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2023 Alumni Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2023 Alumni Award honorees! The recipients will be recognized during this year's Alumni Reunion Weekend on Oct. 6-7, 2023.

Send your congrats to the recipients 


KU School of Health Professions

Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Alumnus
Tommy Van Towle, DPT’12, MBA, BS’09
Outpatient Rehabilitation Manager
The University of Kansas Health System

Honorary Health Professions Alumna
Susan T. Jackson, PhD
Associate Professor Emerita
KU School of Health Professions
University of Kansas Medical Center

Distinguished Health Professions Alumnus
Scott Mattivi, BS’87
Chief Operations Officer
Pathology Watch


KU School of Medicine

Early Career Achievement in Medicine Alumna
Laurel B. Witt, MD’11, MPhil
Clerkship Director & Associate Professor, Family Medicine and Community Health
KU School of Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center

Honorary Medical Alumnus
Douglas A. Girod, MD, FACS
Chancellor, The University of Kansas
Professor, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, KU School of Medicine

Distinguished Medical Alumnus
Louis H. Wetzel, MD’82
Professor of Radiology
KU School of Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center


KU School of Nursing

Early Career Achievement in Nursing Alumna
Rachel Melson, DNP’17, MS’15
Outreach Clinic Director
Swope Health

Honorary Nursing Alumni
Lucy M. Kollhoff, MS
Project Coordinator
Kansas Center for Rural Health
University of Kansas Medical Center

Honorary Nursing Alumni
Michael E. Kollhoff, MS
Project Manager
KU Schools of Medicine & Nursing
University of Kansas Medical Center

Distinguished Nursing Alumna
Debra A. Travers, PhD, MSN, BSN’81
Faculty Emerita, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Associate Consulting Professor & MSN-Informatics Lead Faculty
Duke University School of Nursing

Alumni Relations