February 2026 Experts Highlights & Announcements

Agarwal named a 2026 JAMA Editorial Fellow
Sumit Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of internal medicine, is part of the 2026 JAMA Network cohort of 10 academic physicians and nurses joining the JAMA Editorial Fellowship Program. This fellowship is designed to engage early-career clinical or health services researchers with JAMA’s editorial team to learn about editorial decision-making and enhance skills in scientific communication.

Bagenstos recipient of 2025 public engagement award
Samuel Bagenstos, J.D., professor of law, is a recipient of the 2025 presidential awards for public engagement. The awards recognize the recipients' demonstrated commitment to public service, contributions to significantly impact society through national and state leadership, and efforts to address the challenges communities face every day. During the Biden administration, Bagenstos served as general counsel to the Office of Management and Budget and then general counsel to the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Dalton receives Sarah Goddard Power Award 
Vanessa K. Dalton, M.D., M.P.H., professor of obstetrics and gynecology, received the Sarah Goddard Power Award for her sustained commitment to using her expertise and influence to break down barriers and foster opportunities for women and other marginalized identities. Throughout her career, Dalton has strived to support the professional development of numerous students, faculty, and staff. She has mentored countless students and faculty housed in medicine, public health, and nursing, co-leads a national NIH grant writing course, and hosts research electives in women’s health research for students.

Johnson named 2026 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Florence Johnson, Ph.D., M.S.N., M.H.A., R.N., assistant professor of nursing, was named a James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). The award was established to extend the mentoring efforts of PRBA by providing support for rising University of Michigan research scientists. The endowment honors James S. Jackson, who served as director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics and the Institute for Social Research.