Current and Past Shin Award Honorees
2025 Shin Award Honoree
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, Chicago native and an UIC College of Medicine alumna, was selected as the 2025 Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award. Dr. Figueroa is the Director of Community Engagement in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Figueroa’s influence extends widely, earning her multiple awards for her exceptional leadership, teaching, and advocacy.
Dr. Figueroa has dedicated her career to community engagement and healthcare access for underserved populations. For over two decades, she has served vulnerable communities through clinical care, education, advocacy, and volunteerism. Her work has significantly expanded access to healthcare, addressed issues of hunger and homelessness, and promoted greater racial and gender equity for vulnerable communities.
Through her leadership and dedication, Dr. Figueroa has also inspired colleagues, physician trainees, students, volunteers, and patients, instilling in them not just medical knowledge, but values of empathy, equity, and service. Her impactful work has earned her numerous honors, including being named one of Chicago Magazine’s 2023 Chicagoans of the Year and receiving the American Academy of Family Physicians Humanitarian Award.
In 2017, Dr. Figueroa and her partner Dr. Alex Wu established the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation to address social injustices and health inequities. A year later, they launched the Pilsen Food Pantry, which has since provided goods and services to more than 210,000 households.
In January 2023, Dr. Figueroa selflessly donated a portion of her liver to save the life of her UIC colleague’s child. Her act of compassion reflects her deep commitment to service both inside and outside the clinical setting.
Dr. Figueroa has chosen UIC College of Medicine, Department Family and Community Medicine to receive the $50,000 gift. Dr. Figueroa received the award from Executive Vice President Jones and Dr. Tai Shin at a special ceremony on November 19, 2025, at UIC.
Press release
2024 Shin Award Honoree
Dr. Betsy Goulet, a three-time alumna at UIS, was selected as the 2024 Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award. Dr. Goulet is a clinical assistant professor emerita at the University of Illinois Springfield. She retired from the School of Public Management & Policy last year. The ripple effects of Dr. Goulet’s work and its real-world applications have had a monumental impact on improving the lives of others in many significant ways. Dr. Goulet's work has significantly advanced child protection and welfare, creating impactful programs like the Child Advocacy Studies certification and the Child Protection Training Academy. Her efforts have led to the expansion of simulation training for professionals, improving their ability to safeguard at-risk children. Through her leadership and dedication, Dr. Goulet has also inspired future advancements in child advocacy and protection, demonstrating the profound impact one individual can have on the world.
Dr. Goulet has chosen the Alliance for Experiential Problem-Based Learning at UIS to receive the $50,000 gift that is provided as part of her award. Dr. Goulet received the award from President Killeen and Dr. Tai Shin at a special ceremony on March 3 at UIS.
Press release
2023 Shin Award Honoree
President Killeen (wearing a shawl of wisdom presented by Singh), Dr. BB Singh, and Dr. Tai Shin at the inaugural Shin Humanitarian Award ceremony. September 12th, 2023. (Photo Beth Parrott)
From a small farming village in India where he used kerosene lamps to study at night, BB Singh went on to truly make the world a better place for millions of people.
After graduating from Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University in Pantnagar (now GB Pant University) - a university the U of I helped found – he would receive a Master’s and PHD in soybean genetics and breeding from UIUC, Hos subsequent work improved the food security of millions of people in India, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Dr. Singh was nominated by UIUC Professor Adam Davis. Davis noted “Singh is credited with improving the diets, incomes, and lives of hundreds of millions of small farmers and food insecure consumers in many of the poorest regions of the world. Singh has dedicated his 47-year career to breeding improved varieties of high protein pulses while also developing integrated crop management practices improv(ing) the lives of millions and enhanced food security, family nutrition and income generation for millions of farmers and their families.” His dedication to food security and assistance to farmers has been globally honored and recognized and he is a fitting recipient of the first Shin Humanitarian Award. Dr. Singh presented the award’s $50,000 and donated his own honorarium to UIUC’s department of Crop Sciences.
Dr. Singh received the award from President Killeen and Dr. Tai Shin at a special ceremony on September 12th.
Press release
First Shin Humanitarian Award recipient honored for work 'the world is proud of' | U of I System (uillinois.edu)