Kao Lee Yang, MPA, a doctoral candidate in the neuroscience and public policy program training with Barb Bendlin, PhD, MA, has been announced as a recipient of the University of Wisconsin’s 17th annual Outstanding Women of Color Awards.
Kao Lee is dedicated to identifying new ways the scientific community can equitably engage members from historically underrepresented groups as science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) researchers and as STEMM research participants. Examples of her commitment include founding Hmong in the Biological Sciences, a group dedicated to building community and mentorship among Hmong scientists and trainees. She also co-founded the Hmong Association for Scientific Research, through which she organized initiatives like a virtual panel on applying to STEMM graduate programs, attended by students from underrepresented groups across the United States. Her advocacy for disaggregating racial and ethnic data in scientific research has earned recognition, with publications in STAT News and Nature. During her term as a Morgridge Fellow for community-engaged scholarship, she led the creation of culturally tailored dementia resources for Southeast Asian elders. Her efforts have earned her awards such as the “One to Watch” honor from the Alzheimer’s Association and Neuroscience Next. Learn more about her work on the Bendlin Lab website.
Established in 2007, the Outstanding Women of Color Awards recognize and honor women of color among UW–Madison’s faculty, staff, students (undergraduate or post-baccalaureate) and in the greater Madison community whose advocacy, activism, or scholarship has fostered social justice and organizational change, who have created positive transformation within their institutions and/or the community and whose efforts are improving the climate for, or status of, people of color.
The 17th annual UW–Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards Reception will take place on February 25, 2025, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at Varsity Hall, Union South.
Updated December 10, 2024
