Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of public health at New Mexico State University, has received a national mentoring award from the American Public Health Association.

Khubchandani, who joined NMSU's College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation in 2020, received the Lyndon Haviland Mentoring Award Oct. 28 during the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Minneapolis.

The award recognizes the role of mentoring in public health and leadership development. It is given to senior public health practitioners or academics who take an active role in mentoring students and young professionals through regular contact, professional development or research support.

Kavita Batra, the executive director of Medical Research and Scholarly Activities for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, nominated Khubchandani for the award.

"Dr. Khubchandani's mentorship goes beyond classroom instruction; it's about building relationships and inspiring others," Batra said. "He has a unique gift for seeing potential in others and nurturing them with kindness and wisdom. His impact is felt deeply, reminding us that the heart of public health lies in the connections we cultivate."

Khubchandani has a long history of mentoring students in the fields of medicine and public health. Since arriving at NMSU, he helped launch the university's first peer mental health program for students, sponsored students for prestigious national awards, and published research with students that gained wide attention during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is a very prestigious national award, and Dr. Khubchandani is an inspirational role model and mentor for students and faculty alike, especially those who are first-generation," said Elizabeth England-Kennedy, an assistant professor of public health at NMSU who supported Khubchandani's nomination for the award. "His empathetic leadership is one of the reasons why NMSU continues to be a national leader in public health education."

Another nominator called Khubchandani a "triple treat and the ideal 21st-century public health scholar, educator and practitioner."

Khubchandani has received numerous awards, including the Indiana Governor's Award on Service Learning, the Society for Public Health Education's Karen Denard Goldman Health Education Mentor Award and the Dorothy Nyswander Health Equity Award.

"I accept this award on behalf of NMSU students who continue to inspire me, give me more perspective for life every day, and bring deeper meaning to my work," Khubchandani said. "I have no existence without our students."

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-professor-wins-american-public-health-association-mentoring-award/s/1d810bb7-0bfb-46d2-a21e-4c55d11e7a4a