Amanda Wright, MD, Dean of MU-WCOM, and Anthony Martin, DO, MU-WCOM Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, present Heidi M. Dunniway, MD, with the 2025 Shards of Light Award.

The Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Internal Medicine Program and its regional chief medical officer, Heidi M. Dunniway, MD, were honored with the Shards of Light Award at Marian University’s Graduate and Alumni Awards Reception.

“In the face of complex clinical education demands, they (Ascension and Dr. Dunniway) helped us imagine – and implement -- a cohort rotation model that brought our students to Evansville for a full, high-quality experience for the entirety of their third year,” said Dr. Amanda Wright, dean of Marian’s Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-WCOM). “It was more than a change in geography; it was a transformation in opportunity. Their team created a learning environment that is student-centric, community-engaged, and anchored in the values we hold dear. The partnership brought our students closer to residency-caliber training and deeper into the kind of medicine that serves both science and humanity.”

The Shards of Light Award was established in 2022 during the inaugural Graduate and Alumni Awards Reception. Its name and spirit are inspired by a tradition in Judaism, which teaches that when the holy vessels that contain light are shattered, the shards scatter across the world.

Butler University was also recognized as a 2025 Shards of Light Award recipient.