2026 Awards, Grants, and Scholarships Recipients
Congratulations to the 2026 recipients of MLA awards, grants, and scholarships. Watch for additional information on how these recipients will be celebrated.
Proven Leaders
MLA Fellowship
- Amy Blevins, AHIP, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Kelly Gonzalez, University of Texas SW Medical Center, Dallas, TX
- Rikke Ogawa, University of California, Irvine, CA
- Melissa Rethlefsen, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
- Gabriel Rios, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
Honorary Membership
- Kevin Baliozian, MBA, CAE, Medical Library Association, Chicago, IL, retired
Lectureship
Janet Doe Lectureship Award for 2027
- Sally Gore, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Career and Association Recognitions
Estelle Brodman Award for the Academic Health Sciences Librarian of the Year
- Fred LaPolla, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship
- Basia Delawska-Elliott, AHIP, Providence Health, Portland, OR
Consumer Health Librarian of the Year Award
- Deirdre Caparoso, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Carla J. Funk Governmental Relations Award
- Melissa De Santis, AHIP, University of Colorado – Anschutz, Aurora, CO
Lucretia W. McClure Excellence in Education Award
- Jessi Van Der Volgen, AHIP, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Chapter and Caucus
MLA Chapter Project of the Year Award
Open Meeting and Chapter Engagement Project
- Pacific Northwest Chapter of MLA
MLA Caucus Project of the Year Award (winner to be announced soon)
Written Works
Daniel T. Richards Prize (Combined authorship)
Graphic medicine in academic health science library collections.
- Janet Chan, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
- Melinda H. Berg, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
- Krystal Bullers, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
- Tsu Yin Lue University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Ida and George Eliot Prize (Combined authorship)
Librarians’ contributions to and impact on pharmacy scholarship: A bibliometric analysis using a systematic approach.
- Rebecca Carlson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
- Emily Jones, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
- Christopher Wisniewski, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
- Jennifer Wisniewski, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
- Emma Barrett-Catton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
- Michael Wolcott, University of Colorado – Anschutz, Aurora, CO
- Fei Yu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
Professional Development Grants
Collection Development Professional Development Grant
- Carole Durst, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
Continuing Education Grant (Five awardees)
- Carole Ng-He, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Illinois
- Katie Kidwell, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
- Jeannine Creazzo, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, Sommerville, NJ
- Andrea Harrow, Norris Medical Library and Keck Medical Center of the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA
- David Stewart, Oakland University, Rochester, MI
Hospital Libraries Professional Development Grant (Two awardees)
- Frances Chu, Providence Health & Services, Seattle, WA
- Jaclyn Morales, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY
Harriet L. Steuernagel Continuing Education Grant
- Jennifer Crumpton, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Student Scholarships
Ana D. Cleveland MLA Scholarship
- Audrey McDonald, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX
Gwendolyn S. Cruzat MLA Scholarship
- Khaila King, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
Beverly Murphy MLA Scholarship for Underrepresented Students
- Clara Obeng-Akrofi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
Annual Conference Travel Grants
Thank you to McGraw Hill for their 2026 sponsorship of the MLA Annual Conference Travel Grants.
- Frances Chu, Providence Health & Services, Seattle, WA
- Ann Dyer, Washington State University, Spokane, WA
- Jennifer Horton, College of American Pathologists, Northfield, IL
- Wongani Jumbo, University of North Carolina (UNC) Project, Project Library, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Katie Kidwell, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
- Ruby Nugent, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
- Courtney Pyche, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Hannah Schilperoort, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA