November/December 2025 Experts Highlights & Announcements

Hashikawa, Ilgen and Waits earn top faculty awards
Three IHPI members received faculty awards from the U-M Medical School for their exceptional accomplishments and service in 2025: 

• Clinical & Health Services Research Award - Mark Ilgen, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and associate medical director UMATS Ambulatory Psychiatry, U-M Medical School
• Community Service Award - Andrew Hashikawa, M.D., director of capstone for impact, U-M Concussion Center, associate director of outreach and engagement, clinical professor of emergency medicine and clinical professor of pediatrics, U-M Medical School
• Core Values Award: Integrity - Seth Waits, M.D., assistant professor of surgery and fellowship director of abdominal transplant surgery

Okanlami receives Neubacher Award
Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, M.D., M.S., clinical professor of family medicine, was the 2025 recipient of the James T. Neubacher Award. Helping to make U-M an inclusive, equitable environment both in the classroom and on the athletic field has been Okanlami’s mission as director of student accessibility and accommodation services. 
 
Papaleontiou elected to the American Thyroid Association Board of Directors 
Maria Papaleontiou, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine, will serve as a director at the American Thyroid Association and will help transform thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery. 

Reisner honored with health equity award at American Public Health Association
Sari Reisner, Sc.D., M.A., associate professor of public health, received the 2025 André G. Stanley Memorial Health Equity Award from the American Public Health Association's Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Section. The award recognizes Reisner's research focused on understanding and mitigating health inequities for LGBTQIA+ populations, particularly in mental health and substance use, HIV infection, and healthcare access and quality outcomes.