, and Native American.
- Applications for the CS/CC Program must be submitted by the faculty member’s Department Chair.
If you have questions regarding eligibility, please contact the program leadership at csp@med.wisc.edu
How is the Centennial Scholars/Clinicians Program structured?
- The CS/CC Program is a cohort of faculty members who are provided opportunities for networking and for meeting periodically for professional development topics.
- The CS/CC Program is overseen by an Advisory Committee (AC). The AC reviews Program applications, conducts welcome calls for new Scholars/Clinicians, attends Scholars/Clinicians’ Annual reviews, and can provide support for Scholars/Clinicians navigating issues relevant to faculty from underrepresented groups at SMPH.
Program Participation Expectations for Scholars/Clinicians
- The CS/CC Program holds meetings roughly once per semester. All Scholars/Clinicians are required to attend these meetings, and Departments are expected to release Scholars/Clinicians from clinical or administrative duties for these meetings. The agenda for the meetings will be determined by the Advisory Committee. Scholars/Clinicians are encouraged to make suggestions about the topics for these meetings, and may be involved in coordinating speakers for these meetings.
- The CS/CC Program holds two networking/social events per year. Attendance is strongly encouraged.
- An annual review will be conducted for each Scholar/Clinician. Review by the Advisory Committee will be an opportunity for the scholar/clinician to discuss their career progress and any barriers the faculty member is experiencing with regard to making progress in their career and their scholarly activity.
- The CS/CC Program Annual Meeting will be attended by either the Scholar/Clinician’s Department Chair or mentor(s) of their choosing, and at least two members of the Centennial Program Advisory Committee. The CS/CC Program Annual Meeting is meant to provide Scholars/Clinicians with an opportunity to share Scholars/Clinicians accomplishments, as well as discuss any barriers to success Scholars/Clinicians may encounter.
- The CS/CC Program Annual Meeting is separate from any annual Mentor Committee meetings, and should not be treated as a Mentor Committee meeting for purposes of promotion.
- Each Scholar/Clinician will participate in an Annual Survey to give feedback to the Advisory Committee.
- The program’s leadership may terminate an award, after careful review and consideration if there are circumstances which warrant termination such as misallocation of funds.
Application Process (Information for Department Chairs)
- The candidate’s department chair will submit an application to csp@med.wisc.edu with identifying information, including:
- The Chair’s letter that includes:
- Name, department (division, if applicable), rank, date of hire.
- Eligibility (race and ethnicity).
- Branch of the program to which they are being nominated (Centennial Scholars or Centennial Clinicians).
- A brief summary of the candidate’s assigned responsibilities.
- Anticipated use of the funding.
- Budget worksheet and justification:
- A completed budget worksheet
- Budget justification for all items in the budget (can be included as an addendum to the Chair’s letter)
- Be sure to clearly indicate how the funding for salary is being used for the candidate’s benefit (i.e., the protected time usually afforded to faculty on this track and the additional protected time the applicant will be afforded based on the CSP funding.)
- A Financial Agreement signed by the applicant and the Chief Administrative Officer must be included with the application.
- A copy of the candidate’s CV must be included with the application.
Centennial Scholars/Clinicians Program Budget Guidelines (information for Department Chairs)
- The sum of $210,000 will be distributed to the Department over 3 years or 7 years, on a yearly basis.
- It is expected that the Department Chair will have a dialogue with the Scholar/Clinician about developing the budget.
- The Centennial Scholarship may be used for compensation support or other investments that will advance the research of the recipient. “Compensation support” in this context includes support for the Scholar’s or designated research staff base salary and benefits.
- A revised budget may be submitted by the Department Chair for approval each year the Scholar/Clinician is in the program.
K Awards and Centennial Program Funding
The funding from the Centennial Program (CP) is not analogous to an individual or an institutional K award. It is internal SMPH funding and unlike K awards none of the funds come from the NIH. You can list CP funding under internal funding on your CV. Because the CP program is internally funded there is no prohibition for using the funding when one has an NIH K Award. In this case, the CP funding can be used to support research expenses or research personnel or the funds can be banked to support the faculty member after the K funding runs out.
Who can I contact for more information?
- Email csp@med.wisc.edu to reach:
- Elizabeth Felton, MD, PhD (Advisory Committee Co-Chair)
- Dawd Siraj, MD, MPHTM (Advisory Committee Co-Chair)
- Meghan Gauger, Program Administrator
Centennial Scholars and Clinicians
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Meet the Centennial Scholars/Clinicians
Stephannie Acha-Morfaw, MD (2023)
Department of Emergency Medicine
Francisco Alvarado Guillen, Pharm D, PhD (2022)
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Yohualli Anaya, MD, MPH (2023)
Department of Family Medicine & Community Health
Jade Anderson, MD (2024)
Department of Radiology
Matthew Anderson, PhD (2023)
Department of Medical Genetics
India Anderson-Carter, MD (2024)
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Shenikqua Bouges, MD (2021)
Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
Gustavo Caballero-Flores, PhD (2024)
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Shannon Cannon, MD (2022)
Department of Urology
Melisa Carrasco McCaul, MD, PhD (2022)
Department of Neurology
Sancia Ferguson, MD, MPH (2020)
Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, PhD, RN (2022)
Department of Emergency Medicine
Allexa Hammond, MD (2024)
Department of Medicine
Elebeoba E. May, PhD (2022)
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM (2023)
Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
Kwadwo Oduro Jr, MD, PhD (2024)
Department of Pathology
Chinelo Onyenekwu, MD (2024)
Department of Pathology
Nicci Owusu-Brackett, MD (2024)
Department of Surgery
Christine Sharkey, MD (2021)
Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Quaovi Sodji, MD, PhD (2023)
Department of Human Oncology
Vanessa Sperandio, PhD (2022)
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Jesús Treviño, MD, MBA (2024)
Department of Emergency Medicine
María Virumbrales-Muñoz, PhD (2023)
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Morgan White, MD (2023)
Department of Family Medicine & Community Health
Gabrielle Winston-McPherson, PhD (2024)
Department of Pathology
Advisory Committee
Elizabeth Felton, MD, PhD, Co-Chair, Department of Neurology
Dawd Siraj, MD, MPHTM,Co-Chair, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
Pablo Gomez, MD, PhD, Department of Medical History and Bioethics, History of Medicine
Lisa Jones, MD, MPH, MMCI, Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Michael Mancera, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine
Shaneda Warren-Andersen, MS, PhD, Department of Population Health Sciences
Alumni Scholars
Erica Knavel Koepsel, MD (2021), Department of Radiology
Ivan Rosado-Mendez, PhD (2021), Department of Medical Physics
Claudette Adegboro, MD (2021), Department of Pediatrics
Fred Ketchum, MD, PhD (2021), Department of Neurology
Gloria Morel, PsyD (2021), Department of Neurology
Tiffany Green, PhD (2020), Departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology
Reiner Hernandez, PhD (2020), Department of Medical Physics
Marietou Ouayogode, PhD (2020), Department of Population Health Sciences
Narjust Duma, MD (2020)
Shaneda Warren Andersen, PhD (2019), Department of Population Health Sciences
Jasmine Zapata, MD, MPH (2018), Department of Pediatrics
Bolanle Famakin, MD (2018), Department of Neurology
Héctor Valdivia, MD, PhD (2018), Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Lisa Barroilhet, MD (2017), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dawd S. Siraj, MD, MPH&TM (2017), Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Elizabeth Felton, MD, PhD (2016), Department of Neurology
Michael Mancera, MD (2015), Department of Emergency Medicine
Vanessa Tamas, MD (2015)
Olachi Mezu-Ndubuisi, MD, OD (2014)
Jason W. Stephenson, MD (2014), Department of Radiology
Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD (2013), Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
Pablo F. Gómez, PhD, MD (2013), Department of Medical History and Bioethics
Carla Pugh, MD, PhD, FACS (2013)
Angela Byars-Winston, PhD (2012), Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Chris Capitini, MD (2012), Department of Pediatrics
Jesse Roach, MD (2011)
Eneida Mendonça, MD, PhD (2011)
Tracy M. Downs, MD, FACS (2010)
Heather M. Johnson, MD (2010)
Chanel T. Tyler, MD (2010)
Dayle B. DeLancey, PhD (2009)