The Tanaka Award for Innovative Undergraduate Advising serves to recognize and thank a faculty advisor who has provided innovative advising to UConn undergraduate students who plan to enter a health profession. This honor is determined by nominations submitted by UConn students, administrators, faculty, and staff, providing them the opportunity to share their experience and the positive impact of the faculty advisor they have nominated.
This award was established in honor of the late Dr. John Tanaka, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and former director of UConn’s Honors Program. In his role as Honors Director, Professor Tanaka created a mentoring program that partnered upper-division Honors students with first-year Honors students to share their experiences and guidance. He championed pre-professional advising and preparation for students pursuing entry to medical/dental school. His colleagues distinguished his advice and commitment to these students which opened doors to postgraduate opportunities leading to successful careers in health care.
Award Description
This award recognizes innovative contributions to undergraduate advising by a faculty advisor. Nominees for this honor will have had a meaningful impact on student undergraduate experiences, while significantly exceeding expectations of the advising role.
2024-2025 Awardees
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Dr. Brian Aneskievich is a Professor of Pharmacology in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. In addition to his advising role, he is a biomedical researcher and university educator (as well as aspirational orchid grower). He is driven to synergize his laboratory investigations with students’ classroom learning to their mutual benefit in the arenas of inflammation and wound healing. Dr. “A” as he is known to his students and advisees completed a B.S. in Biology from Pennsylvania State University, a Ph.D. in Cell & Developmental Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His advising cohort spans pharmacy students in the UConn Honors Program from their junior to 2nd post-baccalaureate years as they progress through the Pharm.D. program. His advising approach is one of shared long-term planning to help students identify goals and achieve them by maximizing advisee experiences with School resources and opportunities. This especially includes building connections between advisees and his fellow faculty who serve as mentors to the students in their research projects. Brian has helped to foster a student-faculty environment leading to several SoP students receiving the national-level AFPE Gateway Research Scholarship. He encourages advisees to develop integrated academic and professional awareness, especially for where transferable and translatable skills can be attained such as in the School’s co-curricular specialty tracks. He has also previously received the Dean R.L. McCarthy Faculty Service Award and the Honors Faculty Member of the Year Award. |
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Dr. Stephanie Singe is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. She serves as the Director of Teaching and Learning for the Department. Dr. Singe has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut, master’s degree in Athletic Training from Old Dominion, and a Ph.D. in Sport Management and Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut. She is a certified athletic trainer and joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut in 2006. Dr. Singe is the 2023 recipient of the Most Distinguished Athletic Training Educator, and 2016 Emerging Educator in the same field. She is a fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Her research focus is work-life balance and burnout with specific focus on causative factors as well as preventive strategies to improve the quality of life for those working in healthcare and sport settings. Dr. Singe has an advising mentality centered on self-discovery which encourages her advisees to explore their strengths, values, and goals through guided reflection rather than simply providing answers. She fosters open environment by being approachable and human. She promotes a space where learners feel safe to express doubts, seek support, and make empowered decisions. This approach is rooted in care, recognizing that each person's journey is unique and deserving of thoughtful, empathetic guidance. |
Past Tanaka Award Recipients
Alix Deymier, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Carrie Morgan Eaton, Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Nursing
Krista Rogers, Assistant Director, Pre-Professional Advising
Keat Sanford, Pre-Medical Advisor
Tom Abbott, Associate Professor In-Residence, Molecular and Cell Biology