As Sherry Cox began to wrap up her spring semester, she and three of her colleagues received word that they would be recognized for their work as faculty mentors. The first Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor of the Year Awards were hand delivered to University of Tennessee, Knoxville faculty members that demonstrated an outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Cox, clinical professor of biomedical and diagnostic sciences in the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was nominated for the award by students Kristen Gordon and Molly White.

Gordon said that her professor has “been an amazing mentor in too many ways to count. She has allowed me to be a part of, and even published on, many of her projects. Any time that I seek extra explanation or involvement, all I have to do is ask and she will do her best to make it happen. She has guided me not only in research, but in life decisions and even in the rigorous veterinary school application process.”

“I began working with Dr. Cox two and a half years ago in her pharmacology lab at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical School, and in that short amount of time, she has impacted my learning experience and research background in more ways than one,” said White. “Dr. Cox is a prime example of a mentor who wants nothing but the best for her students and workers, and will never hesitate to go the extra mile to help them reach their goals…She always pushes me to strive for more and to work harder. I have learned an invaluable amount just by working with her in her pharmacology lab, and I am more grateful than I can ever express…Dr. Cox has a way of seeing more potential in a student than they themselves could ever imagine, and she works with that student so that they can see it for themselves.”

Sherry Cox received her her doctorate in Comparative and Experimental Medicine from UT, her master’s in pharmacology/toxicology from East Tennessee State University, and her bachelor’s in chemistry from Lincoln Memorial University.

For more information about Sherry Cox, please visit the College of Veterinary Medicine’s website.