Annual faculty awards: Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD

Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD, is a recipient of the UNMC Faculty Senate’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students Award.

• Name: Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD
• Title: Executive director, Child Health Research Institute, and professor, Department of Pediatrics, UNMC College of Medicine
• Joined UNMC: Residency, 1998-2001, faculty, 2004
• Hometown: Casper, Wyoming

What are the greatest rewards of mentoring graduate students?

I learn so much from my graduate students. They are each talented, inquisitive and creative and start their PhD training with varied and complementary skill sets. Everyone brings something to the lab group, and together we are able meet and exceed our research goals and the impact of our work.

Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right profession.

As a clinician, administrator and a clinical and translational researcher, I am able to make an impact on my patient population (neonates) and their mothers in each of my roles. Being able to take what I do in clinical care in the NICU and translate it into research questions and studies that have the potential to impact clinical practice and policy is incredibly rewarding.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mentor?

One of my biggest challenges as a faculty member is having to say no to a potential student. We have so many talented students at UNMC that are looking for a high-quality research experience, I would encourage all faculty to consider mentoring in research whether you have a wet lab, do clinical or translational research, or have a small study idea that you could do with the help of a medical student. It is time well spent.

How do you know when you’ve been successful as a mentor?

My greatest satisfaction is when my students and trainees grow in their research practice. I love to see them confidently plan research next steps, problem solve and educate trainees who have started after them, other graduate students and the faculty in our lab group. Graduation day always is bittersweet.