The American Gastroenterological Association recognized Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, with its 2020 Distinguished Mentor Award, according to an Aug. 26 announcement from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Three key details:
1. Dr. Merchant is chief of the gastroenterology division at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, as well as a cancer biology program researcher at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson. She is also a medical professor.
2. Dr. Merchant serves as an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and as a member of the National Institutes of Health Council of Councils.
3. A contributor to more than 75 peer-reviewed research publications, Dr. Merchant has advanced the understanding of gastric response to chronic inflammation and colon cancer.
"I am most humbled by the Distinguished Mentor Award because it means I have been recognized by individuals I have trained and whose careers I have significantly impacted," Dr. Merchant said in a prepared statement. "I also am most grateful to those who opened doors for me, several of whom have received this same prestigious award."