Read about the nominees below, then scroll to the bottom to cast your vote!
| Nominee | Nominator's Comments |
|---|---|
Vikhyat Bebarta '90 | Superior accomplishments and leadership in both the military and in medicine. Vik explemfies where you can go with an education and life foundation from GSSM. Dr. Vikhyat S. Bebarta is Director and Founder of the CU Anschutz Center for Combat and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research at the University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Director of the Translational Innovation and Antidote Development (TRIAD) Research Program. He is a tenured Professor of Emergency Medicine (Medical Toxicology) and a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, CO. Dr. Bebarta is also a Colonel in the US Air Force Reserve, Senior Leader, Office of the Chief Scientist, 59th Medical Wing ST, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. As a decorated combat physician, he served 14 years’ active duty and led several large innovative programs, including Director of the Air Force Enroute Care Research Center and Branch Chief of the Joint Trauma System at the renowned US Army Institute of Surgical Research. He served four combat deployments, and led as Chief of Emergency Medicine and as the DoD Theater Consultant for Medical Toxicology each time. During these deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, he led the largest combat hospitals and emergency departments during the busiest periods of battlefield casualties since the Vietnam War. He currently serves as chair or member of several federal research steering committees, joint combat task forces, research foundations, and national leadership panels. He has published over 170 scientific manuscripts, delivered 200 national invited lectures or keynote addresses, and received several research and innovation grants from the National Institutes of Health, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Department of Defense, and industry partners for several millions of dollars. He is an expert consultant to the US Army, US Special Operations Command, US Air Force, Department of Homeland Security, and other federal Offices in areas of national security and chemical countermeasures. Dr. Bebarta has received over 15 national awards and recognitions for career excellence, leadership, or merit from the American Medical Association, Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, US Air Force, US Army, and the Geneva Foundation. Dr. Bebarta grew up in Denmark, SC and is a 1990 Graduate of GSSM. He completed undergraduate at the US Air Force Academy as a Distinguished Graduate and collegiate boxer, medical school at George Washington University, emergency medicine residency at Denver Health Medical Center/University of Colorado as Chief Resident, and medical toxicology fellowship at the famed Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center. He practices emergency medicine and medical toxicology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO. He is an avid runner, skier, traveler, and recreational youth coach and leader. He lives in Greenwood Village, CO with his wife, Corey and three children, Emma (17 years old), Grace (16), and Owen (12). |
Charlotte Evans Lomnicki '92 | Charlotte has been teaching a class called “Science and the Law” at the GoSciTech summer camp for many years. This class is always a hit with the students because Charlotte makes it a fun and interactive experience. Taking a week off work and going to Hartsville to teach a bunch of students every summer for the past 11 years is an amazing way to give back to GSSM! Plus Charlotte is the secretary of the Alumni Association board. Charlotte serves as the Senior, Assistant District Attorney for the Cobb County Juvenile Court in GA. |
Avis Wright '95 | Avis's work, along with Alyssa Humphrey and others, to establish the memorial endowment for LeAnn Watson '94 and Edwina Edwards '95, is the kind of betterment of the state and the world that I want us to honor and elevate. The endowed fund will provide the full meal plan fee for one junior and one senior each year. Avis is an inspiration and an amazing woman all around. I hope I and other alumni will be motivated to get involved in making the GSSM experience better for current students and networking with each other for philanthropic goals. |
Melody Drummond Hansen '96 | Melody is an amazing example of how a GSSM graduate can maintain a passion for science and technology while working in a non-STEM field. After graduating from law school, she specialized in Intellectual Property Law. That developed into a vast expertise in the protection for and regulation of innovation in the automotive industry. She recently left a partnership in a major law firm to become Chief Counsel to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration where she will be advising the US Department of Transportation on issues pertaining to emerging technologies in the automotive industry. I am relieved to have someone of her intelligence overseeing the regulation of things like self-driving cars. On top of that, she is active in various nonprofits supporting women in leadership roles and equality in the workplace. She is also a member of the GSSM Alumni Board. |
William "Tripp" Floyd '01 | Tripp is an incredible representative of what GSSM provides - it gave him the foundation to get his Ph.D. from Cal-Berkeley. He currently drives scientific innovation at Ethoxx in Greenville - helping grow business in our state. And as many alumni will tell you, he is always ready to lend a hand, listen, or connect friends. |