Lisa Roth, deputy director of the University of Iowa’s Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC), and Abby Schueller, an IPRC research associate and PhD student in epidemiology at the UI, were recently recognized for their outstanding work in injury prevention by the Safe States Alliance, a nonprofit organization and professional association whose mission is to strengthen the practice of injury and violence prevention.

Lisa Roth was honored with the President’s Award, an award selected annually by the Safe States Alliance president to recognize a recipient’s instrumental efforts in assisting the president in achieving organizational priorities. According to the award announcement, Lisa provided invaluable mentorship to the president, investing her time and energy to strengthen the organization’s leadership overall. Recognizing the learning curve that comes with stepping into the board president role, Lisa proactively stepped up as a mentor and has been dedicated to strengthening organizational knowledge by making herself available to help the president develop a deeper understanding of the organizational culture and history during this year of transition. This support, in addition to ongoing advice and constructive feedback, has created a smooth transition and allowed the new president to lead with confidence. 

Abby Schueller was honored with the Rising Star Award, which recognizes individuals who have been working in the field for fewer than five years. She is being recognized for the passion and dedication to advancing injury and violence prevention that she has demonstrated early in her career. According to her award announcement, Abby is making great strides in evaluation, overdose prevention, and violence prevention and has demonstrated a strong commitment to translating data into meaningful action that strengthens protective environments for children, families, and communities.