April 16, 2010 | April 16, 2010 | Mary Aitken, M.D., M.P.H., received the 2010 Outstanding Woman Faculty Award at the College of Medicine’s annual Women’s Faculty Development Caucus dinner April 13.

Aitken, a professor of pediatrics who joined the faculty in 1996, is an internationally known advocate and researcher in pediatric injury prevention. As medical director of the Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), she has pushed for stronger injury-prevention laws including Arkansas’ recent graduated driver’s license law, restrictions on cell phone use by teen drivers, and other measures. She also has testified before Congress on the issue of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety.

Aitken is director of the Department of Pediatrics’ Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE), which seeks to improve child health through research into child health services, pediatric injury prevention, child development and nutrition. In addition, she has served in a number of leadership roles in the Women’s Faculty Development Caucus, including a term as president in 2006-2008.

Now in its 10th year, the Outstanding Woman Faculty Award recognizes women at UAMS who are successful mentors and role models with strong records of scholarly endeavors, demonstrated teaching expertise, clinical or research excellence and outstanding leadership achievements.

“Dr. Aitken’s passion for injury prevention research, her child safety legislative advocacy, and her mentoring of other faculty is contagious, inspiring others toward having as strong an impact on patients and society as she has had,” Wendy Ward-Begnoche, Ph.D., an associate professor of pediatrics, wrote in her letter of nomination.

“Further, her leadership style is a model for other women faculty to follow – careful contemplation of issues, keen insight and therefore good judgment, and a demeanor of decisiveness once a decision is made,” Ward-Begnoche wrote.

Other nominees for this year’s award were Kathleen Gilbert, Ph.D., an associate professor of microbiology and immunology; Stacie Jones, M.D., a professor of pediatrics; Nancy Rusch, Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; and Debra Simmons, M.D., an associate professor of internal medicine.