Four members of the UTHealth Houston community received the university’s most distinguished awards for their exceptional work, history of long-standing excellence, and dedication during the 2025 President’s Scholar Awards and Recognition of Excellence Award ceremony on May 22.

LaTanya J. Love, MD, interim president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at UTHealth Houston, presented President’s Scholar Awards to three faculty for their work in research, teaching, and clinical care and the Recognition of Excellence Award to a fourth member of the community for her overall service to the university.

Each award, given to deserving individuals nominated by their peers, carries with it the honorary title and a cash prize.

Award Recipients

President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Research
Vasanthi Jayaraman, PhD, MS
President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Teaching
Melissa Peskin, PhD, MS
President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Clinical Service
Kevin P. Lally, MD, MS
Recipient of the 2025 President’s Recognition of Excellence
Julie Page, CPA

About the recipients

Vasanthi Jayaraman, PhD, MS

2023 President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Research

Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Bob and Hazel Casey Chair in Biochemistry
John S. Dunn Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Molecular and Translational Biology Program
Neuroscience Program
MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

“Dr. Jayaraman’s research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter receptor channel gating, which plays a critical role in learning, memory, and neurological disorders such as epilepsy, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia. Her pioneering work has provided a framework for identifying therapeutic targets to modulate these receptors for clinical benefit,” said Rodney Kellams, PhD, professor and the Bob and Hazel Casey Endowed Chair at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Her more recent groundbreaking discovery of signaling by delta receptors — a previously misunderstood class of proteins — has challenged existing paradigms in neuroscience, revealing new therapeutic possibilities for conditions like autism, schizophrenia, and ataxia.”

Renowned for her work on the function and dynamics of membrane proteins using spectroscopy and single-molecule imaging methods, Jayaraman uses spectroscopic techniques to study how glutamate receptors change structure when activated by agonists. Her research helps in designing drugs targeting glutamate receptors for conditions like epilepsy and ischemia.

“This award stands as a symbol not only of my journey, but of the collective effort, sacrifices, and belief of so many,” Jayaraman said. “So today, I accept it on behalf of all of you — my village.”

She is extensively published and is the editor-in-chief for Biophysical Journal and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Journal of General Physiology. Additionally, she is the recipient of the D. Dudley and Judy White Oldham Faculty Award, Women’s Faculty Forum Research Excellence Award, and UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. She is an 11-time winner of the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award at McGovern Medical School.

Jayaraman also co-founded the Women Faculty Forum at McGovern Medical School with Gurur Biliciler-Denktas, MD, which established several new initiatives involving networking, sick child care, and awards to recognize women.

Melissa Peskin, PhD, MS

President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Teaching

Assistant Dean of Students
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
The University of Texas System Distinguished Teaching Professor

“During her lengthy and distinguished career at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Dr. Peskin has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the UTHealth Houston educational mission through her many notable contributions, which comprise innovations in teaching and curriculum development, mentoring, scholarly research, and educational leadership within UTHealth Houston and more broadly across communities in Texas,” said Christine Markham, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and the deputy director of the Texas Prevention Research Center. “Dr. Peskin is an excellent teacher both in the classroom and online setting, which has also included development and inclusion of innovation in reaching and engaging students during COVID-19 and post-pandemic.”

Peskin has served students in various roles, from faculty associate to, now, assistant dean of students. She plays a prominent role in the development and implementation of the school’s academic programs and curriculum. Drawing on her experience in creating and evaluating programs for youth, she helps students discover the best ways that they learn.

“UTHealth Houston fosters an environment that truly values and promotes excellence in teaching,” Peskin said. “It is this environment — along with the incredible sense of community among my colleagues and students — that reminds me every day how lucky I am to do this work and to do it here.”

As an epidemiologist and behavioral scientist, she has extensive experience conducting research focused on the determinants of adolescent health risk behaviors related to sexual risk-taking and violence, including bullying, aggression, and dating violence.

Her commitments to improving public health education have earned her several honors and awards. They include being a co-recipient of the 2023 Teaching Innovation Award for PHWMD 1120 Program Evaluation from the UTHealth Houston Office of Instructional Design, recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2020 at the School of Public Health, and induction into the UT System Kenneth I. Shine, MD, Academy of Health Science Education in 2022.

Kevin P. Lally, MD, MS

President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Clinical Service

Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatric Surgery
Richard J. Andrassy, MD, Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Surgery
A.G. McNeese Chair in Pediatric Surgery
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

“He is the model for dedication to patient care. When it comes to the clinical care of the sickest and most challenging pediatric patients, Dr. Lally’s commitment over the last 30 years stands as a unique example of dedication and excellence,” said Matthew Harting, MD, MS, PAAP, FACS, associate professor in the department of Pediatric Surgery at McGovern Medical School. “He has established new programs, which have changed the course of medical care in our city and throughout the world. He has developed unique expertise and pushed the bounds of our knowledge so that we all can be better clinicians and surgeons. His clinical leadership and commitment to interprofessional teamwork have been the mark of excellence for our institution... for the last 15 years.”

Lally is a nationally recognized leader in pediatric surgery and a specialist in the care of infants and children. He is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a rare and complex birth defect.

He founded and manages the CDH Registry, an international consortium that has prospectively collected clinical data on over 15,000 infants affected by the condition. In 1992 he founded Houston’s first ECMO program at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, which has now cared for more than 1,000 patients. In addition to serving as surgeon-in-chief at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Lally is executive director of the Pediatric Surgery Quality Collaborative at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, part of a national partnership with the mission of delivering high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered surgical care.

Lally has received multiple awards for clinical excellence, as well as for teaching and mentoring, and has held leadership roles in many national and international pediatric surgical organizations.

“Clinical excellence is always a team effort,” said Lally, who also thanked his wife for her longtime support.

Julie Page, CPA

Recipient of the 2025 President’s Recognition of Excellence

A 2022 honoree of the President’s Awards for Leadership, Page has played a pivotal role in advancing UTHealth Houston’s mission through her expertise in finance, operations, and strategic partnerships. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to efficiency, she has been instrumental in driving positive change and expanding the university’s footprint.

Page emphasized changes over the last 23 years that have made UTHealth Houston a bigger, healthier family focused on quality and mentioned the McGovern Foundation gift among the gamechangers. “Be bold. Be kind, and work hard,” Page said.

Among her many achievements, Page played a critical role in negotiating the Harris Health contract, which took effect in 2008 and was successfully renegotiated in 2020. She has also worked to strengthen relationships and expand collaborative opportunities with Memorial Hermann Health System.

Colleagues recognize Page for her diplomatic communication skills and ability to bridge gaps between teams. She is known for her attentive listening and authentic leadership style, creating an environment where colleagues feel heard and supported.