Drum Major Awards recognize faculty, staff and students at WashU Medicine
Peer-nominated awards honor individuals who embody Martin Luther King Jr.’s work and words
JASMINE KRUEGER / WASHU MEDICINEDrum Major Award recipients were honored at a ceremony on the Washington University Medical Campus.
Twenty-two individuals were recognized by WashU Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Drum Major Awards during Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week 2026.
The peer-nominated awards celebrate members of the WashU community who speak and work toward peace and justice for all and are named in honor of King’s 1968 sermon “The Drum Major Instinct,” in which he said, “Yes, if you want to say I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.”
Whether awardees lead community-wide service projects, mentor fellow scholars, teach children about science or serve in some other way, they share one common attribute: They embody the qualities of an “upstander,” or one who stands up for others in the face of injustice or inequitable treatment.
This year’s recipients are:
- Alison Antes, associate professor of medicine and Ombudsperson
- Floyd Boykin, insurance billing and collection assistant for Physicians Billing Service
- Sade Williams Clayton, post-doctoral research scholar
- Joel Dalton, program and planning manager, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Michelle Furman, specialist therapist of occupational therapy
- Laura Granderson, clinical support specialist, Siteman Cancer Center
- Haley Jetter, graduate research assistant, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences
- Rosie Jones, director of strategic projects, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences
- Abby King, administrator of department operations for occupational therapy
- Stephanie Kurtzman, Peter G. Sortino Executive Director, Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
- Emily Luc, student, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences
- Julian Magee, associate professor of physical therapy
- Hailey Modi, student, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences
- Taylor Pedersen, graduate research assistant in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences
- Duana Russell-Thomas, assistant professor of occupational therapy
- Nancy Saccone, associate professor of genetics
- Enrique Eduardo Sánchez-Castro, graduate research assistant, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences
- Vicki Singer, accessibility coordinator, Division of Public Health Sciences in the Department of Surgery
- Jim Skeath, professor of genetics and assistant dean for Academic Pathway Programs
- Sayako Smith, program manager, Siteman Cancer Center
- Erin Stampp, director of programming and professional development, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Michael Youssef, medical trainee
Recipients were honored during a ceremony held on Jan. 23 in Holden Auditorium on the Medical Campus.
