On October 2nd, 2025, IHDSC invited community members to gather with old friends, connect with new colleagues, and celebrate the impactful research and partnerships happening across our scholarly network. 

IHDSC’s Welcome Reception and Seed Award Celebration spotlighted the work of IHDSC’s 2024-2025 Seed Award recipients; Partnership Development recipients; and our new Transformative Impact Scholar. These recipients underscore the expansive, innovative, and equity-driven research, partnership, and impact our affiliates have across local and global contexts. 

Attendees toasted IHDSC’s award recipients and learned more about their work. They also engaged in activities to build connection, foster collaboration, and plan for the year ahead: They  plotted the geographical locations of their research, partnership and impact, posted  their visions for the upcoming year on the, “IHDSC Tree of Hope” and got creative in the IHDSC photo booth!

Reflecting back on the gathering, IHDSC Director, Erin Godfrey, emphasized the breadth of the work happening across the network. “Spanning food access, cultural identity, immigrant belonging, municipal policies and education this cohort of awardees demonstrates the transformative role of research and intervention in our world. It is so inspiring and nourishing to see our amazing network of scholarly affiliates, project staff, and students come together to celebrate the work of all to bring light, community voice, and justice to our collective scholarship and impact, especially in these challenging times."

To learn more about the call for applications for IHDSC’s flagship awards, please visit the Seed Award Program and Partnership Development Program pages.