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t m c » p u l s e | a u g u s t 2 0 1 4 34 t m c » p u l s e | a u g u s t 2 0 1 4 ACCOLAdES BhAvAni iyEr, o.d., a low vision specialist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School, was awarded a $164,645 grant from the Lions Club International Foundation to help Harris County residents whose vision problems cannot be corrected with eyeglasses, medication or surgery. Iyer is using the three-year SightFirst grant to provide outreach programs as well as education and training for the thousands in and around Harris County with low vision. This is the first such grant to be awarded in Texas and the third largest in the country. The project has received an additional $20,000 in funding from local sources. jAnE MAhonEy, ph.d., r.n., pMhCns-BC, associate professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, Menninger Department, and director of nursing practice and research for the Menninger Clinic, has received the first annual Texas Medical Center Richard E. Wainerdi Nurse Leader Award. This award was funded to recognize the contri- butions of an outstanding emerging nurse leader working in the Texas Medical Center. Mahoney has demonstrated care, innovation, transformation and collaboration that support Dr. Wainerdi's vision for exemplary patient care, education and research. luCy puryEAr, M.d., medical director of The Women's Place: Center for Reproductive Psychiatry and co-director of The Menopause Center at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor, was awarded the 2014 Kathryn Stream Award for Excellence in Women's Health at the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce sixth annual Conference for Women. Puryear was chosen as this year's recipient in recognition for her achievement in advancing women's health. Puryear has been instrumental in advocating for women's reproductive mental health awareness and education and is in the forefront of this effort nationally. ChEryl lyn wAlkEr, ph.d., director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and Technology, has been voted chair of the University Advisory Committee of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Walker was nominated to the committee by John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. She also holds the endowed Welch Chair in Chemistry and joint positions in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M and the Department of Systems Biology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. shAwn s. AdiBi, dds, MEd, of the UTHealth School of Dentistry has been elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Oral Medicine. Adibi is an associate professor in the Department of General Practice and Dental Public Health, where he teaches assessment, treatment, planning and diagnostic sciences to dental students and acts as the director for several clinical courses. He also practices as a general dentist in Faculty Practice, where he treats patients with orofacial pain and temporomandib- ular disorders. Since Adibi joined the School of Dentistry, he has published manuscripts on the sub- jects of laser dentistry, oral pathology, oral radiol- ogy, conflict of interest in research and patient care. lori ArMstronG, Msn, r.n., chief nursing officer at Texas Children's Hospital, was honored with the Dr. Jennifer L. Howse Award for Excellence in NICU Leadership at the annual NICU Leadership Forum in Florida. Each year the award is given to a recipient who has demonstrated the vision and cour- age of a strong leader, has wielded significant influ- ence within and beyond the NICU walls, and leads with care and compassion for patients, families, colleagues and staff. Armstrong has been published multiple times, presented at 50 workshops, lectures and presentations in the United States and Asia, and is the recipient of numerous professional awards. kiMBErly dAvis, previously managing director of donor resources, has been named managing director of donation systems for LifeGift, a nonprofit organi- zation that offers hope to individuals needing trans- plants in 109 Texas counties. In this expanded role, Davis will not only lead hospital donation system development in the greater Houston area, but in Fort Worth, Amarillo and Lubbock. Davis and her team will work collaboratively with health care teams at hospitals and transplant centers across LifeGift's designated service area to continuously monitor, enhance and improve their donation systems. riChArd GiBBs, ph.d., founder and director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine, has been awarded the pres- tigious honor of the Companion of the Order of Australia—an accolade issued by the Australian government that recognizes eminent achieve- ment and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large. The announcement was made by the Australian government in cele- bration of The Queen's Birthday, a public holiday in Australia. Gibbs, the Wofford Cain Chair and Distinguished Service Professor in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor, is a native of Australia.