Feder and Padilla honored with Tucson’s 40 Under 40 award

Alyssa Padilla, MPH, operations director for the University of Arizona Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction, and Stephanie Feder, senior director of business development at the U of A Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, are Tucson 40 Under 40 honorees this year.

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Each year, the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recognizes 40 residents under the age of 40 who have shown leadership and community impact. Honorees will be celebrated during a breakfast Aug. 26. The event will feature a keynote address by Olympic gold medalist and Tucson native Kerri Strug. 

Though both spent time away from Southern Arizona, Feder and Padilla are alumni of the U of A and grew up in Tucson.

Padilla said she’s very appreciative of the honor.

“I recognize the importance of this responsibility,” she said. “We need to engage and listen to what Southern Arizonans want for our today and tomorrow and to lift up the generations before and after us.”

Feder echoed Padilla’s sentiments.

“It’s a recognition of the change I’m helping to create in Tucson, a city that raised me and continues to inspire me,” she said. “To be honored in my hometown makes it all the more humbling. I never imagined I’d reach a point where my work would be acknowledged in this way, and I’m deeply grateful.”

Feder oversees strategic growth initiatives at the Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, including partnerships and business expansion. 

“Coming back was one of the best decisions I’ve made — to be close to family and to contribute to one of the most exciting movements in health care: disrupting the system for the better,” said Feder, who joined the center in 2021.

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“Stephanie brings purpose and integrity to everything she does and has a real gift for turning big ideas into things that make a difference,” said Scott Gimple, MBA, executive director of the center. “Being named to 40 Under 40 is a well-deserved recognition of the impact she’s had on both Southern Arizona and the University of Arizona.”

Padilla has been with the U of A for 10 years. Her dedication keeps the day-to-day operations of the Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction running smoothly and efficiently, said Todd W. Vanderah, PhD, a Regents Professor, head of the Department of Pharmacology at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson and director of the Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction.

“What’s great about Alyssa is her impeccable organization, her skill in mentoring others, her ability to run an efficient meeting, and her finance and budgeting skills, as well as her commitment to the mission of the center,” said Vanderah, a member of the BIO5 Institute. “Alyssa is a key to the success of our center and its ability to help those who suffer from substance use disorder and chronic pain.”

Both Padilla and Feder said their hometown is a magical place. 

“Tucson isn’t just where I live; it’s who I am,” Feder said. “Being seen as someone contributing to its strength and future is an incredible feeling. I’m proud to serve this community, to help shape it and to give back to the place that has given me so much.”

Said Padilla, “This is our home. This is our livelihood. I love the Sonoran Desert and its people. I love our multicultural, diverse border community. I love experiencing our culture through our food, music and people. There’s a shared joy and commitment to our land and our community in Tucson and Southern Arizona, and I hope everyone is inspired to contribute.”