HPU Awards and Honors: June 2026
Dr. Heather Miller, High Point University associate professor of biochemistry, was honored by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center with the Academic Development Excellence Award at Triad BioNight on May 27. She is pictured at center with her award and presenters Carissa Jones, founder of Venus LLC and awards chair, left, and Geoff Foster, vice chair of the North Carolina Biotech Piedmont Triad Advisory Committee.
HIGH POINT, N.C., June 11, 2026 – High Point University students, faculty, staff and alumni recently completed service projects and received the following academic and professional awards.
Chemistry Professor Honored by N.C. Biotech Center
Dr. Heather Miller, associate professor of biochemistry, was presented with the Academic Development Excellence Award by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center at Triad BioNight on May 27. Triad BioNight attracted about 400 leaders from academia, industry and the life sciences community across North Carolina to celebrate biotechnology leadership and innovation.
Miller was recognized for her transformative work in STEM education, immersive hands-on learning, national impact on how molecular biology is taught and ability to build research infrastructure and workforce development programs. She was honored as an educator who transforms how students experience science, using innovative course design and integrating real-world research into the classroom. Her effective mentorship and teaching ensure that undergraduate and graduate students pursue and succeed in science careers.
Miller is the first HPU faculty to be recognized in any category since Triad BioNight was first held in 2005. She was one of five Triad life sciences leaders that North Carolina Biotech recognized with awards.
“Triad BioNight is a fantastic, collaborative event that I have been fortunate to participate in several times as a faculty member at HPU,” Miller said. “Receiving the Academic Development Excellence Award is a tremendous honor because it recognizes the innovative, hands-on biochemistry degree I helped build at HPU. I owe special thanks to my dean, Dr. Briana Fiser, for nominating me and for continuously championing Wanek Natural Sciences’ faculty efforts. The award is especially meaningful as it underscores the transformative impact of science education on students in the Triad region and beyond.”
Excellence Award honorees were nominated by peers in the Piedmont Triad bioscience community and selected by an independent committee of local leaders.
HPU recently awarded Miller with the Ruth Ridenhour Scholarly and Professional Achievement Award for her exceptional contributions to her professional discipline. Since joining HPU’s Wanek School of Natural Sciences in 2012, she has produced an impressive record of scholarship and research.
Miller is co-author of “Molecular Biology Techniques: A Classroom Laboratory Manual, Fifth Edition,” described by publisher Elsevier Science as “a must-have collection of methods and procedures” and an “indispensable teaching tool.”
Her laboratory investigates how novel small molecules can disarm methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, without killing the bacteria outright. It is a transformative strategy that leading scholars at Vanderbilt University have called “paradigm-shifting” in addressing the global antimicrobial resistance crisis. Her work resulted in HPU’s first patent.
Miller has secured, solely and as a co-investigator, more than $1 million in total external funding, including two highly competitive National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Awards, the first NIH grants of their kind in HPU’s history.
Nursing Faculty Awarded for Innovative Teaching
Dr. Lorrie R. Davis-Dick, assistant professor of nursing and psychiatric mental health/community health coordinator, was selected as HPU’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning Faculty Innovator for the 2025–2026 academic year. She was recognized for transforming nursing education by creating impactful experiential teaching experiences that extend beyond the classroom.
“We must boldly transform nursing pedagogy to move beyond traditional instruction and immerse students in meaningful, real-world experiences because it is through these moments that learning becomes lasting, practice-ready and truly life-changing,” she said. “I graciously thank the outstanding organizations and businesses that support our vision for delivering exceptional learning experiences to HPU nursing students.”
As a previous member of the American Nurses Association Innovation Advisory Committee, her dedication to innovation, student engagement and real-world application continues to elevate the learning experience for future nurses.
Alumna Awarded as Volunteer of the Year
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools district recently selected HPU alumna Fran Little as Volunteer of the Year.
Little, a 2004 HPU business administration alumna, worked as a general supervisor in several professional areas at John Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery for more than 28 years before her retirement. She has served the Kiwanis Club of Kernersville as a member, a president and chair of its literacy program over the last five years. The program has placed thousands of books with area elementary school students over the last four years. Little believes learning to read is foundational for building strong communities, and her volunteer work centers on expanding that skill to as many students as possible.
“Reading boosts self-esteem, inspires imagination and helps children overcome challenges,” Little said. “Knowing that such an achievement is possible serves as my motivation to volunteer within our school district.”