Five alumni and nine undergraduates recognized at Health and Human Sciences awards banquet

Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences recognized five alumni at its 2019 Alumni Awards Banquet on April 5.

The five honorees have impacted the fields of nuclear and radiological environmental health, higher education, professional football, healthcare and public health.

Distinguished Alumni

Charles Miller: He received his Ph.D. in bionucleonics in 1973, and previously worked for the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the radiation studies branch. Miller is now a consultant on nuclear and radiological environmental health.

John Schrader: He was a clinical professor and the inaugural assistant dean for Student Academic Affairs at Indiana University. Prior, Schrader held multiple other positions at Indiana University including coordinator of athletic training education programs. Schrader graduated from Purdue in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education.

Outstanding Young Alumni

Ted Harper: After graduating from Purdue in 2008, Harper became a professional dietitian and nutrition consultant to athletes, sports teams and the U.S. armed forces. Harper is currently the director of sports nutrition and team sports dietitian for the NFL’s New England Patriots.

Akshay Thomas: In 2008, Thomas received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue in health sciences, and four years later, was a recipient of the Alfred Maschke Award for Excellence in the Art and Practice of Medicine. Since then, Thomas accepted a position as a vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at Tennessee Retina. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, and has co-edited two text books.

Distinguished Service Award

Kathleen Widner: She graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in community health education in 1979. After graduation, Widner worked as an industrial wellness coordinator at HealthEast and as an executive director at YWCA. Today, Widner is the service area director at Kaiser Permanente and a member of Society of Public Health Educators and American Public Health Association.

Outstanding Seniors

The College of Health and Human Sciences also recognized nine outstanding seniors at the awards banquet.

Awards Dinner Photo Gallery

About Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences

The college is home to the departments of Consumer Science, Health and Kinesiology, Human Development and Family Studies, Nutrition Science, Psychological Sciences, and Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; the schools of Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Nursing; the Public Health Graduate Program; and Health and Human Sciences HHS Extension.