A better definition of obesity
January 14, 2025
Professor H Steven (Hank) Seifert of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine will receive Northwestern’s 2025 Provost Award for Exemplary Faculty Service.
The annual award, given by the Office of the Provost, recognizes full-time faculty members who provide outstanding service to the University or significant contributions to their individual units and are exemplars of good academic citizenship.
Seifert will receive a $5,000 award and will be recognized at a reception later this winter.
“I am nominating Hank in part out of my appreciation for his role in providing excellent (and frank!) advice as I have navigated my own career at NU over the past two decades,” wrote Feinberg Professor Karla Satchell in her nomination.
Seifert is the John Edward Porter Professor of Biomedical Research in the Microbiology-Immunology Department and has been a member of Feinberg faculty for 36 years. His research studying the evolution of infectious agents of health concern, in particular microbes such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has earned him honors and accolades in his field, in which he is seen as a leader.
During his career, which he has spent entirely at Northwestern, Seifert has trained 18 Ph.D. students and 18 post-doctoral students and served on Ph.D. thesis committees for over 75 students. He was named Feinberg’s 2011 Mentor of the Year thanks to his drive to support young faculty as they built their research programs. Seifert was also the director of the Feinberg Integrated Graduate Program (now the Driscol Graduate Program), Northwestern’s second-largest Ph.D. program.
“Hank’s mentoring is rigorous with high expectations, but also exudes compassion, thoughtfulness and a willingness to always be supportive and helpful,” wrote Northwestern Professor Kelly E. Mayo in a letter nominating Seifert.
As associate dean of student and postdoctoral affairs at The Graduate School, Seifert made it his mission to amplify recognition of post-doctoral students for their contributions in research and build upon training experiences of post-docs at Northwestern.
Seifert has additionally taken on challenging service roles including engaged membership in the Faculty Senate and University Senate Executive Committee, working on committees that rewrote the faculty handbook, the research committee and faculty rights and responsibilities committee.
Described by Mayo as “passionate, hardworking, caring and committed,” Seifert has provided extraordinary and exemplary service to the University.
