Awards & Recognition: Excellence, distinguished service, Neer awards, more

UC Davis Health has nearly 20,000 employees and faculty who do extraordinary things inside and outside the institution’s walls. Our Public Affairs and Marketing Department is repeatedly alerted to team members earning honors, designations, new titles, and more.

Here are some of the designations and awards earned in the last few months:

David Mitchell, Distinguished Service Award

The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) presented David Mitchell, assistant chief of specialty pharmacy, with its Distinguished Service Award.

The award highlights an individual who has provided outstanding leadership and made sustained and important contributions to the advancement of the specialty pharmacy industry.

The association presented Mitchell with the award at the annual NASP Conference.

Post Graduate Year 2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program, Pharmacy Residency Excellence Award

Residency training is crucial to developing future leaders and raising the level of practice. Supported by Medi-Dose and Samson Medical Technologies, the Pharmacy Residency Excellence Awards program honors leading practice facilities and mentors in pharmacy residency training in three categories.

UC Davis Health’s Post Graduate Year 2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program earned this year’s Pharmacy Residency Excellence Award from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

"(This program) stands out as a beacon of excellence in pharmacy residency education training," said Chad Hatfield, director of pharmacy.

The program provides residents with an opportunity to lead meetings, pursue new ideas and work closely with leadership members within the department.

Mariano Menendez, Charles S. Neer Award

Mariano E. Menendez, shoulder and elbow surgery surgeon for Orthopaedics Sports Medicine, has been awarded the 2025 Charles S. Neer Award during the annual meeting of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES).

The award recognizes excellence in orthopaedic research and contributions that enhance our understanding of shoulder injuries and rehabilitation.

Menendez is co-investigator on a trial which investigated two approaches to shoulder rehabilitation in patients undergoing reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, comparing home exercise-based and physical therapist-led programs. The team’s study provides critical insights for personalized patient care and optimal recovery.

This is the highest honor for clinical shoulder research given by ASES.

John Morrison, Society for Neuroscience President

After serving last year as the Society for Neuroscience’s president-elect, UC Davis Health neurology professor John Morrison has begun his term as the association’s president.

Morrison is the director of the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis and a distinguished professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurology.

With nearly 35,000 members in more than 95 countries, the society strives to advance neuroscience, support the neuroscience community, advocate for the field, and educate the public. 

Morrison’s three-year commitment began last year as president-elect. Next year, he will finish the term as past president.