Stritch faculty member Dawn Wankowski named Notable Woman in STEM by BizTImes Milwaukee

Stritch assistant biology professor Dawn Wankowski has been named a Notable Woman in STEM by BizTimes Milwaukee. Wankowski is one of just 15 individuals to earn this prestigious recognition.

Wankowski has served on the Stritch faculty since 2002, and her academic areas of expertise include anatomy and physiology, cell biology, environmental biology and immunology.

“Dawn is deserving of this recognition,” said Stritch President Dr. Dan Scholz. “She is the personification of our Franciscan values and shares her passion with her students and colleagues inside and outside the classroom and throughout the community.”

In addition to her instructional responsibilities as a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences, Wankowski serves as the faculty advisor of Stritch’s Pre-Professional Group student organization and mentors students who are interested in pursuing healthcare careers. She also works closely with Biology and Chemistry students to identify internships that will complement their academic experience and develop their professional networks.

She was instrumental in planning the Blazing the Trail to Healthcare event that introduced high school students to nursing and healthcare academic degrees and career opportunities. Dawn also has served as faculty lead for the annual Stritch Service Day and as a mentor for a student team that participated in the Kapco Charitable Challenge.

As the vice president of the Stritch Faculty Council, she works closely with faculty from other disciplines and the University administration to ensure the educational needs of all students are being met and supporting faculty members in a way that allows them to best meet students’ needs. She also is the co-chair of the University’s Higher Learning Commission Criterion 2 team.

Wankowski earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Marquette University and a master’s degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Read the BizTimes Milwaukee feature.