Kummer, Dummitt honored with 2024 teaching, employee of the year awards

Nominations came from college students, faculty and staff

Hillary Kummer (left), Interim Dean Karla Zadnik and Cassidy Dummitt.

Hillary Kummer (left), Interim Dean Karla Zadnik and Cassidy Dummitt.

Two members of the College of Public Health community were honored with the college’s annual Excellence in Teaching and Employee of the Year awards.

Hillary Kummer, a lecturer in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy, received multiple nominations for her hard work building content and coursework that prepares students for successful careers.

Among the comments made in the nominations:

  • “Hillary uses quizzes and cases to encourage critical thinking in a really unique way. Finance is very hard but through Hillary's class I have been able to make the connections and gain a deeper understanding that I feel will be critical to my success as a health administrator.” 
  • “Hillary is a prime example of what many MHA students strive to be: approachable, down-to-earth, analytical and insanely good at Excel.”
  • “She is always open to feedback and applying it in real time. She communicates clearly and often pulls up real life examples of her former projects that are relevant to course materials.”

Cassidy Dummitt, administrative assistant for events support, was honored as Employee of the Year. Those who nominated her praised Dummitt’s willingness to learn and organizational skills. 

  • “Cassidy is able to engage with and support faculty from all of our divisions which means she can easily engage with very different personalities and approaches to needs and work. She does this with great friendliness and professionalism.” 
  • “Cassidy stands out in the sheer volume and diversity of service within the CPH. She seems to be everywhere for everyone all the time, keeping an enormous array of college functions running smoothly, both for events and day-to-day operations. (But please give her help — there's so much to do!)” 
  • “Cassidy had been pulled in many different directions this year between all the college events and attending division meetings but has still produced high quality work. She is organized, never misses a deadline and is always thinking one step ahead.”

Interim Dean Karla Zadnik announced the awards at a May 1 faculty and staff meeting.

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About The Ohio State University College of Public Health

The Ohio State University College of Public Health is a leader in educating students, creating new knowledge through research, and improving the livelihoods and well-being of people in Ohio and beyond. The College's divisions include biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, and health services management and policy. It is ranked 29th among all colleges and programs of public health in the nation, and first in Ohio, by U.S. News and World Report. Its specialty programs are also considered among the best in the country. The MHA program is ranked 8th, the biostatistics specialty is ranked 22nd, the epidemiology specialty is ranked 25th and the health policy and management specialty is ranked 17th.