NEWS: UC Tech Awards 2024 Showcase Recent Tech Advances Across the University of California System

UC Tech awards winners on stage

November 7, 2024All Articles

On October 28, 2024, the University of California honored six individuals and eleven teams from various UC entities with the 2024 UC Tech Awards at the UC Tech Conference, hosted by UC Davis and UC Davis Health. Founded in 2001, the annual UC Tech Awards Program celebrates individuals and teams within the university’s technology community for their significant contributions to advancing UC’s mission through innovative tools and approaches. The community will soon begin the next cycle, preparing for the UC Tech conference scheduled for June 2025, with a tentative awards submission deadline three months prior.

Teams competed across seven award categories, each reflecting a key skill or value that supports technological advancement – design and IT security , as well as innovation, operational excellence, UC-wide collaboration, leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and sustained impact.

2024 Tech Award winners

The 2024 award winners represent the breadth of the UC system, across numerous locations, business/technical opportunities and industries — from population health (oral care), health research and health professional curriculum management on the one hand, to safeguarding of the university’s $170 billion in investments and web design on the other. Select each link below to explore the award applications and learn more about the individual and team accomplishments, many of which extend beyond the university to the state, the nation and the world.

UC TEch Awards winning team - group photo

2024 UC Tech Awards winners – 16 winners listed by award type

1. Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology: 

  • Silver Award: California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), Hydra Development Team – UC Davis: The Hydra project was conceived to develop a platform for the CNPRC’s legacy modernization efforts to enable development teams to build, test, and deploy modern applications quickly, cost-effectively, and with disaster recovery in mind. Hydra’s Application stack was designed to be flexible enough to integrate with any data source while maintaining common industry standards to ensure interoperability. To date, 9 systems, 16 applications, 73 data entry forms, and 115 reports have been deployed on the platform.
  • Golden Award (Tie):
    • Oral Health Recommender System (OHRS) Team – UCLA: Oral Health Recommender System (OHRS) is a multi-university effort, developed in cooperation with Procter & Gamble. Participating universities include UCLA, Harvard University, University of Michigan, Arizona State University and Florida State University. Brushing data is stored in the Cloud (AWS) and analyzed by a custom-built Reinforcement Learning Engine to encourage better dental hygiene and reward desired brushing behaviors for underserved populations. 
    • Ilios Curriculum Management System Team – UCSF: The Ilios Curriculum Management System addresses the needs of the health professions educational community by providing a user-friendly, accessible, flexible, and robust web application to collect, manage, analyze, and deliver curricular information. Built by and for the health professions, Ilios supports the sharing of curriculum outcomes and materials among programs, departments, schools, and institutions, while maintaining the flexibility to accommodate the unique practices of each respectively, within a diverse health professions community. Since 2021 there have been 131 releases of the Ilios application, demonstrating the team’s commitment to maintaining a usable, accessible, and secure platform that meets the needs of students, staff and faculty at UCSF, as well as dozens of health science institutions around the world. 

2. Design Awards

  • Silver Award: Usability Training and Insights Team – UCLA: In response to a shortage of user experience (UX) professionals, a training program was created to extend human-centered methodologies to UX-adjacent staff, leading to significant improvements in UCLA’s learning management system. The program incorporated student insights by integrating a case study into UCLA Extension’s UX capstone course, providing students with practical experience and staff with innovative ideas. This initiative not only democratized human-centered design principles but also fostered a culture of collaboration and innovation, benefiting over 40,000 students and faculty. 
  • Golden Award: UC Procurement Portal Team – UC Office of the President: Systemwide Procurement partnered with UCOP IT and Marketing teams, plus the UC campus locations to create one unified web presence for UC Procurement: https://procurement.ucop.edu/ The content from five existing sites was reorganized and optimized in a responsive, branded design, meeting all web accessibility standards, with detailed analytics, and maintaining all functionality of the existing sites. The community now has one home for UC Procurement.

3. Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award

  • Silver Award (Tie):
    • Leiyah Shan – for Practice Affiliations & Epic Community Connect (PACC) –  UC San Diego Health: The PACC (Practice Affiliations & Epic Community Connect) program at UC San Diego Health has not only transformed healthcare delivery and operational efficiency for community practices and patients but has also exemplified how strategic integration of advanced Electronic Health Record (EHR) technologies can expand access to care, integrate services, and streamline patient care across a growing network of regional affiliates 
    • UC Santa Barbara Canvas Support Team –  UC Santa Barbara: Following the selection of a new learning management system (LMS) for instruction, the UC Santa Barbara Instructional Support team developed and implemented a phased two-year plan to migrate the campus to a new LMS. The first phase of the project was to implement and customize the new environment and facilitate an easy transition path for all instructors. The second phase of the project specifically aimed to leverage features of the new LMS and hire experts in design and pedagogy to enhance the teaching and learning experience.  The outcomes of both phases were measurably successful and were performed by a relatively small team.  This team is the central support for UC Santa Barbara’s LMS.  The team historically supported the older LMS (Moodle) and were required to simultaneously support both platforms for over a year.
  • Golden Award: UC Merced Academic Activity Team –  UC Merced: In 2021, UC Merced embarked on a project to reimagine their Academic Activity solution, a problematic process with huge financial and resource management impact for the campus. By late 2022, the project team had delivered a user-friendly User Interface that is deeply integrated with Banner (SIS) and Canvas (LMS) to significantly minimize the operational burden of governmental regulations to faculty, staff and students. 

4. IT Security Award

  • Silver Award: UC Investments and UC Office of the President Information Technology Services –  UC Office of the President: The UC Investments Office partnered with UC Office of the President Information Technology Services (ITS) teams to address unique cybersecurity needs related to their management of UC’s $170 billion investment portfolio. 
  • Golden Award: Scott Currie, CISO; UC San Diego Health Information Security Team; Protected Health Information (PHI) in Email Cleanup Project –  UC San Diego Health: Phishing (fake/fraudulent communications) is one of the most common, and successful, threats to health care organizations.  Given that email is commonly used for communication and collaboration, often including patient information, a successful phish can result in a breach of protected information. While many tools are in place to reduce the likelihood of a successful phishing attack, a reduction in the amount of protected data in email can substantially reduce the impact when phishing does occur. 

5. Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award

  • Silver Award: Project Surfliner Team –  UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego: Project Surfliner, a five-year collaboration between the UC San Diego Library and the UC Santa Barbara Library, exemplifies the essence of the Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award through its transformative impact on digital library platforms, fostering cultural shifts, and embodying the spirit of cross-campus cooperation and innovation within the UC system. 
  • Golden Award: SMART Cumulus Team – UC Davis Health: The SMART Cumulus Project, a Multi-Center Information Technology Collaborative project, with Boston Children’s Hospital as the hub, enables fast-track Public Health reporting with de-identified Electronic Health Records (EHR) data using the HL7 BULK FHIR Access Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for EHRs.

6. Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Awards

  • Silver Award: Jill Wolters – for leading the UCSF/UCSF Health Web Accessibility Team – UCSF/UCSF Health: Two members of the UCSF Health web team, with integral guidance and oversight from UCSF’s Jill Wolters, built a website accessibility protocol from the ground up to introduce digital accessibility to their flagship patient-facing sites – ucsfhealth.org and ucsfbenioffchildrens.org –  that, combined, receive approximately 2.5 million page views every month. 
  • Golden Award: Shirley Bittlingmeier –  UC Office of the President: Shirley Bittlingmeier has been an integral member of the UC Office of the President IT leadership team for more than a decade. Throughout her distinguished career at UC, she has remained steadfast in her commitment to promoting fairness and inclusion for underrepresented communities. In addition to her substantial responsibilities within her role, she consistently goes above and beyond to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within both UC Office of the President IT and the broader UC community.

7. Sustained Impact Award

  • Silver Award: Brian Koehmstedt – UC Berkeley: As primary identity architect, Koehmstedt has led UC Berkeley in implementing wide-impacting changes throughout his career. Most recently, he was instrumental in a successful implementation of UC Office of the President’s Gender Recognition and Lived Name policy. He is also a valued campus partner, particularly in maintaining system security and improving end user experience. 
  • Golden Award: Azra Ayers – UC Riverside: Azra Ayers has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in IT project management through her work on several complex initiatives at UC Riverside. She successfully managed Project Genesis, overseeing the data center relocation and vHost Migration Project, which modernized web hosting and ensured data security. Ayers also played a crucial role in upgrading the UC Riversdie Identity Management System, enhancing its technical operations and security. During the Impact23 initiative, she streamlined financial systems by reducing custom applications, aligning them with new Oracle Cloud Financials. Her adoption of Agile/Scrum methodologies improved team efficiency and product delivery across multiple projects, contributing significantly to ITS’s strategic goals for modernization and operational efficiency.
Snapshots of winning teams

All 2024 UC Tech Award Nominees – All 75 nominations, listed by location

Select each link to access the award application/nomination and learn more about the team’s achievements. 

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR)

UC Berkeley

UC Davis

UC Davis Health

UC Irvine

UC Merced

UC Office of the President

UC Riverside

UC San Diego

UC San Diego Health

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Cruz

UCLA

UCLA Health

UCSF

UCSF Health

All applications from 2001 to current

View University of California records, with all UC Tech Awards applications since 2001.

UC Tech Awards Winners - Group shot

Summary of 2024 winners – 16 winners, listed by location

UC Berkeley

  • Silver Award, Sustained Impact: Brian Koehmstedt, acknowledged for sustained impact in technology that has consistently benefited the UC Berkeley community.

UC Davis

  • Silver Award, Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology: California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), recognized for innovative contributions in information technology that benefit research operations.

UC Davis Health

  • Golden Award, Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration: SMART Cumulus Team, honored for collaboration excellence in health technology initiatives.

UCLA

  • Golden Award, Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology (Tie with UCSF): Oral Health Recommender System (OHRS) Team, awarded for innovation in health-related IT, enhancing access to oral health recommendations.
  • Silver Award: Usability Training and Insights Team, recognized for its work in improving the usability and design of university systems.

UCSF

  • Golden Award, Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology (tie with UCLA), Ilios Curriculum Management System Team, honored for its innovative approach to curriculum management within the health sciences.
  • Silver Award: Jill Wolter, acknowledged for leading the UCSF/UCSF Health Web Accessibility Team, promoting digital inclusivity and accessibility.

UCSF Health

  • Silver Award, DEI Leadership: Jill Wolter, acknowledged for leading the UCSF/UCSF Health Web Accessibility Team, promoting digital inclusivity and accessibility.

UC Office of the President

  • Golden Award, Design Award: UC Procurement Portal Team, recognized for achievements in creating effective landing pages.
  • Silver Award, IT Security Award: UC Investments and UCOP Information Technology Services, awarded for contributions to enhancing security to protect the university’s $170B in assets.
  • Golden Award, DEI Leadership: Shirley Bittlingmeier, honored for leadership and progress in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), over the course of her career.

UC Merced

  • Golden Award, Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award: UC Merced Academic Activity Team, awarded for operational improvements that support the academic mission.

UC Riverside

  • Golden Award, Sustained Impact Award: Azra Ayers, recognized for enduring contributions and impact within the UC Riverside community.

UC San Diego

  • Silver Award, Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award: Project Surfliner Team (collaborative project with UC Santa Barbara), recognized for excellence in enhancing shared digital services.

UC San Diego Health

  • Silver Award, Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence (Tie with UC Santa Barbara): Leiyah Shan, honored for her role in Practice Affiliations & Epic Community Connect (PACC), supporting operational excellence in health IT.
  • Golden Award, IT Security: UCSD Health Information Security Team; PHI in Email Cleanup, awarded for exceptional IT security practices, particularly in patient data protection.

UC Santa Barbara

  • Silver Award, Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence: UC Santa Barbara Canvas Support Team, recognized for operational excellence in academic technology support.
  • Silver Award, Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award: Project Surfliner Team (collaborative project with UC San Diego), awarded for fostering collaboration in academic digital infrastructure.
Several CIO's
CIO’s pictured after the awards ceremony

2024 Program Awards Selection Committee

  • Van Williams – CIO of the University of California
  • Adam Hamilton – UC College of the Law
  • Monte Ratzlaff – UC Office of the President
  • Julie Eastman – UC Irvine Health
  • Matthew Gunkel  – UC Riverside and UC Riverside Health 
Audience smiling

About the UC Tech Awards Program

The UC Tech Awards Program celebrates individuals and teams in the UC tech community who have contributed to areas of strategic importance to the university using technical approaches. The UC CIO Council created the program in 2001 when an award for innovation was named after Larry L. Sautter. The program has grown to seven awards, which includes design, DEI leadership, innovation, IT Security, operational excellence, UC-wide collaboration and sustained impact. The UC Tech Awards Program celebrates those designing or implementing high-impact technology initiatives. It promotes an inclusive UC tech community by recognizing the technology contributions of people from all areas of expertise, including business operations, research, education, patient care and public service. The UC Tech Awards are sponsored by the UC CIO Council, composed of the Chief Information Officers (CIOs) across UC locations. Each year, five members of this council, who rotate on an annual basis, select the awards winners. The annual call for submissions is announced in winter with a spring submission deadline. The selection committee meets by early June and awards are presented at the annual UC Tech Conference. To learn about the UC Tech Awards program, please visit the UC Tech Awards Program Description or contact Laurel.Skurko@UCOP.edu.

About the awards categories

Three awards are named for UC staff whose extraordinary contributions have had a lasting impact on the university: (1) The annual Larry L. Sautter Awards for Innovation in Information Technology are named after the late Larry L. Sautter, UC Riverside associate vice chancellor for computing and communications, who led technological innovation through the entrepreneurial and efficient use of resources; (2) The Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Awards celebrate Yvonne Tevis, former chief of staff for UCOP Information Technology Services, who devoted 18 years to facilitating, advocating for and supporting collaboration across the UC system; and (3) The Mojgan A. Amini Awards for Operational Excellence recognize the efforts of Mojgan A. Amini, director of process management and continuous improvement at UC San Diego Information Technology Services, to make Lean Six Sigma a broadly recognized and practiced set of operational excellence skills across the university.

1. Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology: 

Larry L. Sautter Awards for Innovation in Information Technology: Recognize a team for having implemented an innovative technology project that has had a significant beneficial impact on UC’s academic or research mission, student life, business operations, patient care or public-service mission. Innovation is defined as the new application of technology, the creative use of limited resources or an emphasis on collaboration to solve a problem.

2. Design Awards

Design Awards: Recognize an individual or team that transformed one or more touchpoints through the application of various design disciplines (e.g., visual design, interaction design, user experience design, customer experience design and/or industrial design) to improve usability and/or create a more elegant experience for all users, including those with disabilities.

3. Mogan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award

Mojgan Amini Operational Excellence Awards: Recognize an individual or team that transformed a business process (via reliability, speed, scale, efficiency and/or effectiveness), whether through business process design, automation, customer service, digital transformation or another initiative.

4. IT Security Award

IT Security Awards: Recognize an individual or team that advanced IT security at UC through awareness and training, policy, technical controls and/or IT security hygiene. Projects that intersect with legal, privacy and compliance are eligible.

5. Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award

Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Awards: Recognize an individual or team that conducted a strong collaborative technology initiative across two or more UC locations, a UC campus and UC health system, and/or with other UC partners.

6. Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Awards

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Awards: Recognize the leadership of an individual in advancing DEI in technical communities, as demonstrated by specific tactics to create vehicles that improve visibility, access and engagement of underrepresented populations.

7. Sustained Impact Awards

Sustained Impact Awards: Recognize an individual who, over time, has contributed significant expertise, passion and commitment to UC, as evidenced by a portfolio of work supporting the technology arena.

Related Reading

RESOURCE: What to expect from the 2024 UC Tech Awards Ceremony – Monday, October 28, 2024, at UC Davis – MARK YOUR CALENDARS, UC Tech News, August 9, 2024

RESOURCE: UC Tech Awards 2024 program description and application form, UC Tech News, March 5, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENT: UC Tech Awards 2024 applications and nominations open through May 1st, UC Tech News, February 29, 2024

NEWS: 2023 UC Tech Awards winners: Celebrating technical excellence, grounded in a commitment to caring, UC Tech News, July 19, 2023

Contact

Laurel Skurko, Marketing & Communications, IT Services, UC Office of the President
Laurel Skurko
UC Tech Awards Program Director
Marketing and Communications
UC Office of the President