蘑菇传媒

蘑菇传媒 faculty members have received national honors from professional and scholarly organizations.

蘑菇传媒 faculty are leaders in their fields who are regularly recognized with regional, national, and international awards and honors for their professional contributions to research, scholarship, education, and community engagement.

As part of an ongoing series, we鈥檙e spotlighting their many and varied achievements.

蘑菇传媒 faculty members receive ACLS Fellowships

罢丑别听听has named听, assistant professor of history and director of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies program, and , assistant professor of Black Studies,听.

The ACLS Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Awardees were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants through a multi-stage peer review process and represent a broad range of institutions, fields, and career stages.

Ball received the ACLS Fellowship for the project titled 鈥淧ushing Past GDP Per Capita: Brazilian Maternal Health 1915鈥�75.鈥澨� It examines and compares maternal health and childbirth from 1915 to 1975 for urban and interior spaces in three Brazilian states: S茫o Paulo, Bahia, and Goi谩s. Learn more about Ball鈥檚 research on her听.

Ealey received the ACLS Fellowship for the project titled 鈥淒issonant Dramaturgy: Black Women鈥檚 Music-Theatre and the Politics of Possibility.鈥� The project examines Black women鈥檚 music-theatre in the 19th and 20th centuries as a legitimate form of Black feminist intellectual production.

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity recognizes Meagan Driver

, an assistant professor in teaching and curriculum at the , has been selected for the 2025 Strong Start Coach Excellence Award from the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD).

The honor recognizes a first-year coach in the Faculty Success Program who demonstrates exceptional commitment to the coaching role, increasing effectiveness, and consistently positive feedback from Faculty Success Program participants. All coaches who coached for NCFDD in 2025 were eligible for consideration.

Ehsan Hoque inducted into AIMBE College of Fellows

Professor from the 飞补蝉听.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers, comprised of the top two percent of engineers in these fields. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education鈥� and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Hoque was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows 鈥渇or pioneering scalable, ethical AI technologies that improve neurological care, social communication, and health equity across clinical and global contexts.鈥� He was inducted along with 175 colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2026 at a ceremony held during the AIMBE Annual Event in Arlington, Virginia, in April.

Researchers earn best original article honors

, the David R. Williams Director of the听, the Nicholas George Professor in听, and a professor of ophthalmology at URochester, was the scientific coordinating author of a paper that received the 2025 Obstbaum Award for the best original article published in the听Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

罢丑别听听reports results from a novel measurement of ocular dominance using a binocular visual simulator in several eye clinics. It represents a major multidisciplinary, multi-centric milestone in improving the correction of presbyopia. , director of refractive services in the Department of Ophthalmology at URochester, is a coauthor. The award was presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting on听Sunday, April 12,听in Washington DC.

Eric Phizicky honored with RNA Society’s Outstanding Service Award

, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics, was recognized for his exceptional dedication and significant contributions to听the , particularly in the development and modernization of its flagship journal,听RNA.

An internationally recognized researcher in tRNA biology, Phizicky has served the organization in numerous committee roles and by organizing annual meetings.听.

Wilfred Pigeon selected for Research Mentor Award

, a professor of psychiatry and of public health sciences, was recently selected for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine鈥檚 2026 Research Mentor Award. The award recognizes leaders who are fostering the next generation of researchers in sleep and circadian science.

Pigeon is the director of the at . His primary research and clinical focus is the mechanisms, consequences, and treatment of sleep disturbance, especially as they co-occur with common medical and mental health conditions.

Elena Prager鈥檚 research on work requirements lands Best Paper Award

, an assistant professor of economics at , has received the Best Paper Award from the . The annual award recognizes the most outstanding paper published in the journal over the past three years and highlights research with meaningful implications for economic policy and practice.

Prager was honored for her 2023 coauthored paper, 鈥溾�� Her research focuses on the intersection of industrial organization, health economics, and labor markets, using detailed empirical data to examine how policy shapes behavior among firms, workers, and consumers.

A leading scholar in her field, Prager continues to earn distinction for her work. In 2025, she received the for a coauthored paper and is a contributing faculty member to Simon鈥檚 . Her recent research explores topics such as health insurance networks, hospital pricing, employer consolidation, and the effects of public policy on labor supply and program participation.

Tricia Shalka named a 2026 ACPA Diamond Honoree

, an associate professor of higher education at 蘑菇传媒鈥檚 Warner School of Education & Human Development, has been named a 2026 Diamond Honoree by the . She is one of 22 individuals nationwide recognized for making significant and lasting contributions to the field of student affairs and higher education.

A leading expert on trauma among college students, Shalka鈥檚 research examines how traumatic experiences impact student success and how trauma-informed practices can guide administrators, faculty, and staff in supporting and responding to student survivors. .