CLEMSON — Windsor Westbrook Sherrill, professor of public health sciences, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Class of 1939 Award for Excellence for her contributions to Clemson University.

Sherrill was recognized at the December graduation ceremony as well as in a ceremony Tuesday at the campus’ Carillon Garden. As a recipient of the award, Sherrill now an honorary member of Clemson’s Class of 1939.

The award is presented annually to one distinguished member of the faculty whose outstanding contributions for a five-year period have been judged by his or her peers to represent the highest achievement of service to the university, the student body and the larger community.

“In the last five years, Dr. Sherrill has gone above and beyond her core professional responsibilities to successfully serve and represent Clemson University, and she has directly impacted the education of many Clemson students,” wrote public health sciences professor Rachel Mayo in nominating Sherrill for the award.

Sherrill has demonstrated a dedication to teaching throughout her tenure at Clemson, providing instruction to more than 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students as well as teaching 21 different courses in health-care management, health-care systems, health-care finance, health-services research, honors and Creative Inquiry. She also taught graduate programs in business administration, nursing administration, master’s of architecture and master’s in health administration.

Her research is diverse, spanning across the disciplines of epidemiology, health services administration, health education and behavioral science. Her research has brought in more than $1.5 million in grants and has been published in numerous refereed publications, five book chapters, professional reports and scholarly presentations.

“Due to the depth of Dr. Sherrill’s scholarship, she has been a vital research partner of the university, unafraid to take risks, and truly a visionary,” said Mayo.

Beyond the classroom, Sherrill has participated in activities on behalf of the university that benefit the local community, state and nation. She has worked with the South Carolina Hospital Association, Oconee Medical Center, Walhalla Mobile Health Clinic, Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and the Association of University Programs of Health Administration. She also served as a member of the research council of the Community Health Alliance of the United Way of Greenville County, as well as the statewide planning committee for the S.C. State Public Health Bioterrorism Training and Emergency Preparedness course-development program.

Sherrill recently was asked to lead the health-research collaborative between Clemson University and the Institute for the Advancement of Healthcare of the Greenville Hospital System. From 2009-2012, she served as faculty representative to the Clemson board of trustees and has served on a number of university committees.

Sherrill is an Aspen Institute Liberty Fellow for South Carolina and received the National Scholars Program Award of Distinction for 2012. In 2008, she received Clemson’s Frank G. Burtner Award for Student Advising and the College of Health, Education and Human Development Award for Excellence in Teaching. Sherrill was named Senior Faculty Fellow for the J.E. Dixon Fellowship Program through Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College from 2002 to 2012.

Sherrill earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and her master’s in health and business administration from the University of Alabama Birmingham. She received a Ph.D. in health policy from Brandeis University.