Ģ����ý 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’re spotlighting their many and varied achievements.

Ģ����ý faculty members receive ACLS Fellowships

�ճ������has named��, assistant professor of history and director of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies program, and , assistant professor of Black Studies,��.

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 “Pushing Past GDP Per Capita: Brazilian Maternal Health 1915–75.”�� It examines and compares maternal health and childbirth from 1915 to 1975 for urban and interior spaces in three Brazilian states: São Paulo, Bahia, and Goiás. Learn more about Ball’s research on her��.

Ealey received the ACLS Fellowship for the project titled “Dissonant Dramaturgy: Black Women’s Music-Theatre and the Politics of Possibility.” The project examines Black women’s 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 �ɲ�����.

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” 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 “for pioneering scalable, ethical AI technologies that improve neurological care, social communication, and health equity across clinical and global contexts.” 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��, the Nicholas George Professor in��, 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��Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

�ճ������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��Sunday, April 12,��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��the , particularly in the development and modernization of its flagship journal,��RNA.

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

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’s 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’s 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, “” 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’s . 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 Ģ����ý’s 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’s 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. .

faculty regularly earn 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’re spotlighting their accomplishments.

Three faculty members on Clarivate’s list of ‘highly cited researchers’

, a professor of����and��,��, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of��, and��, the codirector of the University’s��, have made it onto . It’s an honor that the trio also shared in 2024.

Each selected researcher on the annual list has authored multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1 percent by citations for their field, according to Clarivate. The company is a global provider of analytics, data, and expert services in the areas of academia and government, intellectual property, and life sciences and healthcare.

Boyd is recognized for his pioneering research in nonlinear optical interactions and nonlinear optical properties of materials. Druckman’s research focuses on democracy and political polarization. Nedergaard is an expert on the brain’s unique waste removal system—the glymphatic system, which her team discovered—and sleep’s role in its function.��

Thomas Brown elected director at large for Optica’s board of directors

, director of the����and the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor, has been elected as director at large for the 2026–28 term of the . is dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students, and others interested in the science of light.

Brown has contributed to the society through service on the editorial board of��Optics Express��and as program cochair of the Centennial Celebration in 2016.

Suzanne Karan recognized as a top educator

, professor and vice chair of education in anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, has received the 2026 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The national honor recognizes program directors who exemplify excellence in teaching, leadership, and a deep commitment to compassionate, learner-focused education. .

Darren Mueller honored for best historical research

by , an associate professor of at the , has been named the winner of the 2025 Award for Excellence in Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz, given by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections.

The ARSC Awards for Excellence recognize and publicize the very finest research into the history of recorded sound published each year, and to encourage others to emulate those same high standards.

In the book, published in 2024 by Duke University Press, Mueller examines how the advent of the long-playing record (LP) in 1948 revolutionized the recording and production of jazz in the 1950s.

Duncan Moore named Optica Honorary Member

has named Duncan Moore, the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Emeritus Professor of Optical Engineering at the , an��. Honorary member is the most distinguished of all Optica member categories and is awarded by a unanimous vote of the Optica board of directors to individuals who have made seminal contributions to the field of optics. Their number is limited to two-thousandths of the society’s total membership. .

Moore is an expert in gradient-index optics, computer-aided design, and the manufacture of optical systems. He chaired the successful Hubble Independent Optical Review Panel organized in 1990 to determine the correct prescription of the Hubble Space Telescope. He also served as science advisor to Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia for a one-year appointment and was confirmed by the US Senate in the fall of 1997 for the position of associate director for technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). In this position, he worked with Neal Lane, President Clinton’s science advisor, to advise the president on US technology policy, including the Next Generation Internet, Clean Car Initiative, National Nanotechnology Initiative, ElderTech, and CrimeTech.

Danae Polsin earns early-career award from American Physical Society

, a staff scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received the American Physical Society’s for Studies of Matter at Extreme High-Pressure Conditions. The award cites Polsin’s “pioneering experiments mapping the evolution of electronic and ionic structural complexity of alkali metals to terapascal conditions.”

Polsin’s work pushes the boundaries of several new high-energy-density science directions, including extreme quantum matter, laboratory astrophysics and planetary physics, high strain-rate response of materials, optical properties of extreme matter, and the structure of matter at atomic pressures.

David Turnbull named American Physical Society Fellow

David Turnbull, a scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, was recently . The honor recognizes Turnbull’s pioneering experiments and analysis revealing a fundamental understanding of laser-plasma interactions that have helped advance the fields of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and plasma photonics.

A scientist with a prolific publication record, Turnbull is a significant national player in both the indirect-drive and direct-drive National ICF Programs, and his keen focus on ICF contributed to the achievement of ignition in 2022.

faculty regularly earn 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’re spotlighting their accomplishments.

Hussein Aluie elected fellow of the American Physical Society

, a professor in the����and the����and a senior scientist at the University’s��, was named an American Physical Society Fellow. Aluie was recommended for the honor, which recognizes scientists for research excellence and exceptional service to the physics community, by the APS Topical Group on the Physics of Climate.

Aluie was nominated “for developing a coarse-graining framework to analyze multiscale and inhomogeneous turbulent flows and generalizing this framework to the sphere to unravel coupled-scale processes within the ocean and Earth’s climate system, and for service to APS, particularly in bridging the Topical Group on the Physics of Climate and the Division of Fluid Dynamics.”

• Read about Aluie’s work to understand how the atmosphere affects ocean weather.��

Michelle Dziejman appointed to American Society for Microbiology board

, an associate professor of , has been named to the . As an at-large board director, Dziejman will play a pivotal role in advancing the organization’s strategic roadmap.

Dziejman studies the evolution of bacterial pathogens and the molecular interactions between host and microbe that promote infectious disease.

One of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences, the American Society for Microbiology comprises more than 37,000 scientists and health practitioners working together to promote the microbial sciences.

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Karl Glastad selected as one of 20 Packard Fellows

, an assistant professor in the , has been named a��2025 Packard Fellow��by the��. The fellowship annually honors 20 science and engineering professors across the United States who are pursuing research early in their careers. Each fellowship is accompanied by an individual grant of $875,000, distributed over five years.

Glastad’s research focuses on using ants as models to understand aging. At the cellular level, aging is characterized by an accumulation of damage and dysfunction in multiple dimensions that are thought to precipitate the decline in health as an organism approaches end of life. While this process and these forms of damage are highly consistent across the animal kingdom, the complexity of the process has stymied an understanding of the aging process.

In many ant species, the nonreproductive individuals (workers) live six to eight months, but their reproductive sisters��(queens) live for decades, outliving most mammals.��The Glastad Lab is using modern genomic, molecular, and transgenic techniques to understand the aging process and how ants have hacked this process more than essentially any other organism on the planet.

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Neurobiologist Suzanne Haber elected to National Academy of Medicine

, Dean’s Professor in the , has been elected to the . Recognized as one of the highest accolades in health and medicine, the distinction acknowledges Haber’s significant contributions to the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry over the past 40 years.

Haber, also a professor of , of , and of , is an internationally recognized scientist whose work has transformed an understanding of the brain networks that play a central role in many mental health disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression.

She is a biological map maker, charting the brain regions and circuits that regulate motivation, cognition, and motor control. Through anatomical studies and the use of advanced imaging techniques, she’s identified abnormalities in brain circuitry that contribute to neurological and mental health disorders ranging from schizophrenia and OCD to post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and depression.

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Sandeep Mannava and Susan McDowell named AOA Fellows

and , both associate professors of , have been inducted as fellows of the American Orthopaedic Association, nominated by peers within the AOA for exceptional leadership and accomplishments in the field. Fewer than 10 percent of practicing orthopaedic surgeons have achieved this honor.

Mannava’s research focuses on clinical outcomes, translational science, and medical education, including NIH-funded studies on how ACL and rotator cuff injuries lead to post-traumatic arthritis.

McDowell, the Dr. C. McCollister Evarts Professor in Orthopaedics, is involved in clinical research in the fields of orthopedic surgery and treatment for bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

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Ellie Prager recognized with Best Young Researcher Paper Award

, an assistant professor of economics at , received a Best Young Researcher Paper Award at the 2025 CRESSE Conference.

Prager’s paper, “Collusion through Common Leadership,” coauthored by Jessica Jeffers (HEC Paris) and Alejandro Herrera-Caicedo (Wisconsin), received one of the two Best Paper Awards for Young Researchers. The paper examines how shared executives or board members between firms can increase the likelihood of collusion—a timely topic in antitrust policy and corporate governance.

CRESSE is a network of academics and professionals working in competition policy, regulation, and law. Its mission includes hosting annual conferences, summer schools, lawyers’ courses, and executive programs to advance research, training, and public debate in competition and regulatory policy.

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Pablo Sierra Silva��receives J. Franklin Jameson Award

, an associate professor in the , has received the 2025 �� for editing historical sources. Sierra Silva received the award for Mexico, Slavery, Freedom: A Bilingual Documentary History, 1520–1829��(Hackett, 2024). The Jameson Award was established in 1974 for outstanding achievement in the editing of historical sources.

Sierra Silva’s research is centered on the experiences of Africans and their descendants in colonial Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic during the 16th through 18th centuries.

• Learn more about Sierra Silva’s approach to teaching.

Ģ����ý faculty regularly earn 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’re spotlighting their accomplishments.

Heather Busick chosen as Informatics Physician Leader of the Year

, an assistant professor of emergency medicine and internal medicine, was awarded the 2025 PINA Informatics Physician Leader of the Year Award.

This distinction from Physicians in AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) recognizes a physician who demonstrates the practical application of informatics through successes in implementations of technology, leading modernization efforts, change management, governance of data, quality, and technology, and/or advancing their organization’s strategic position in the healthcare industry using informatics skills.

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Benjamín Castañeda receives Peruvian award for technological innovation

Professor from the was recognized in July with an award by the Peruvian government for technological innovation. On July 2, the nation’s first-ever Day of the Peruvian Inventor and Scientist, Castañeda and several other previous winners of the National Invention Competition were honored by el Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (Indecopi), Peru’s governmental office that oversees intellectual property and consumer defense.

Specifically, Castañeda was praised for his leadership in designing and manufacturing hundreds of mechanical ventilators to support critically ill patients in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

• Read about Castañeda’s work to bring life-saving services into rural communities.

Daniel Gildea receives Test of Time Paper Award

The (ACL) selected a paper by Professor from the for its 25-year Test of Time Paper Award. Gildea’s 2000 paper, “Automatic Labeling of Semantic Roles,” was published in Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. The ACL called it “a foundational paper that paved the way for semantic role labeling and beyond.”

Each year, ACL selects up to two papers published 25 years earlier, and up to two papers published 10 years earlier, for contributions that have had a “long-lasting impact on the field of natural language processing and computational linguistics.” Gildea’s research focuses on studying statistical approaches to natural language processing, particularly for the tasks of machine translation and language understanding.

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SMBE recognizes Amanda Larracuente

, the Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor of Biology, was named this year’s recipient of the Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution Mid-Career Excellence Award, a prestigious honor given to mid-career scientists who are recognized leaders in the field.

Larracuente’s lab integrates genomic, cytological, and molecular approaches to study selfish DNA and its impact on genome evolution. Larracuente also advises the undergraduate program in Computational Biology and codirects the Genomic Intensive Data Science Research, Education, and Mentorship program.

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Michael Rotondo joins ABS Board of Directors

, a professor of surgery and CEO of the Ģ����ý Medical Faculty Group, has been appointed to the American Board of Surgery’s board of directors.

ABS is the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists. Rotondo’s three-year term began July 1.

Rotondo’s research focuses on trauma management strategies, and his work on damage control surgery has redefined the standard of care around the world.

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Melissa Sturge-Apple named APA fellow

, interim dean of the Warner School of Education and Human Development, has been named a fellow of the , the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. The honor recognizes Sturge-Apple’s significant research contributions to the field of psychology.

Sturge-Apple is a longtime faculty member in the y in the School of Arts & Sciences and a researcher at the . Her research centers on parenting and child development, with a particular focus on families experiencing adversity.

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Several faculty members at the����were appointed to named professorships during the first half of 2025. An honor designed to recognize the national stature of a professor’s work, the named positions are part of a long-standing tradition to celebrate the work of Rochester’s faculty as researchers, scholars, and teachers.

’11M (MD), an associate professor of neurology, has been jointly appointed as the David M. Levy Professor in Neurology. Adams retains her joint appointment as an associate professor in the Center for Health and Technology.

Adams is a movement disorders specialist whose research focuses on the use and evaluation of digital health technology, such as wearable sensors, smartphone applications, and telemedicine, in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

The position was established with an estate gift from the late Rochester-area attorney David Levy.

, a professor of music and chair of the Arthur Satz Department of Music, has been appointed as Dean’s Professor of Music. He will retain his joint appointment as a professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music.

He has published on various topics, including form, gesture, agency, chromatic harmony, and recomposition. His most recent book, Lines and Lyrics: An Introduction to Poetry and Song (Yale University Press), won the 2022 Wallace Berry Award from the Society for Music Theory.

The Dean’s Professorship recognizes a faculty member’s outstanding research accomplishments.

, an executive professor of competitive strategy, innovation, global marketing, and entrepreneurship at the Simon Business School, has been jointly appointed as the Robert Sperandio Professor in Entrepreneurship.

Colangelo, an expert in entrepreneurship and economics and management, serves as executive director and faculty advisor of the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The professorship was established by Jackie Sperandio in honor of her late husband, Robert Sperandio, a local entrepreneur.

, a professor of orthopaedics and chief of the orthopaedic pediatric division, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Agnes E. Griffith Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Mobility.

Cook’s research interests range from pediatric hips, the pediatric athlete, and pediatric fractures, and his clinical specialties include pediatric orthopaedics, hip dysplasia in children and young adults, and complex hips.

The professorship was established by the late scholar and educator Agnes Griffith.

, a professor of music, has been jointly appointed as Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities. Covach will retain his joint appointment as a professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music.

Covach is a prominent rock and pop music historian and the director of the Institute for Popular Music. He is an expert on the history of popular and rock music, 12-tone music, and the philosophy and aesthetics of music.

The professorship is among several humanities professorships named for the late Arthur Satz ’51, a music major and the late president emeritus at the New York School of Interior Design.

, a professor of surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery, has been jointly appointed as the Seymour I. Schwartz Professor in Surgery.

Fields is a surgical oncologist and translational scientist who came to Rochester after serving as the Kim and Tim Eberlein Distinguished Professor of Surgery and chief of Surgical Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine. His clinical focus is on the multidisciplinary treatment of solid tumors, including pancreatic, biliary, liver, and gastric malignancies, along with sarcoma, and cutaneous oncology with a focus on melanoma.

The professorship is named for Seymour Schwartz, a longtime faculty member and distinguished surgeon who edited and cowrote the standard textbook for the profession, Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery.

, a professor of economics, has been jointly appointed as the Lionel W. McKenzie Professor of Economics.

Govindan’s research interests are game theory and mathematical economics.

Named for the founder of Rochester’s graduate program in economics, the professorship was established with a gift from the late Fred Jensen ’42.

, a professor of English, has been jointly appointed as Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities.

Grotz is the author of four books of poetry, most recently��Still Falling��(Graywolf Press, 2023).��Everything I Don’t Know, which features selected poems by Jerzy Ficowski cotranslated from the Polish by Grotz and Piotr Sommer,��received the 2022 PEN Award for Best Book of Poetry.

The professorship is among several humanities professorships named for the late Arthur Satz ’51, a music major and the late president emeritus at the New York School of Interior Design.

, a professor of chemistry, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Dean and Laura Marvin Endowed Professor in Physical Chemistry.

Huo’s research covers theoretical chemistry, quantum dynamics, quantum optics, cavity quantum electrodynamics, light-matter interactions, and polariton chemistry.

The professorship was established by a gift from Dean Marvin ’73 and his wife, Laura Marvin.

’09M (PhD), a professor of orthopaedics in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research, has been jointly appointed as the Donald and Mary Clark Distinguished Professor in Orthopaedic Research. Loiselle retains joint appointments as a professor of biomedical engineering and as a professor of pathology and of laboratory medicine.

Loiselle’s lab focuses on research around musculoskeletal and soft tissue fibrosis and regeneration.

The position is named for the late Donald Clark and his late wife, Mary Clark, who were longtime friends and supporters of the University.

’97M (Res), a professor of orthopaedics and Dean’s Professor, has been jointly appointed the inaugural E. Philip Saunders Distinguished Professor.

Maloney is a renowned orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. He is the founder and director of the Center for Human Athleticism and Musculoskeletal Performance and Prevention, which offers a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to athletic performance, injury prevention, and wellness.

The professorship was established by a gift from the Saunders Foundation, led by University Trustee Emeritus E. Philip (Phil) Saunders.

, a professor of chemistry, has been jointly appointed as the Andrew S. Kende Professor in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Nilsson retains his appointment as director of the Materials Science Program.

Nilsson’s research interests include peptide self-assembly, amyloid peptides, amyloid-inspired materials, bioorganic chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry.

The professorship was established to support a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry in the field of synthetic organic chemistry to honor the contributions of Professor Andrew S. Kende during his 35-year career as a professor.

, a professor of history, has been jointly appointed as the Arthur R. Miller Professor of History.

Smoller’s research interests are medieval and Renaissance Europe, medieval Christianity, early science and medicine, and the history of astrology and prophecy.

The professorship was established by noted legal scholar and analyst Arthur Miller ’56, ’08 (Honorary).

, an associate professor of surgery, has been jointly appointed as the inaugural Pluta Professor in Breast Care. Weiss retains her joint appointment as an associate professor of oncology.

Weiss’s research interests focus on breast cancer and benign breast disease, and breast and axillary surgery. She is especially interested in surgery following neoadjuvant systemic therapy and in patients with an inherited risk of developing breast cancer.

The professorship was established in 2024 with a gift from the Pluta Cancer Foundation.

Ģ����ý faculty regularly earn 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’re spotlighting their accomplishments.

Hesam Askari earns Editor of Distinction Award

Assistant Professor from the was recognized by Springer Nature with a 2025 Editor of Distinction Award for his role with The Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (JOM). The award recognizes exceptional service in improving the author experience and ensuring the peer review process is efficient, constructive, and fair.

Hesam has edited three special topics during the past two years in JOM and was selected to receive the Author Service Award for his contributions to the journal.

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Acoustical Society of America honors Laurel Carney

, the��Marylou Ingram Professor in Biomedical Engineering and a professor of , received the 2025����from the��.��Presented by the ASA Student Association, the Blackstock Award recognizes exceptional mentorship in the field of acoustics and is based on nominations submitted by ASA members.

The award was established in 2004 by the ASA Student Council to honor individuals who demonstrate outstanding dedication and excellence in mentoring students across a wide range of areas. It was named in honor of��, a pioneer in nonlinear acoustics and a former professor at both the Ģ����ý and the University of Texas at Austin.

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Carlo Ercoli to lead Academy of Prosthodontics

, chair of prosthodontics at the , has been named the 102nd president of the Academy of Prosthodontics. Ercoli was installed at the academy’s recent annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Ercoli is a past president of the American Prosthodontic Society and was awarded Educator of the Year by the American College of Prosthodontists in 2020. He has served as chair of the EIOH Prosthodontics Department since 2006. He has been at the forefront of EIOH’s efforts to establish a hub for excellence in digital dentistry, integrating new technologies into all the departments and residency training programs.

Established in 1918, the Academy of Prosthodontics is one of the profession’s oldest and most influential organizations.

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Wyatte Hall named to Forbes’ Accessibility 100

, an expert in language deprivation as a social public health epidemic in deaf communities and an assistant professor of , was named to Forbes’ inaugural Accessibility 100 list, which recognizes the “100 top innovators and impact-makers in the field of accessibility.”

“When a child is born deaf or hard of hearing, their access to and understanding of language can be severely limited during these crucial [early] years, causing lifelong consequences,” Hall’s award profile states, appearing under the . “(Any learning of American Sign Language often comes much later.) Hall’s Visual Language Access and Acquisition Lab is a leader in researching those adverse effects and possible solutions.”

Beyond research, Hall is an advocate and mentor. At Rochester, he established a Deaf Academic Group as an informal peer mentoring group to support deaf trainees at all levels, and he worked towards improving Deaf Professional Interpreting Services at the University. Hall also co-created the to introduce deaf high school students to the world of science and medicine, with a focus on cancer research.

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Christopher Heuer selected as a Getty Scholar

, a professor of art history in the and the , is among the scholars and arts professionals worldwide who have received a 2025–26 fellowship from the GRI Getty Scholars Program. This year’s scholars will gather in the coming academic year to engage with research exploring the theme of “Repair.”

Heuer engages the theories, ecologies, materialisms, and politics of Europe from AD 1400 to the present, with a particular interest in early modern myths of North, poverty, and waste. The most relevant and recent work pivots on “Robert Smithson and Waste.” Robert Smithson was an American artist whose work explored spatial arts and pioneered the Land Art Movement.

Since its inception in 1985, the Getty Scholars Program has supported approximately 1,300 scholars from more than 50 countries, providing a collaborative space for inquiry and exchange at the Getty Center and Getty Villa in Los Angeles.

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Ehsan Hoque named a finalist for the 2025 Norwegian Letten Prize

Professor�� from the�� received the “for his unique and applied research into the matters of bringing equity to the health condition of people across the globe.”

The is a biannual award highlighting young researchers who contribute to solving major global challenges in health, development, and environment. Of 158 applications, Hoque is one of five young researchers shortlisted for the prize.

Hoque was nominated for his research on integrating artificial intelligence in health diagnosis in ways that aim to improve the lives of people who do not have access to medical practitioners, thus securing equity and equal access across the world. The Letten Prize Committee noted Hoque’s work building Parkinson’s Analysis with Remote Kinetic Tasks (PARK), a web-based screening tool that can automatically analyze video recordings of participants doing simple motor tasks.

• Read about an online AI-based test for Parkinson’s disease severity developed by Hoque’s lab.

AAP appoints Lainie Ross to lead bioethics committee

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has appointed to a four-year term as chair of the AAP Committee on Bioethics, effective July 1, 2025. In the role, Ross will guide the academy in crafting and reviewing policy statements, technical reports, and clinical guidelines on complex ethical issues in pediatric care.

An internationally renowned bioethicist, Ross is the inaugural chair of the Ģ����ý School of Medicine and Dentistry’s new and director of the . Ross also holds faculty appointments in the Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, Philosophy, and Surgery.

She has published five books, over 225 peer-reviewed articles, and is currently authoring a sixth book on ethical issues in siblings’ roles in healthcare.

Ģ����ý faculty regularly earn 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’re spotlighting their accomplishments.

Elizabeth Brown named Family Medicine Educator of the Year

The New York State Academy of Family Physicians has selected , an associate professor of family medicine, as its 2025 Family Medicine Educator of the Year.

Brown, who has served as director of medical student education in family medicine, was nominated by students, patients, and colleagues for her commitment to family medicine and teaching the next generation of family physicians.

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Diane Dalecki receives Joseph H. Holmes Basic Science Pioneer Award

, the Kevin J. Parker Distinguished Professor in����and director of the��Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound, received the 2025 from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. The award was established to honor individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and development of diagnostic ultrasound.

Dalecki’s laboratory is dedicated to advancing novel diagnostic ultrasound imaging techniques and discovering and developing new therapeutic applications of ultrasound for medicine, biology, and biotechnology. A particular focus of her research is on advancing innovative ultrasound technologies for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As an internationally recognized leader in biomedical ultrasound, Dalecki is a fellow of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the Acoustical Society of America, and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.

• Learn more about Dalecki’s research to leverage ultrasound to build new blood vessels in living tissue.

Get Real! Science program receives Inspiring Programs in STEM Award

The Warner School of Education and Human Development’s��received the 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from��Insight Into Academia��magazine. The national award recognizes individual programs and initiatives that encourage and support the recruitment and retention of students of various backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The program will be featured alongside 57 other award recipients in the June 2025 issue of��Insight Into Academia��magazine.

Now in its 22nd year, the Get Real! Science program empowers all students to explore, pursue, and succeed in STEM careers through initiatives such as the annual Environmental Action Camp and the Science STARS after-school club.

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Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists Program codirectors recognized

, the Charles Ayrault Dewey Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine, and , an assistant professor of public health sciences, the Center for Community Health & Prevention, of obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics, received a National Champion Awards from the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf.

O’Regan and Hall are codirectors of the Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists Program, which introduces deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students to the world of science and medicine, focusing on cancer research.

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Ann Marie White honored as ‘Woman of Distinction’

Ann Marie White, director of the Office of Mental Health Promotion and an associate professor of psychiatry, was recently recognized, along with nine other influential women, with a Woman of Distinction Award by State Assembly member Jen Lunsford. White is also a joint faculty member with the Center for Community Health & Prevention.

White directs local and national training activities in collaborative research to infuse scientific inquiries with mental health-related policy and program activities of communities.

The award highlights women who have made profound impacts on our community. Women are nominated by their peers, colleagues, friends, or family.

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The University has a proud past of commencement speakers and honorees but the 91st commencement ceremony on June 16, 1941, was particularly noteworthy.

Eastman Theatre was packed as University President Alan Valentine presented an honorary doctor of laws degree to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who accepted the honor from London through a trans-Atlantic radio address that urged for Anglo-American unity in the fight against the Nazis.

“United we stand. Divided we fall. Divided the dark ages return. United we can save and guide the world,” Churchill said to close his dramatic 10-minute address, which was broadcast by WHAM radio in Rochester in partnership with NBC radio and the BBC—and took several months to coordinate.

“An enthusiastic audience applauded the remarks for quite as long as the incomparable Briton had spoken,” notes Arthur J. May in The History of the Ģ����ý 1850–1962.

Listen to Churchill’s speech ()

The view from Rochester Review

An excerpt from an article in the June-July 1941 edition of Rochester Review, headlined “Commencement Rites Span Atlantic as Winston Churchill Gets Degree,” describes the historic event.

Members of the Class of 1941 will probably remember their Commencement day for many years to come.

For the first time in the history of Rochester, and probably for the first time anywhere, the trans-Atlantic radio was invoked to bring together, vocally at least, the recipient of an honorary degree and its donor, Winston Churchill, Britain’s prime minister, in historic Downing Street, London, listened while Alan Valentine, Ģ����ý president, cited him as the ‘symbol of Britain aroused—stout in heart, direct in speech, cheerful in reverses, calm in confusion.’ Millions of Americans and Britishers heard the president’s words, and heard too the ringing phrases of Prime Minister Churchill’s reply.

It was Winston Churchill’s first speech prepared exclusively for American consumption since he took the reins from the faltering Chamberlain. It was a shrewd speech, obviously written by a man who understands Americans thoroughly. He recalled that his grandfather, Leonard Jerome, had lived in Rochester, and had published a newspaper here, even though he forgot that the newspaper was The Rochester American and not The Plain Dealer.

There was in his address the assured British confidence in ultimate British victory. There was, also, an appeal for American assistance in lessening ‘the length and the perils of the journey that will have to be made.’ He reminded Americans that one united gesture by the peoples that now lie crushed by the Axis would, if made in time, have halted the dictators. They did not act together, so they fell separately, under the impact of ‘brutal violence, poison from within, subtle intrigue.’ He ended his ten-minute address with the significant challenge that ‘United we stand. Divided we fall. Divided the Dark ages return. United we can save and guide the world.’ And there was little question but that his ‘we’ included not only Britain and her dominions—‘the old lion with lion cubs at her side—’ but the United States as well.

The Eastman Theater was crowded with spectators, although the plan to award a degree to Prime Minister Churchill, across 3,000 miles of the Atlantic had been announced only the day before. The secret has been well kept. There had been vague whispers that an additional honorary degree would be given, probably in absentia, at the Commencement ceremonies, but only a handful of University officials knew of the project until it was revealed to the Board of Trustees at its meeting on Saturday, two days before the event.

Noel Hall, British Minister at Washington, old friend of the Valentines, was on the platform to receive the parchment scroll proclaiming Mr. Churchill an honorary alumnus of the URochester. The envoy’s morning garb of gray-striped trousers and cutaway was in sharp contrast to the reds and greens and purples decking the shoulders and chests of the faculty clustered on the Eastman stage. (The professors turned out in such unprecedented numbers that some of them had to execute and about-face when the academic procession came down to the front of the theater, and sit in the bleachers with the graduates.)

George Washington Carver honored at 1941 commencement

“If the degree to Churchill was the most memorable the U. of R. had ever granted, a second worthy of note was also bestowed in 1941 on George Washington Carver,” writes Arthur J. May in The History of the Ģ����ý 1850–1962.

Carver, who led the agricultural department at the Tuskegee Institute for nearly 20 years, was known for his research and innovative educational programs and for the development of a variety of uses for crops such as cow peas, sweet potatoes, and peanuts.

Illness prevented Carver from receiving the honorary doctor of science degree in Rochester so Valentine flew to Alabama to present the diploma.

Also receiving honorary degrees in 1941: Robert Patterson, undersecretary of war, who delivered the Commencement address; Eve Curie, daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie; Warren Longcope, physician-in-chief at Johns Hopkins University; Rene Jules DuBos of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research; Mary Gannett, a social activist in Rochester; and Frederick Stock, director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

A proud past of speakers, honorees

The practice of having an outside commencement speaker at the University began sometime in the early 20th century. During the 1970s and 80s, speeches came from recipients of honorary degrees. In the late 1980s, the practice of having a commencement address was revived, although the address was typically given near the end or middle of the ceremony instead of at the beginning.

Select speakers and honorary degree recipients from commencement ceremonies over the years include:

1920: Dwight D. Morrow, businessman and partner of J. P. Morgan

1921: Eliot Wadsworth, assistant secretary of the US Treasury

1922: George Wharton Pepper, senator from Pennsylvania

1928: Robert Alexander Falconer, president of the University of Toronto

1929: George Daniel Olds, president emeritus of Amherst College

1931: John Huston Finley, associate editor of the New York Times

1932: William Richards Castle Jr., undersecretary of the US Department of State

1934: Wilbur L. Cross, governor of Connecticut

1935: William Mather Lewis, president of Lafayette College

1936: Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Walter Lippmann

1941: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill received an honorary degree and addressed graduates via a live radio broadcast from Great Britain. Also during the ceremony, scientist George Washington Carver of the Tuskegee Institute received an honorary doctor of science degree.

1942: H. J. Cody, president of the University of Toronto

1955: Allan Nevins, Civil War historian

1957: Former New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey received an honorary degree.

1958: Robert M. Hutchins, chancellor emeritus of the University of Chicago

1962: John W. Gardner, secretary of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

1963: Edward A. Weeks, editor and essayist at the Atlantic Monthly

1964: Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson received an honorary degree.

1966: Richard Nixon, then a former US vice president, addressed the graduates.

1969: Edward H. Levi, president of the University of Chicago

1973: Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, whose papers are housed in Rush Rhees Library, presented the invocation.

1982: Wilson Commons architect I. M. Pei received an honorary degree.

1985: The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, archbishop of Cape Town, received an honorary doctor of divinity degree.

1986: Garth Fagan, Tony Award–winning choreographer, received an honorary degree.

1990: Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

1994: New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Pakistani President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, whose son was graduating with a BA in political science, received honorary degrees.

1995: Elizabeth Hanford Dole, cabinet secretary under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, addressed the graduates and received an honorary degree.

2003: Writer John A. Williams, whose papers are housed in Rush Rhees Library, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

2005: Robert B. Wegman, founder of the Wegmans grocery chain, received an honorary degree.

2007: Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and economist and Nobel Laureate Robert Solow received honorary degrees.

2008: Xerox CEO Ann Mulcahy and law professor and noted legal scholar and commentator Arthur Miller ’56 received honorary degrees.

Recent Commencement speakers are featured here.

This page was originally posted in May 2016 and updated in April 2025.