Recent awards showcase accomplishments of Rochester faculty

Faculty members are being recognized for contributions to their respective fields.

University of Rochester 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.

Jamie Druckman recognized by American Political Science Association

Jamie Druckman, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science, has been named a co-winner of the Gladys M. Kammerer Award by the American Political Science Association for his contributions to the book Equality Unfulfilled: How Title IX's Policy Design Undermines Change to College Sports (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Druckman authored the book with Elizabeth Sharrow, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The distinction honors the best book published during the previous calendar year in the field of national policy and comes with a $1,000 cash prize. The American Political Science Association called the book "an impressive piece of scholarship" and said it stood out "for its courage in taking on such a universally lauded public policy and asking readers to consider its shortcomings."

• Druckman shares his expertise on political polarization in the latest issue of Rochester Review.

William Hall awarded Lifetime Achievement Award

Geriatrician William Hall, a professor emeritus of medicine, received the Nascher/Manning Award for Lifetime Achievement at the American Geriatrics Society's annual scientific meeting in May. Hall was recognized for his contributions, mentorship, and leadership in the field.

With more than two decades of research and experience developing geriatric initiatives, Hall urges adults of every age to invest in their future by taking care of themselves in the present.

• Read more about Hall and the award.

Douglas Kelley selected as 2024 Experimental Physics Investigator

Douglas Kelley

Douglas Kelley, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and staff scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, was named one of 19 researchers in the third annual cohort of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Experimental Physics Investigators. The initiative provides flexible funding to pursue imaginative research ideas, allowing the investigators to explore new and uncharted areas and advance the scientific understanding of the natural world.

Kelley receives a five-year, $1.25 million grant to try to solve the mystery of how Earth's magnetic field arose before the inner core formed. His lab will measure how peaks and valleys below a spinning, convecting layer of liquid metal affect its motions-their speed, structure, and capacity for transporting heat. By doing so, Kelley hopes to learn whether the uneven boundaries of Earth's liquid metal core could have promoted flows that were fast enough to generate the planet's magnetic field, even before the solid inner core was formed.

• Read more about his project.

American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes Dennis Kuo

Dennis Kuo, the Purcell Family Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and chief of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Golisano Children's Hospital, was presented the 2024 Arnold J. Capute Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The award, presented annually by the Council on Children with Disabilities, recognizes an AAP fellow for notable contributions at the federal, state, and local levels to the field of children with disabilities.

Kuo has had longstanding career accomplishments caring for children with disabilities and medical complexity, including care integration, early childhood, and health equity.

• Find out more about the honor. (Log in or VPN may be required to access this link)

Melissa Loh earns honors from oncology, geriatrics societies

Melissa Loh

Kah Pah (Melissa) Loh, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, received a 40 Under 40 in Cancer award, given during a reception at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

She was also recently named an Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year by the American Geriatrics Society.

Loh, a board-certified internist, hematologist, oncologist, and geriatrician, specializes in taking care of older adults with cancer, specifically those with blood cancer.

• Read more about Loh's contributions and research interests.

Dallas Nelson named Medical Director of the Year

Dallas Nelson, left, receives the Medical Director of the Year Award at AMDA. Photo from AMDA on X.

Dallas Nelson, an associate professor of medicine and director of the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group, was named Medical Director of the Year by the American Medical Director's Association Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care.

The award recognizes "individuals whose vision, passion, leadership, knowledge, and commitment succeed in taking patient care to exceptional levels of quality, excellence, and innovation."

Nelson's achievements include creating a COVID-19 unit, leading telemedicine initiatives, and enhancing infection control practices. Colleagues commend her as a collaborative leader and educator, making a significant impact on patient care and the broader community.

• Read about Nelson's strengths as a leader, collaborator, and innovator.

Tolulope Olugboji receives NSF CAREER Award

Tolulope Olugboji

Tolulope Olugboji, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, has secured a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant to fund deep probabilistic seismic imaging on the Earth's crust beneath the ocean.

CAREER awards are the NSF's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research.

Olugboji's plan includes two project-based courses that integrate research and provide experiential learning for a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students.

• Read more about Olugboji's CAREER award.

Edward Schwarz earns AO Foundation's top research award

Edward Schwarz, the Richard and Margaret Burton Distinguished Professor in Orthopaedics and director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research, has been awarded the 2024 Berton Rahn Research Award from the AO Foundation, an international consortium of surgeons and researchers focused on advancing care of musculoskeletal disorders through research, development, and provider education.

Schwarz in being recognized for his significant contributions to musculoskeletal research and his leadership in orthopaedic biologic therapy. His lab developed a novel, passive immunization for MRSA- and bone-targeted antibiotics, and in vivo imaging to expand understanding of musculoskeletal conditions and treatments.

• Find out more about the award and Schwarz's extensive contributions to the field.

Mitchell Wharton selected as fellow of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing

Mitchell Wharton, an associate professor of clinical nursing, has been named a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, in recognition of their work to create innovative diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice initiatives in nursing.

Wharton, an accomplished educator, HIV and sexual health researcher, and clinician and the former associate dean for equity and inclusion at the School of Nursing, led several initiatives toward promoting a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment and raising awareness around inequities in the classroom, clinical setting, and greater community.

The fellowship, established by the National Black Nurses Association, recognizes nurses who have demonstrated expertise in nursing education, research, practice, policy, or administration related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

• Find more information about Wharton's accomplishments and research interests.

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