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Shannon Lennon
Kinesiology and Applied Physiology Professor Shannon Lennon, who’s the first female chair of the Institutional Review Board, has been honored by the UD Women’s Caucus as the 2023 recipient of the Torch Award for advancing women’s equality on campus.

Carrying the Torch

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

Shannon Lennon receives Torch Award from UD Women’s Caucus

Shannon Lennon, the first female chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and professor of kinesiology and applied physiology in the College of Health Sciences (CHS), has been honored by the University of Delaware Women’s Caucus with the 2023 Torch Award for advancing women’s equality on campus. 

Lennon was a founding member of the caucus in 2011 and worked to establish the award, of which she’s now on the receiving end. 

“I was stunned. I was also flattered and humbled because many strong women, including Mae Carter, received this award before me,” Lennon said. “You have big shoes to fill when you win an award like this, knowing the women who have come before you.” 

Lennon, who’s proud to work for CHS, which is well-represented by women on faculty and staff, has always felt strongly about supporting and promoting women at UD. She called her six years on the Women’s Caucus “transformative.” 

“While on the Women’s Caucus, I had the opportunity to engage with women across campus whom I likely would have otherwise never encountered,” she said. “It was inspiring to connect with passionate women focused on the pertinent issues facing women on this campus and raising awareness about those issues.”

Lennon puts her beliefs into practice as chair of the IRB and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Lab

“I’m committed to diversity, equity and inclusion issues,” she said. “Within our research, we must work harder to recruit diverse research subjects and ensure our research opportunities are open to all people, and that means we have to appeal to them and get them interested in our work. 

“Within the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, I reach out to junior female faculty members and serve as a resource to them. I’m also vocal at department meetings about advocating for issues that are important to women.” 

For these reasons, the Women’s Caucus nominated Lennon for the award. 

“As the first female chair of the IRB, Lennon is particularly sensitive that the level of data collection is equitable among all research subjects and invasive personal health history forms are not unfairly targeted to women’s health when that does not service the central research questions,” Lennon’s nomination said. 

During her time on the Women’s Caucus, Lennon remembers the group raising its collective voice on issues facing women on campus, including career advancement, pay equity, and childcare issues that persist today. As a mother of three, she recalls how difficult it was to put her career aside to start a family. 

“My husband is incredibly supportive, but when you’re starting a family, there’s a greater burden on women,” she said. “I didn’t want to be home washing bottles. Taking that break from my career and starting again was incredibly hard. It was a long haul to get to where I am now.” 

She touts perseverance, unfettered support from her family, and the backing of colleagues in helping her achieve her goals.  

“Remember the women along the path who helped you,” she said. “Those small moments make a difference.”

But Lennon’s mother has been the strongest female role model in her life. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Lennon’s mother moved to the U.S. at age 20, when she married her father. She did not attend college. 

“After my sister was born, our mother took a job in direct care for people with mental disabilities. She took Connecticut state exams to advance herself to apply for managerial positions,” Lennon said. “She worked incredibly hard and instilled in me the importance of education. She was thrilled when I decided to pursue my Ph.D.” 

Now a mother to a teenage daughter, Lennon encourages her daughter to work hard.

“I want her to strive to be the best version of herself every day and be kind to others,” she said. 

Lennon also stressed the value of relationships and urged women on faculty and staff at UD to look beyond their departments and Colleges to connect with other women.  

“Tap into other women on this campus and reach out to groups like the Women’s Caucus and recognize that if you’re facing a challenge—you’re not alone; there are other women on campus who can help,” she said. “As women, we must continue to support one another, recognize the issues and challenges we collectively face, and work together to make strides on those issues.” 

About the Torch Award

The Torch Award, presented annually, recognizes an individual who has “carried the torch for women’s equality” at the University. The torch recalls the lighting of a torch for the 1977 National Women’s Conference, symbolically charting a course between the first Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 and the modern movement for women’s liberation. It was selected by the Women’s Caucus to represent the past and present efforts to achieve equality and improve the quality of employment for women at UD.

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