UConn School of Medicine’s Dr. Linda Barry has been prestigiously recognized by U.S. President Joseph Biden with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). It is the nation’s highest honor that mentors can receive.

Barry is a professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn School of Medicine and serves as associate director of the UConn Health Disparities Institute and associate dean of the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs.

On Jan. 13 President Biden announced UConn’s Barry as one of the over 300 teachers and mentors chosen from around the nation as recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in both STEM teaching and mentoring. These awards honor the vital role that America’s teachers and mentors play in shaping the next generation of technical leaders, including scientists, engineers, explorers, and innovators.

“The Presidential Award recognizes the invaluable role of mentorship in recruiting, promoting, and sustaining the next generation to pursue scientific careers. I was honored to be nominated but even more thrilled to be amongst the chosen of such an esteemed group,” says Barry. “This award recognizes the great mentorship work we are doing at UConn School of Medicine. It is a profound acknowledgment of the time and effort we invest in our mentees to succeed often without the expectation of recognition.”

Barry holds a B.A. from Yale University, earned an M.D. from Cornell’s medical school and an M.P.H. from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Mentorship gave Barry a renewed purpose as a physician after experiencing a major illness. For over 14 years she has taught and mentored students at UConn’s medical school and created several successful pathway programs for underrepresented students wishing to become future doctors or scientists.

During her over three decades of mentoring experience, she has encouraged over 300 students to pursue careers in science especially those underrepresented in medicine (URiM). Additionally, the Women in Surgery Interest Group she founded has led to her mentoring of more than 400 women medical students who demonstrated an interest in a surgical career.

Most recently, she developed and directs the Visiting Externship for Students Underrepresented in Medicine (VESUM) program for visiting fourth-year medical students to increase diversity among UConn School of Medicine’s robust residency training programs.

“UConn’s medical school has always been dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. My mentorship philosophy is to find new ways to provide all students and particularly those from underrepresented groups in medicine and science with the resources, tools, and mentorship I wish I had as a medical student and when I did research in the lab. At UConn we take a 360-degree approach to mentorship. It’s not just about academics. It is about helping our students gain important soft-skills training to showcase their scientific acumen and the talent that they bring to the table,” Barry shares. “For me it has been all about building a mentorship support network for students and trainees across all different realms including right inside our communities. For UConn I have been going across the country to encourage more diverse students to apply to our programs.”

Barry stresses, “I strongly believe that any child interested in medicine and science should be able to try to pursue their dreams. Mentorship can be key to putting them on the right path.”

Barry is a past recipient of the The Edythe J. Gaines Award for Inclusive Education, Petit Family Foundation Women in Science Leadership Award, and the West Indian Foundation Education Award. Her research is NIH-funded, and she is author of several published peer-reviewed articles.

“This is a great honor for Dr. Barry who is just one of 25 individuals in the nation to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. We are proud of Linda’s work on mentoring at UConn School of Medicine in these vital areas that will prepare our students across the communities as future leaders,” applauds Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of UConn School of Medicine.

“What an honor! Congratulations to Dr. Barry. Thank you for making us all proud,” also applauds Dr. Andy Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health.

Barry’s national award accomplishment is also celebrated by her past mentees.

“Dr. Barry is an outstanding mentor. Her zeal for supporting students in their career endeavors is highly noteworthy. Dr. Barry is devoted to mentoring the next generation of academic leaders in STEM and I have been fortunate enough to be one of those students,” shares Uju Momah, M.D., of the Class of 2021 of UConn School of Medicine who is now a fourth-year anesthesia resident at Harvard Medical School training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “At her core, Dr. Barry’s goal has been simple: to train her mentees, students, and colleagues to be the best clinicians they can be. Because of her work, UConn and its students are better for it.”

“I have collaborated with and been mentored myself by Dr. Barry. Dr. Barry has had an incredible impact on STEM trainees from diverse underrepresented backgrounds at multiple levels,” shares Elaine C. Lee, Ph.D., director of the Human Performance Laboratory, Research Support in the Department of Kinesiology and CAHNR Dean’s Leadership Fellow at the University of Connecticut who was a member of the first cohort of the M1 Mentors for the Young Innovative Investigators Program (YIIP) that had been directed by Barry at UConn Health. “Dr. Barry’s personal journey and leadership are inspiring, and will continue to drive change and progress to help support our underrepresented trainees in STEM.”

Lee concludes, “With all Dr. Barry’s accomplishments personally and professionally, she is an outstanding representative for what the PAESMEM Award strives to honor.”

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) was established by Congress in 1995. This award honors the hard work and dedication of mentors like Barry for broadening participation in STEM pathways and demonstrating excellence in mentoring individuals from groups that are underrepresented in STEM education and the workforce. Colleagues, administrators, and students nominate individuals and organizations for exemplary mentoring and a national selection committee assesses the nominations before recommending awardees to the National Science Foundation and The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).