The University of Virginia made the list of the inaugural “Reuters Top 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities,” released Sept. 16, that aims to identify which institutions contribute the most to science and technology, and have the greatest impact on the global economy.

The new ranking uses proprietary data and analysis tools from the Intellectual Property & Science division of Thomson Reuters to examine a series of 10 patent and research-related metrics, and get to the essence of what it means to be truly innovative.

The criteria focused on academic papers, which indicate basic research performed at a university; and patent filings, which point to an institution’s interest in protecting and commercializing its discoveries.

U.Va. ranked No. 74 on the list, which was dominated by American institutions. Fully half of the schools are from the U.S., including the top nine, led by Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Rita Dove First English-Language Poet to Earn Major Chinese Poetry Prize

Poet Rita Dove, Commonwealth Professor of English, has been named the 10th recipient of China’s Poetry & People International Prize for Poetry – the first English-language poet and second foreign woman ever to win the award.

The prize is awarded by the leading poetry magazine Poetry & People, founded by noted Chinese poet Lihai Huang. Previous recipients have included four Chinese and five internationally known writers – Portuguese poet Eugénio de Andrade, Russian poet Inna Lisnyanskaya, Swedish Nobel Laureate Tomas Tranströmer, Slovenian poet Tomaz Salamun and Polish poet Adam Zagajewski. Dove will accept the award Sept. 27 at a ceremony in Guangdong.

Dove received the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for her book “Thomas and Beulah” and served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 1993 to 1995.

Health System Honored for Participating in Largest Kidney Transplant Chain

For being part of the largest kidney transplant chain in the U.S., the University of Virginia Health System’s Transplant Center has received the 2015 National Kidney Registry Excellence in Teamwork Award.

U.Va. was among 25 U.S. transplant centers honored for participating in a transplant chain, also known as a “paired donor exchange,” that enabled 35 patients to receive a kidney transplant.

In a paired donor exchange, living kidney donors who wish to donate to a loved one – but aren’t matches for their loved one – are paired with a different patient in need of a transplant. This enables the donor’s loved one to become part of the paired exchange and increase the chances of finding a suitable kidney for that patient.

Living kidney donations increase the chances for a successful transplant, usually have a longer functioning time and begin to function more quickly following the transplant.

U.Va. typically performs 80 to 100 kidney transplants per year as part of the care available at its comprehensive transplant center, which opened in 1967. U.Va. also performs heart, islet cell, liver, lung and pancreas transplants.

Four Law Students Awarded for Honor, Character, Integrity

Four third-year School of Law students have earned Mary Claiborne and Roy H. Ritter Prizes for their contributions to the community. Katie Bogle, Neil Clausen, Claire Condro and Zachary Ray received this year’s tuition awards.

The Ritter Scholars program recognizes members of the rising third-year class who best exemplify the qualities of honor, character and integrity envisioned by Thomas Jefferson when he founded the University.

Based on recommendations from students, staff and faculty members, this year’s recipients regularly assist in the operations of the Admissions Office, manage student organizations and journals, support first-year students academically and take action to make the wider community a safer place for students and local residents alike.

The Ritter Scholars program was established in 1983 by C. Willis Ritter, a member of the Law School’s class of 1965, in memory of his parents, Mary Claiborne and Roy H. Ritter. His mother was one of the first women admitted to the practice of law in Virginia.

Ritter also created the program in appreciation for his time at U.Va.’s Law School and to encourage discussion about what honor, character and integrity mean.

State Association to Present Seven U.Va. Nurses with ‘40 Under 40’ Awards

Seven nurses with U.Va. ties are among the Virginia Nurses Association’s “40 Under 40,” to be honored Nov. 21 at the association’s annual gala Nov. 21 in Short Pump.

The annual award goes to 40 young registered nurses whose practice significantly and uniquely contributes to the profession through clinical practice, scholarship, research, teaching and community partnerships. Hundreds were nominated for the 40 awards.

U.Va.’s awardees include one professor, Randy Jones, and two current graduate students: master’s student Rhode Baptiste and Alexander Wolf, enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

Four alumni are also among the honorees: Tara Albrecht, who received a bachelor’s degree in 2005 and a master’s in 2009; Erica Lewis, who received a master’s in 2008 and a Ph.D. in 2012; Rebecca Poston, who earned a bachelor’s in 2003 and a Ph.D. in 2012; and Malinda Whitlow, who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2007, a master’s in 2011 and a doctorate in nursing practice in 2013).

The 40 Under 40 awardees will participate in a leadership development program and in opportunities to engage policymakers through the association’s Virginia Action Coalition.