On October 22, Fumiko Hoeft MD Ph.D., campus dean and chief administrative officer (CAO) of UConn Waterbury, received the individual award for Academic innovation and leadership in the 19th edition Women of Innovation Awardshosted by the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) at Woodwinds in Branford. The CTC recognizes women who have achieved exceptional success and who empower others, particularly women and girls, in the fields of scientific research, education, manufacturing and business. Founded in 1994, CTC is the voice of technology companies in Connecticut. All Women of Innovation Award recipients are currently working or studying in Connecticut, demonstrating strong leadership and a commitment to mentoring, whether short- or long-term, peer, career or life. Eleven members of the UConn community were recognized for their contributions.
Dr. Hoeft grew up in Japan but spent several years of his childhood in New York as well as two years of high school at the International School of London. She received her medical degree in 1995 and became a psychiatrist early in her career. She then received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Tokyo Keio University School of Medicine and began his long career in research and higher education. In 2008, Fumiko began as a faculty member at Stanford University, then the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and in 2009 she began collaborating with faculty at UConn. In 2018, she accepted a faculty position at UConn with joint appointments in the departments of Psychological Sciences, Computer Science and Engineering, Educational Psychology, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry. Before becoming a professor, Dr. Hoeft received research training at Harvard, UCLA, Caltech, and Stanford and served as professor and director of the Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC) at UConn Storrs for five years between 2018 and 2023. She received awards from organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association (2014, 2022), Learning and the Brain Foundation (2015), International Mind Brain & Education Society (2018) and Society for Neurosciences (2018). Fumiko has published more than 400 book chapters and articles in journals such as Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences and Journal of Neuroscience. She has also delivered over 300 keynote speeches, including a 2016 TEDx titled “Dyslexia, Learning Differently, and Innovation” and at the White House. His research on the brain mechanisms of learning, including multilingualism, dyslexia, and neurodiversity, funded by more than $30 million in federal and foundation funds, has received national and global attention.
Dr. Hoeft was named interim campus director for UConn Waterbury in May 2022, and was named permanent campus dean and chief executive officer in December of that year. In just over 2 years, under Fumiko’s leadership, 28 new programs and initiatives have been launched on campus, including career-focused learning communities such as RISE and Ideas + Impact, as well as Academic Achievement Center, Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) and Husky Harvest; resources focused on student success and personal well-being. The Allied Health Pathway to Nursing program and two new early childhood education programs provide additional academic opportunities for students. Dr. Hoeft co-founded a National Science Foundation-funded doctoral program that supports neurodiverse learners in educational neuroscience at UConn and a USDA-funded NextGen Fellowship program for Hispanic undergraduates at the Waterbury and Stamford campuses . She led the renovation of the 36 North Main Street building in Waterbury, a project that will increase the campus footprint by 25 percent and create opportunities for innovative academic programs, research and community engagement. Fumiko also established the annual congress Wish Day (Waterbury Innovation, Sustainability and Health Festival), an event funded by the Reed Endowment, whose goal is to advance UConn Waterbury’s educational goals and improve the university-to-workforce pathway artwork. About a thousand students from Waterbury Public Schools and other local schools are participating in the day-long event, which will take place for the third year in March 2025. In early 2024, Fumiko partnered with the Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center and at UConn Global Affairs to form the Haskins Global Literacy Center with the aim of improving literacy outcomes.
UConn Waterbury is now ranked among the top 10 public universities in the nation for 10-year return on investment, and among the top 25 institutions nationally and No. 1 in CT for economic mobility.
UConn Waterbury faculty, staff and students are proud to recognize Fumiko’s outstanding contributions to the campus and community and congratulate her on receiving this prestigious award.