The two recipients of the 2021 UW Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty do not take their roles as mentors lightly. Initially nominated by peers and current and former mentees for this honor, Abby Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA, and Tonya Palermo, PhD, were then chosen as the finalists by the Dean’s Standing Committee for Women in Medicine and Science.

Moving to Seattle in 2006 after graduating from Stanford University, Rosenberg is an associate professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the UW School of Medicine and is director of the Palliative Care and Resilience Program at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She is also director of Pediatrics at the UW Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, and director of Survivorship and Outcomes Research at the Seattle Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

Palermo was recruited to Seattle in 2010 and is professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at UW School of Medicine with adjunct appointments in Pediatrics and Psychiatry. Additionally, she holds the Hughes M. and Katherine Blake Endowed Professorship in Health Psychology. Palermo also serves as associate director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

After speaking with Rosenberg and Palermo about their passion for their work and research, and their dedication to their mentees, it comes as no surprise that they’ve been chosen to receive this honor. Both understand the positive and lasting impact that mentors can have on a mentee’s career (and life) — especially when it comes to supporting women and other marginalized communities.

Read the whole interview with Rosenberg and Palermo to learn about what mentoring and this recognition mean to them.