School of Law alumnus David Baldacci was the People’s Choice fiction award winner for “Calamity of Souls.” He has published 49 novels for adults, all of which have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His books are published in more than 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. He has also published seven novels for young readers. Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, established the Wish You Well Foundation, which supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.
As previously reported, Deborah Parker, professor of Italian emerita, formally received the 2025 Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award for “Becoming Belle da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian Through Her Letters,” published last fall by Villa I Tatti: The Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.
Former Med School dean receives society’s top honor
The Endocrine Society will give its highest honor, the Fred Conrad Koch Lifetime Achievement Award, to Dr. Robert M. Carey, professor of medicine and dean emeritus of the UVA School of Medicine.
Carey is slated to receive the award in June at the society’s annual meeting in Chicago.
The award recognizes lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions to the field of endocrinology.
The society’s announcement described Carey as “a world-renowned clinical endocrinologist and leader in cardiovascular endocrinology.”
“He is being recognized for his leadership in clinical hypertension, including treating patients, conducting groundbreaking research, and enhancing our understanding of hormonal control of blood pressure,” the society wrote.
Carey was president of the Endocrine Society in 2008 and is a past recipient of its Distinguished Physician Award and the Outstanding Leadership Award.
UVA’s Silvia Blemker to lead American Society of Biomechanics
Members of the American Society of Biomechanics have elected Silvia Salinas Blemker, Robert Thomson Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, to serve a three-year leadership term. She will be president-elect for the next year, become president in August 2026, and complete her service as past president from August 2027 to August 2028.
Blemker is an entrepreneur and researcher known for translating scientific discoveries into treatments for muscle-related disease, injury and performance.
“This is a special honor for me,” Blemker said. “I’ve been drawn to the society since my first ASB meeting as a graduate student for the incredible science, collaborative community and shared passion for biomechanics.”
The society defines biomechanics as the broad interplay between mechanics and biological systems and includes disciplines and fields of application, including biological sciences, exercise and sports science, health sciences, ergonomics and human factors, and engineering and applied science.
It promotes the exchange of ideas among biomechanists from these various disciplines to advance biomechanics as both a basic and applied science, according to its website.
Blemker’s research and career path sit at the intersection of the two. She uses experimental and computational modeling to study muscle biology and mechanics, leading to insights that inform treatments for disease, functional loss or athletic performance improvement.
She co-founded Springbok Analytics, a company built on technology she developed that converts magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, into 3D analysis of musculature. Powered by artificial intelligence, the system identifies imbalances, asymmetries and weak spots that contribute to symptoms or increase injury risk.
Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year, the technology allows clinicians to precisely target and track therapy for a wide range of people, from elite athletes to people with disorders like facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a common form of muscular dystrophy.
UVA recognized Springbok’s founders with this year’s Innovator of the Year award in February. Blemker’s newest honor came in June, when she was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
UVA Health University Medical Center earns highest national trauma care honor
UVA Health University Medical Center has earned the highest possible designation for trauma care in the United States: recognition as a Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons.
This is the fourth time UVA Health University Medical Center has been verified as a Level I Trauma Center since 2015. The verification process is a rigorous, independent review that confirms the medical center meets national benchmarks for all aspects of trauma care, including emergency response, treatment, prevention, rehabilitation, education and research.
Comprehensive trauma care for both adults and children – from the initial emergency response to recovery and rehabilitation – is available around the clock at UVA Health University Medical Center. Along with board-certified trauma surgeons in general surgery and surgical critical care, the trauma team features surgical specialists in neurosurgery; orthopedics; heart and chest; vascular; skull and face; plastic surgery; hand; obstetrics and gynecology; ear, nose and throat; urology; and eyes.
Over the past four decades, more than 96% of injured patients admitted to UVA Health University Medical Center’s trauma center have survived.
“Our team is advancing trauma care through innovative research and evidence-based care that continuously improves outcomes for our patients,” Kathy Baker, chief nursing officer of UVA Health University Medical Center, said. “I am so thankful for everyone here who helps University Medical Center deliver lifesaving care to patients every day.”
Engineer elected to Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine
Kevin Skadron, the Harry Douglas Forsyth Professor of Computer Science, has been elected to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine. The academy brings together many of Virginia’s most accomplished researchers to inform state-level decisions on science and technology challenges through nonpartisan, objective guidance.
A researcher in computer architecture, accelerators, heterogeneous computing systems and thermal-aware design, Skadron has advanced both theoretical insights and practical tools that shape how high-performance systems are built and studied.
He is a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery, a recipient of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture Maurice Wilkes Award and the 2023 Semiconductor Research Corporation-Semiconductor Industry Association University Research Award. Skadron chaired the Department of Computer Science from 2012 to 2021.
Election to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine recognizes individuals not only for their technical leadership, but also their potential to contribute to public dialogue and policymaking that benefits all Virginians. Skadron will be recognized at the academy’s annual summit this fall.
He joins numerous UVA Engineering faculty who have been elected to the academy, including former Dean James H. Aylor, who recently concluded his term as president. Current Dean Jennifer L. West serves as the organization’s secretary and treasurer.
