Rutgers University Equity and Inclusion has named Associate Professor of Library and Information Science Charles Senteio the recipient of the 2023 Public Good Pinnacle Award. 

The award “recognizes outstanding collaborations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement and sustained commitment to promoting and practicing diversity, inclusion, equity, and access within the university and in partnership with the community,” according to the university.

“We wanted to thank you for your hard work and for demonstrating a commitment to promoting and practicing diversity, inclusion, equity, and access within the University at the highest level,” wrote Rutgers University Equity and Inclusion to Senteio and this year’s other awardees. “Your work has been exceptional and we are grateful to have you as a part of the Rutgers community.”

SC&I Interim Dean and Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Dafna Lemish said, “This is a great honor for Charles – and for the school – that recognizes his contributions and leadership in promoting the public good. We also thank the departmental colleagues who put in the work required for the nomination. There is always a lot of hidden labor behind every award winner – it is also an opportunity to celebrate the generosity of our community. Congratulations Charles for this outstanding recognition!”

Professor Kathryn Greene said she enthusiastically recommended Senteio because “he is so incredibly deserving of the award and he is a model for this type of collaborative work. Dr. Senteio has created outstanding collaborations, leveraging Rutgers’ expertise and resources to serve the public."

Senteio said, “I was flattered when I learned that my SC&I colleagues were nominating me for this prestigious award and I was honored when I was notified that I had received it. This recognition is a reflection of the tremendous support I’ve received during my time at Rutgers as I endeavor to participate in efforts that blend research, teaching, and service to improve lives.”  

Senteio received the award at the Rutgers Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes (CACP) Awards Celebration held at The Rutgers Club on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. He will also receive a gift of $1000 to support his ongoing work.

“The generous funding that comes with this award will be used to help access the vital resources required to continue this work,” Senteio said.

Senteio was nominated for the award by Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene, and he received a letter of support jointly written by Professor and Chair of the Library and Information Science Department Rebecca Reynolds and Professor of Library and Information Science Marie Radford.

Greene said she enthusiastically recommended Senteio because “he is so incredibly deserving of the award and he is a model for this type of collaborative work. Dr. Senteio has created outstanding collaborations, leveraging Rutgers’ expertise and resources to serve the public. His contributions to advancement of DEI are extraordinary. His work is integrated to enhance racial equity and provide new tools and methods for conducting culturally based outreach. He has quickly established himself a multi-dimensional public scholar who is also creating curriculum to teach Community Engaged Scholarship to Support Health and Wellness, enacting this engaged service, creating infrastructure within Rutgers for health disparities research (e.g., RU-HEAR program).

“Professor Senteio fully embodies the focal characteristics identified by the Pinnacle Award – to serve as institutional anchors, moving beyond location ‘in’ but being ‘of’ and in partnership with the surrounding community." – Chair and Associate Professor of Library and Information Science Rebecca Reynolds

“Dr. Senteio has established a remarkably successful synergy between his direct community service, his teaching, and his research. His varied experiences give him exceptional credibility with members of underserved communities, with organizations that provide services to these communities, with educators, with researchers who study health inequities.

“Another theme that emerges from Dr. Senteio’s record is mentoring. His student mentoring in community-engaged methods is exceptional. Similarly, his mentoring impacts faculty groups through forging partnerships across disparate areas of Rutgers. His projects consistently build capacity in the organizations themselves, which result in creating and enhancing Rutgers-community synergies, and the projects additionally provide career training in health equities research. 

“His research approach enacts the values of community engagement and mentorship, evident in part by his consistent inclusion of multiple students and community partners as coauthors in research. The research processes are both labor and time intensive, involve difficult to access populations that are underrepresented, and often involve partnering across academic groups (e.g., clinical care delivery, Information Science, Public Health, Social Work, and Communication).”

Reynolds said, “Professor Senteio fully embodies the focal characteristics identified by the Pinnacle Award -- to serve as institutional anchors, moving beyond location ‘in’ but being ‘of’ and in partnership with the surrounding community. He is a dedicated steward and marshal of the university’s core activities in service of the public good, promoting at every turn he takes, the institution’s commitment to our diverse community’s health, well-being, and promising fulfillment, both on and off campus. We are so proud of our cherished colleague and warmly congratulate Charles on this significant university-wide achievement and recognition!”

Radford said, “Dr. Senteio has developed a strong network of community support for his critically important research agenda addressing health inequities among individuals from underrepresented communities. This well-deserved award recognizes his ongoing contributions and I'm delighted that he is being recognized for all that he has achieved and will continue to achieve.”

"This well-deserved award recognizes his ongoing contributions and I'm delighted that he is being recognized for all that he has achieved and will continue to achieve.” – Professor Marie Radford 

Senteio uses mixed methods to investigate how healthcare practitioners and patients can better use information to improve chronic disease outcomes for at-risk patients – while reducing cost of care – through financially sustainable care delivery models. He develops and enhances innovative, scalable approaches to care delivery, with a particular emphasis on community-based participatory (CBPR) research strategies.

His research covers the following three themes: the degree to which current healthcare system capabilities support chronic disease patients; identification of areas to improve health outcomes and/or cost of care, such as describing disparities in prenatal antiretroviral (ARV) treatment among HIV-infected Medicaid enrollees or barriers dialysis patients experience in understanding treatment options; and development of new capabilities and measurement of their impact, such as documenting improvements in community engagement for health informatics research and practice.

Learn more about the Library and Information Science Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website. 

Photo: Courtesy of the Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes

Photographer: Mel Evans