Alumna receives Faculty Mentor of the Year Award at NIU

Dr. Patricia Tattersall, graduate of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. program at WMU and associate professor in the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders at Northern Illinois University, received the 2016 NIU Research Mentor Award at NIU's seventh annual Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day. Tattersall received the annual award for embodying the qualities of an effective and influential mentorship.

“What has made Dr. Tattersall’s mentorship so valuable is her ability to provide the perfect amount of support so that I’m within reaching distance of my goals, but just far enough that I have to jump off on my own to reach them,” her nominator wrote. “She has challenged me, encouraged me, and gently corrected me as I’ve carried out my project. Dr. Tattersall’s advocacy has launched me into a rigorous season of professional development."

Dr. Tattersall was humbled with the recognition. "There are SO many great people in and outside of the university that mentor students in so many initiatives," she said. "I was blown away."

She also expressed gratitude for the mentorship she received while in WMU's Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. program. "Without your mentorship," Tattersall said. "I would not be impacting students in the way I have been fortunate to do, and I would never have received this honor."

In addition to the mentor award, Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day at NIU features hundreds of student poster and platform presentations from a variety of disciplines.