News and Feature Articles

Aurora, Colorado – Rachel Culp-Hill, MS, current student in the Structural Biology and Biochemistry PhD Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz), is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Service Award.

This award recognizes the graduate student who demonstrated outstanding service to making a difference in the university and broader community. The award recipient is a student who has volunteered their time to enrich the diversity and inclusiveness at CU Anschutz and demonstrated peer support or provided service to their fellow students.   

Culp-Hill was nominated by Angelo D’Alessandro, PhD, faculty in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at CU Anschutz, who writes “Over the last 4 years in graduate school, Rachel distinguished herself for her commitment to service, catering towards underrepresented minorities in science, with the goal to foster diversity, equity and challenge racism in academia.” 

In his nomination, Dr. D’Alessandro highlighted Culp-Hill's numerous leadership positions and outreach efforts at CU Anschutz and throughout the community. In addition to serving as the Director of the Young Hands in Science Outreach Program, Culp-Hill has also volunteered a significant amount of time as a scientific reviewer and judge in multiple local and regional science fairs.  

In one notable example of Culp-Hill's dedication to service, Dr. D’Alessandro highlights “Ms. Culp-Hill volunteered as Interim Core Manager, a position servicing over 400 investigators (250 CU Anschutz, 100 Cancer Center and at least 50 collaborators from other National and International institutions – e.g., Columbia University in NY, Oxford University, University of Maryland, UCSF, University of Virginia, just to mention few).” He emphasizes “The impressive part is that she could offer her service for this position, while being one of the most successful, if not the most successful graduate student in any of our programs.” 

When asked what this award means to her, Culp-Hill states "I am honored to have been chosen for this incredible award. While I am so grateful for this recognition, none of the things I have accomplished here at CU Anschutz would have been possible without the support of my mentors, Dr. Angelo D’Alessandro and Dr. Craig Jordan, the amazing work of the Young Hands in Science outreach program, and the many volunteer opportunities this campus has afforded by working with CoorsTek, the CU Denver campus, and other organizations and school districts. I truly believe that it takes a village to produce a good scientist, and that mentorship starts early and continues well after graduation.” She adds “I am so glad to have made an impact on this campus and surrounding community, and encourage my fellow students to get involved as much as possible during their time here, whether in student organizations, science fair judging, or mentorship within your program. You can make all the difference to a future scientist!” 
 
Culp-Hill is the 2022 award winner along with Shelby Smith from the Biostatistics MS Program. Previous award winners are listed below. 

2021: Zoe O'Donoghue, PhD, Microbiology PhD Program
2018: Courtney Wilson, PhD, Neuroscience PhD Program
2017: Anthony Mangan, PhD, Molecular Biology PhD Program 

About The Graduate School
The Graduate School administers and serves master's programs, doctoral programs, certificates, and non-degree courses throughout all thirteen schools and colleges across both the Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campuses. The Graduate School recognizes the importance of mentoring as essential to all levels of graduate training.