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University of Hawaiʻi faculty received top awards for their excellence in teaching and engagement and groundbreaking research.

Fifteen UH faculty members from across the state have been awarded the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, and three received the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research.

In addition, six UH teachers have been recognized with the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and a UH Maui College instructor has won the Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education.

“The extraordinary achievements of these faculty members reflect the University of Hawaiʻi’s unwavering commitment to excellence. These world-class educators and researchers are not simply being recognized; they are the driving force behind real, tangible improvements that are shaping the future of our students and the prosperity of our state,” said UH President Wendy Hensel. “It is an honor to be part of a university community where such groundbreaking work has both local impact and global reach.”

Each campus selects its awardees for the Board of Regent's Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. 

The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching recognizes faculty who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and creativity, and personal values beneficial to students. The awards were given to:

• Cara Chang, associate professor of English, Leeward Community College
• Leslie Crow-Kincaid, assistant professor of general business and hospitality in the business and cybersecurity division, UH West Oʻahu 
• Teri Evangelista, associate professor of mathematics, UH Maui College.
• Charlene S. Gima, assistant professor of English, Honolulu Community College
• Kekoa Harman, associate professor, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, UH Hilo
• Pele Kaio, assistant professor of Hawaiian lifestyles, Hawaiʻi Community College
• Cheehyung Harrison Kim, associate professor of history, College of Arts, Languages and Letters, UH Mānoa
• Ryan Koo, professor of history, Windward Community College
• Mark Ombrello, assistant professor of history, Kauaʻi Community College
• Miyoko T. Pettit-Toledo, assistant professor, William S. Richardson School of Law, UH Mānoa
• Subhashni Raj, assistant professor in urban and regional planning, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Eirik Saethre, professor of anthropology, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Amy Shiroma, assistant professor, Hospitality and Tourism Education Department, Kapiʻolani Community College
• Tamara Ticktin, professor of botany, School of Life Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Kara Wong Ramsey, associate professor, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Mānoa

Read the bios of each recipient

The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research recognizes a faculty member’s scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of all in the community, nation and the world, was awarded to:

• Nicolas Gaillard, associate researcher, Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, UH Mānoa
• Joseph Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, professor and chair of Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Mānoa
• Victor M. Lubecke, professor of electrical and computer engineering, College of Engineering, UH Mānoa

Read the bios of each recipient

The Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching recognizes dedication and demonstrated excellence as teachers of undergraduate students. It was established as a memorial to the late Frances Davis, who taught mathematics at Leeward Community College and UH Mānoa for 19 years. This year’s awardees are:

• Elisabeth “Lis” Gallant, assistant professor of geology, UH Hilo
• Ariel Gruenthal Rankin, assistant professor of anthropology, division of social sciences, UH West Oʻahu
• Lolita Pérez-Ayala, PhD candidate in the communication and information sciences interdisciplinary program, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Shawn Sumiki, culinary arts coordinator, Hawaiʻi Community College
• Lisa Vallin, instructor, Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Brian Yamamoto, professor of natural sciences, Kauaʻi Community College

Read the bios of each recipient

The Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education rewards outstanding achievement and significant contribution to vocational and technical education by a community college faculty member or student. The award was established by family members to honor the namesakes’ role in development of the food industry in Hawai‘i. This year's winner is:

• Mary Farmer, nursing instructor, UH Maui College

For more on Farmer