University of Rochester

12/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/18/2024 11:41

Awards and accolades spotlight faculty contributions

Professional associations and scholarly organizations are recognizing the accomplishments of Rochester faculty.

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University of Rochester 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.

Nursing faculty honored for research, clinical excellence in cardiovascular and stroke care

School of Nursing faculty members Salah Al-Zaiti and Ann Leonhardt-Caprio received accolades at the American Heart Association's annual conference in November.

School of Nursing faculty members were recognized for their clinical and scientific contributions to heart attack and stroke care at the American Heart Association's (AHA) annual Scientific Sessions.

Salah Al-Zaiti, an endowed professor and the chair of cardiovascular nursing, received the AHA Council on Cardiovascular & Stroke Nursing's (CVSN) 2024 Research Article of the Year Award. In collaboration with a national team of researchers, Al-Zaiti is developing a machine learning-based clinical decision-making support tool to better classify chest pain and identify hidden heart attacks among emergency department patients.

Ann Leonhardt-Caprio, an assistant professor of clinical nursing, won the Excellence in Clinical Practice Award. She was recognized for her work as program coordinator with the UR Medicine Comprehensive Stroke Program, which delivers the region's most advanced stroke care and provides 24/7 support to 16 hospitals across Upstate New York.

School of Nursing Dean Lisa Kitko, the chair-elect of the CVSN Council, presented both awards to Al-Zaiti and Leonhardt-Caprio during the AHA conference in Chicago in November.

Three Rochester professors make Clarivate's list of 'highly cited researchers'

From left: Rochester faculty members Robert Boyd, James Druckman, and Maiken Nedergaard

The triumvirate of Robert Boyd, a professor of optics and physics, James Druckman, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science, and Maiken Nedergaard, the codirector of the University's Center for Translational Neuromedicine, has made it onto Clarivate's 2024 list of Highly Cited Researchers. Among other criteria, 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 health care.

Boyd is known for his pioneering work 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, discovered by her team-and sleep's role in its function.

Robert Foster named Paul Mellon Visiting Senior Fellow

Robert Foster

Robert Foster, the Richard L. Turner Professor of Humanities in the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies, has been awarded a Paul Mellon Visiting Senior Fellowship.

The fellowship provides scholars with two-month appointments to conduct research in residence full time at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. There, fellows have access to the notable resources of the museum, including its library and art collection.

Foster will conduct archival research for his project titled, "Tracking 'Primitive Art' from New Guinea: How Morton D. May Assembled Department Store Exhibition Sales for Middlebrow America (A Detective Story)." May, who died in 1983, was the head of the May Department Stores Company, formerly one of the largest retail chains in the United States, and an ardent collector of so-called "primitive art" from New Guinea and elsewhere.

Jennifer Grotz honored with poetry award

Jennifer Grotz, a professor of English, has received the Bogliasco Foundation/Van Cleef & Arpels award in poetry. The Van Cleef & Arpels Fellowships in Choreography and Poetry sponsors annual fellowships for choreographers and poets of any nationality.

Grotz is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Still Falling (Graywolf Press, 2023). Everything I Don't Know, the selected poems of Jerzy Ficowski, which Grotz co-translated from the Polish with Piotr Sommer, received the 2022 PEN Award for Best Book of Poetry.

Krystel Huxlin named Silver ARVO Fellow

Krystel Huxlin, the James V. Aquavella, MD Professor in Ophthalmology with the Department of Ophthalmology, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the Center for Visual Science, the Department of Neuroscience, and the Institute of Optics, has been selected as a 2025 Silver Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). This honor recognizes her outstanding contributions to advancing vision and ophthalmology research and her dedication to the ARVO community. As a fellow, Huxlin will continue to serve as a role model and mentor for individuals pursuing careers in vision and ophthalmology research.

Huxlin is currently president of the Vision Sciences Society and a member of its board of directors.

Sally Norton named New York's top nursing researcher

Sally Norton is being recognized by the American Nurses Association for her contributions to the advancement of nursing and patient care.

Sally Norton, a senior associate dean for research and a nationally recognized expert in palliative care, was named the 2024 Distinguished Nurse Researcher by the American Nurses Association-New York and the Center for Nursing at the Foundation of New York State Nurses. The award is given every two years to a nurse researcher conducting studies that contribute to the advancement of nursing and patient care.

Norton, the Independence Foundation Chair in Nursing and Palliative Care, joined the School of Nursing in 2001 and has led its research mission since 2019. Her groundbreaking research focuses on improving communication and care delivery for patients with advanced illness, particularly in palliative and end-of-life care.

Steve Rozenski awarded Hagiography Society Book Prize

Medieval historian Steve Rozenski, an associate professor of English, has been recognized with the 2024 Hagiography Society Book Prize for his book Wisdom's Journey: Continental Mysticism and Popular Devotion in England, 1350-1650 (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022).

The prize is awarded annually to the author of a first scholarly book that significantly contributes to the study of saints, virtue traditions, and sanctity. In Wisdom's Journey, Rozenski explores the English translations and adaptations of medieval devotional and mystical literature.

Denise Yarbrough selected as a Sinai and Synapses Fellow

Denise Yarbrough

Denise Yarbrough, the director of religious and spiritual life and an associate professor in the Department of Religion and Classics, has been named a 2024-26 Sinai and Synapses Fellow. The fellowship is a small interfaith group of clergy, scientists, and writers committed to elevating the discourse surrounding religion and science.

At Rochester, Yarbrough works with staff chaplains and affiliated faith community leaders to create, articulate, and carry out the mission of the Interfaith Chapel, providing leadership by encouraging multi-faith understanding, interfaith dialogue, education, and cooperation through a variety of educational programs, spiritual offerings, and service projects in the University and the local off-campus community.