Three Tulanians honored with STEM awards

The dean of the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering and two faculty members from the Tulane School of Medicine are winners of the 2020 Women in STEM Award sponsored by the American Heart Association and Entergy.

Kimberly Foster, now in her second year as dean of science and engineering, joins Dr. Anjali Niyogi and Dr. Sonia Malhotra as three of the 10 winners of the inaugural awards.

"Let us as women leaders continue to push the boundaries of our fields.”

Dr. Sonia Malhotra

The Women in STEM Awards, a program of the local chapter of the American Heart Association, recognize female leaders who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and made an impact across New Orleans in the STEM field. The winners were celebrated for their work earlier this month at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center.

"I am proud to be part of such a diverse group of accomplished women honored for their support of STEM in New Orleans," Foster said. “It is wonderful to see women giving back to their community and paving the road for an increased STEM pipeline through mentorship, programming and achievement,” Foster said.

Foster has focused on collaborating with the other Tulane deans to deepen the research collaborations among schools and to grow the research programs within science and engineering. Under her leadership, the school is also growing the opportunities for undergraduate research at Tulane. Foster is working with faculty in SSE on the design and programmatic planning for Steven & Jann Paul Hall, a multidisciplinary science & engineering building that will support research and education at Tulane, to be completed in 2022.

Niyogi is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine & Pediatrics. She is co-director of the RIGHT program (Resident Initiative in Global Health at Tulane) and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Tropical Medicine. In 2015, Niyogi founded the Formerly Incarcerated Transitions (FIT) Clinic, which provides continuity of care for acute and chronic medical conditions to persons recently released from incarceration.

Niyogi credited her mother for the award. “Starting in my childhood, I heard her speak about how she was one of three girls in her entire state to study engineering. This was in 1960s India. I learned from her how how to forge ahead even when others say you cannot, or should not.”

Malhotra is also an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics. In addition, she is director of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, a program of the Tulane School of Medicine and University Medical Center New Orleans.

Malhotra has been recognized with various teaching and community awards including the Tulane Owl Club Award for Best Pediatrics Resident, the National Med-Peds Resident Association’s “Howard Schubiner” Award and Resident of the Year in Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics.

“I dedicate this award to my family including my parents, husband and sons for always pushing me forth professionally and the mentors/coaches who have taken the time to make me better.  Let us as women leaders continue to push the boundaries of our fields.”