Kudos July 2023
Celebrating Tufts Faculty and Staff
Kudos is a monthly submissions-based roundup celebrating university faculty and staff—awards, honors, thought leadership, new arrivals, and more. Share your own great news or recognize a colleague at go.tufts.edu/kudos.
AS&E Shared: Stacey Brownlie, Assoc Librarian Res & Instruct, Tisch Library
AS&E Shared: Jess Spear, Senior Library Assistant, Tisch Library
Advancement: Yingrong Shao, Staff Assistant, UA - Tufts Annual Giving
Advancement: David Winner, Stewardship & Donor Rel Office, UA Stewardship & Donor Rel
Arts and Sciences: Hamid Sediqi, Postdoctoral Scholar, Biology - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Sammy Hansali, Research Tech, Biology - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Nan Xiao, Postdoctoral Scholar, EP Child Study & Human Dev
Arts and Sciences: Ashon Bradford, Assistant Dean for D&I, Graduate Arts & Sciences
Arts and Sciences: Bria Brown-Burcy, Administrative Assistant, Occupational Therapy - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Alyssa Tsuyuki, Staff Assistant, Theatre, Dance, & Performance
Arts and Sciences: Esther Jules, Department Administrator, Urban & Enviro Policy & Plan
Auxiliary Services: Jason Novsam, Assoc Director Auxiliary Svcs, Medford Security
Central - Others: Tyler Cundiff, Univ Strat Initiatives Officer, University Strategy & Pgrm Dev
Cummings: Cassidy Narkawicz, Veterinary Technician II, Amb Med & Theriogenology
Cummings: Andreza Conti-Patara, Clinical Asst Professor, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Megan Riley, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Rocio Remolina Palomino, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Tatiana Noel, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Heather Reid, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Katelyn Meakin, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: David Green, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Margot Ehrlich, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Manraj Grewal, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Maryam Iranmanesh, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Anne Pankowski, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Walker Smith, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Megan Sha, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Hannah Mcanulty, Intern, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Emily Brinker, Clinical Asst Professor, Comparative Pathobiology
Cummings: Kimberly Beutler, Animal Care Attendant, Foster Hosp - Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Nithya Menon, Vet Tech I, ECC, Foster Hosp - Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Hanah Pratt, Vet Tech I, ECC, Foster Hosp - Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Tiffany Tolbert, Intern, Infec Disease&Global Hlth-Vet
Cummings: Shelby Mardirosian, Veterinary Assistant, Large Animal Hosp-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen, Sr Communications Specialist, USAID STOP
Dental: Corina Samaniego, Insurance Coordinator, Clinic Billing Operations
Dental: Pravijay Prakash, Patient Registration Asst II, Clinical Affairs - Dental
Dental: India Peele, Program Coordinator, Continuing Education - Dental
Dental: Zuleica Piccinato, Sr Dental Assistant, Orthodontics - Dental
Dental: Shannon Rice, Assistant Professor, Public Health & Comm Service
Dental: Jingyan Li, Dental Assistant, Public Health & Comm Service
Engineering: Logan Morton, Postdoctoral Scholar, Biomedical Engineering
Engineering: Camilo Riquelme Guzman, Postdoctoral Scholar, Biomedical Engineering
Engineering: Zhixin Liao, Research Tech, Biomedical Engineering
Engineering: Gi Joo Kim, Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil & Envir Engineering
Engineering: Nishant Kumar, Postdoctoral Scholar, Mechanical Engineering
Fletcher: Leslie Lloyd Ocean, Executive Staff Officer, Academic Support-Fletcher
HNRCA: Kayla Brown, Administrative Coordinator, Core/Service Support-HNRC
HNRCA: Alayna O'keefe, Administrative Coordinator, Core/Service Support-HNRC
HNRCA: Laura Bockoff, Project Administrator, Epidemiology-HNRC
HNRCA: Kristen Humphrey, Research Nutrition Tech, Metabolic Research Unit-HNRC
HNRCA: Marissa Peaslee, Research Coordinator, Physiology Lab-HNRC
HNRCA: Brandon Maykut, Research Coordinator, Vitamin K Lab-HNRC
HNRCA: Bronwyn Mogck, Research Tech, Vitamin K Lab-HNRC
Medical: Mudafer Al-Ziyadi, CSDD Financial Administrator, Ctr for Study of Drug Dev.
Medical: Moyo Tillery, Assistant Professor, DPT Boston Program
Medical: Hayes Rainier, Lab Instructor, DPT Boston Program
Medical: Cameron Bassett, Lab Instructor, DPT Boston Program
Medical: Christopher Lau, Research Tech, Dev, Mol & Chem Bio/Medical
Medical: Anjali Mamidwar, Research Tech, Immunology
Medical: Mohini Lutchman, Adjunct Instructor, Medical Education
Medical: Chenyi Chu, Postdoctoral Scholar, Microbiology-Basic Sci/Medical
Medical: Huiwen Zhu, Postdoctoral Scholar, Neuroscience-BasicSci/Medical
Medical: Kerri Forbes, Assistant Registrar, Public Hlth and Community Med
Operations: Aaliyah Allen-White, Campus Security Officer I, Public Safety - Boston
Operations: Terrance Mckoy, Campus Security Officer I, Public Safety - Medford
Operations: Brendan Rooney, Campus Security Officer I, Public Safety - Medford
Provost: Nicole Harrison, Lab Animal Caretaker, CMS
Provost: Caitlin Greene, Preclinical Svcs Technologist, CMS
Provost: Jaclyn Shaw, Sr AVP Strategy & Operations, Office of the Vice Provost
Provost: Lisa Looby, Administrative Coordinator, Provost's Office
Provost: Alexandra Bush, Assistant Archivist, Tufts Archival Research Center
University Relations: Kathryn Mostow, Training & Education Spec, Office of Equal Opportunity
Julian Agyeman, professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, has been selected to receive an honorary doctorate from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The degree will be presented in Stockholm on November 17. In citing Agyeman, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology writes that he is “recognized as a public intellectual, innovator, and thought leader. He is one of the leading world academics and one of the most cited urban scholars today. He is the originator of the increasingly influential concept of just sustainabilities, which explores the intersecting goals of social justice and environmental sustainability, defined as the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of supporting ecosystems. His contributions to justice issues and ethnic desegregation, and racial equality through urbanism, planning, and environmental studies are unsurpassed today in academia.”
Anna Dalby, senior research development specialist, was appointed co-managing editor of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) inaugural journal Research Development Review: A NORDP Journal.
Kelly Sims Gallagher, F00, F03, Fletcher School dean ad interim and director of the Center for International Environment & Resource Policy, received the Friedrich-Schiedel-Prize for Politics and Technology 2022, awarded by the Technical University of Munich.
Amy Gantt, director of research development, was elected to the board of directors of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals.
Brian Gravel, E01, EG04, AG11, assistant professor of education, and other members of Tufts community accepted the 2023 Inspiration Award for Youth Development from the Mystic Valley YMCA at their annual celebration in May.
Anna Kijas, head of Lilly Music Library, spearheaded an effort that won a 2023 European Heritage Award/Europa Nostra Award. The project, named SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online), aims to preserve Ukrainian heritage online. Read more about this project on Tufts Now.
Elisabeth Leake, the Lee E. Dirks Chair in Diplomatic History at The Fletcher School, won the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations’ Ferrell Book Prize for Afghan Crucible: The Soviet Invasion and the Making of Modern Afghanistan, which the committee said was “international history at its best.”
Tara Pettinato, deputy director of media relations for health sciences, and Jenn Rosenberg, assistant director of media relations for health sciences, were recognized with a Silver Award by the Publicity Club of New England, the region’s largest and oldest organization for public relations professionals. The club noted their work in promoting veterinary osteosarcoma clinical trials at Cummings School, which highlighted the story of a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever named Jellybean, whose inspiring tale was told by the Boston Globe and numerous other media outlets. The award was the top one issued in its category.
Caleb Scoville, assistant professor of sociology, is co-winner of the 2023 Allan Schnaiberg Outstanding Publication Award from the Environmental Sociology section of the American Sociological Association for his article, “Constructing Environmental Compliance: Law, Science, and Endangered Species Conservation in California’s Delta,” which was published in the American Journal of Sociology in 2022. This award is given for publications of special noteworthiness in the field of environmental sociology.
Charles Sykes, the John Wade Professor of Chemistry, and Tufts colleagues Prashant Deshlahra, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; the late Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos, the Robert and Marcy Haber Endowed Professor in Energy Sustainability and Distinguished Professor; Georgios Giannakakis, EG21, Ryan Hannagan, AG21, and Yicheng Wang, AG23, received the 2022 Faraday Division Horizon Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for their groundbreaking work on single-atom catalysts last summer. More recently, the RSC released a video highlighting the work.
Nancy Thomas, director of Tisch College’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, was honored with the inaugural Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Council Award for Impact in Education for her impactful and visionary leadership in education for democracy. She also co-authored a piece in Faculty Focus, “Five Things You Should Know About Connecting Democracy and the Curriculum.”
Darren Weisse, Tufts police lieutenant, was selected to umpire the Senior Little League Baseball World Series in Easley, South Carolina, later this summer.
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) has received a $78.4 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH. The grant provides federal funding over the next seven years to support research services, resources, and educational programs and local, regional, and national initiatives. The award was announced by Tufts University and Tufts Medicine on June 7. Read more about the grant on Tufts Now.
Thirty-seven SMFA at Tufts students had their artwork accepted into the Emerge Contemporary Art juried show, which took place at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, on June 11.
Pilar Alcaide, assistant dean of faculty development and Kenneth and JoAnn G. Wellner Professor of Immunology, was featured in the “Women in Pathology” feature curated by the American Society for Investigative Pathology.
Helen Boucher, School of Medicine dean, discusses COVID-19 preventive measures and comments on how the pandemic has driven interest in infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness among medical students in this WCVB-TV segment.
Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at The Fletcher School, is quoted in two Washington Post articles: “Meta employee morale is low. Mark Zuckerberg is touting AI to fix that” and “AI chatbots lose money every time you use them. That is a problem.”
Ying Chen, biomedical engineering research assistant professor; Edward Gordon, biomedical engineering research technician; David Kaplan, Stern Family Endowed Professor of Engineering; Gang Li, visiting scholar; Brooke Longo, biomedical engineering Ph.D. student; Sara Rudolph, biomedical engineering Ph.D. student; and Ashleigh Williams, A22, published “Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells” in the journal Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Erin Coughlan de Perez, Friedman School Dignitas Associate Professor, Hamsa Ganapathi, N22, and Timothy Griffin, Friedman School associate professor, published the research “Potential for surprising heat and drought events in wheat-producing regions of USA and China” in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. Reach more about the research on Tufts Now.
Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at The Fletcher School, recently delivered a talk at the Hoover Institution entitled “The Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan and the Looming Threat of Famine.”
Shira Doron, associate professor of medicine, spoke to the Boston Globe about metapneumovirus, its symptoms, and what could be the cause of a spike in cases.
Kelly Sims Gallagher, F00, F03, Fletcher School dean ad interim and director of the Center for International Environment & Resource Policy, is quoted in the Washington Post article entitled “How the U.S. wants to pressure China to help avert climate catastrophe.” She also recently spoke on the panel “International Security, Energy Security, and the Energy Transition” at the Harvard Climate Symposium: Rising to the Climate Challenge at Harvard Business School. Gallagher also taught a course at the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program, “Policy Making in the 21st Century,” for members of the German Parliament.
Monroe France, vice provost for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, spoke on The Future of Universities podcast about global higher education and inclusive innovation.
Francesca Giovannini, adjunct assistant professor of international security, wrote an op-ed for The Hill, entitled “Where does Kennedy’s nuclear legacy leave us 60 years later?”
Tarun Gopalakrishnan and Bethany Tietjen, Fletcher School predoctoral research fellows, wrote, “Loss and Damage Funding in the UN Climate Negotiations: From Dialogue to Reality,” in Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development.
Erin Hennessy, assistant professor at the Friedman School, spoke with the Wall Street Journal about the USDA’s potential ban on chocolate milk in school cafeterias.
Justin Hollander, A96, professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP), and UEP graduate students Johanna Riddle, Eliandro Tavares, Jenna Van Holten, and Jenna Whitney wrote about their research around biometrics and car-free cities in Scientific American. Hollander recently was named an incoming editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research.
Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis (cSPA) at the Tisch College of Civic Life, joined a “Radio Boston” segment to discuss the current issues that Massachusetts lawmakers are facing. He also discussed the drop in state tax revenues on WBUR, on WGBH’s “Talking Politics,” and with the Boston Globe.
Barbara Kates-Garnick, professor of the practice at The Fletcher School, served on a panel for the Resources for the Future “Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandates Workshop.”
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tisch College of Civic Life, comments in the New York Times about the importance of history and civics education and in The 74 on the impact of a Texas law that suppresses students’ interactions with elected officials in class projects. She also appeared on “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.”
Kareem Khubchandani, associate professor of theatre, dance, and performance studies, is featured on Jonathan Van Ness’s podcast “Getting Curious.”
Rachel Kyte, dean emeritus of The Fletcher School, was quoted in this CNN article, “Russia’s war in Ukraine is undermining global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, new report finds.” Kyte also joined ABC Australia to discuss Ajay Banga and the complexity of issues facing the World Bank and wrote an op-ed entitled “Universities made SDGs a priority, now they must speed up progress” for Times Higher Education.
Cheryl London, associate dean for research and graduate education at Cummings School, is quoted in this Wired article about her treatment of Jellybean, a dog who had cancer and how this treatment could inform ways to improve cancer treatment for humans.
Sola Mahfouz, staff researcher in the quantum computing group, published her book Defiant Dreams: The Journey of an Afghan Girl Who Risked Everything for an Education on June 6. Read about Mahfouz on Tufts Now.
Nancy Marks, Tisch College/School of Dental Medicine community service coordinator, is co-founder of The Opioid Project: Changing Perceptions through Art and Storytelling. She recently was invited by the City of Fairbank to lead workshops to address the fentanyl/opioid crisis. As part of the program, she was interviewed by the mayor of Fairbanks.
Chris Miller, associate professor of international history at The Fletcher School, explains why it’s so difficult to make high-end semiconductors—and how a war over Taiwan could induce a global crisis—in a recent Foreign Policy article. Miller was also featured in “Trade Splaining” podcast episode “Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence, and Microchips ft. Chris Miller, author of Chip War.” In addition, Miller shared insights on the latest news from the volatile semiconductor industry with Bloomberg Businessweek.
Anthony P. Monaco, president emeritus, and several area university presidents wrote an op-ed for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, looking at the economic impact of higher-ed institutions on the Worcester-area economy. A new study found Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts institutions bring $3 billion to central Massachusetts each year.
William Moomaw, professor of international environmental policy emeritus, was named to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s scientific panel that will assist in the drafting of new forestry guidelines.
Zach Nichols, project manager for the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and Adam Carlson, senior research administrator, had an abstract entitled “Punching Up – Moving Beyond Just Submitting a Proposal” accepted to present at the Society of Research Administrators International conference in fall 2023.
Theodora O’Leary, School of Medicine student, researched eating disorder apps and found only 11% of them protect user privacy as mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Sreelakshmi Panginikkod, assistant professor of medicine, offers some solutions to the sleep-stealing impacts of chronic disease in this Health Central article.
Joseph Polak, professor of radiology, is quoted in Medical News Today, discussing his new research that suggests adding the coronary artery calcium score to traditional risk markers can help doctors assess individual coronary heart disease risk more accurately in middle-aged and older adults.
Wendy Puryear, Cummings School scientist, was lead author on the study “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Outbreak in New England Seals, United States” published in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Puryear discusses this study about the recent spillover of avian influenza into seals in an article in “The Wildlife Society.”
Elizabeth Rozanski, Cummings School associate professor, shares advice about the dangers of extreme heat for pets, and helpful tips to keep them safe in this Worcester Telegram & Gazette article.
Natalie Somers, N23, and Patrick Webb, Friedman School professor, published the article “Seaweed’s contribution to food security in low- and middle-income countries: Benefits from production, processing, and trade” in the journal Global Food Security. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Tara Sonenshine, Edward R. Murrow Professor of the Practice in Public Diplomacy at The Fletcher School, wrote three recent op-eds for The Hill: “In defense of journalists,” “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: A picture of the American dream,” and “The tragic intersection of the war on Ukraine and the battle against climate change.”
Alice Isabella Sullivan, assistant professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture, recently published two books: a monograph entitled “The Eclectic Visual Culture of Medieval Moldavia” (Visualising the Middle Ages 15; Brill, 2023) and an edited volume with Kyle G. Sweeney, Winthrop University, entitled “Lateness and Modernity in Medieval Architecture” (AVISTA Studies in the History of Medieval Technology, Science, and Art 16; Brill, 2023).
Jeffrey W. Taliaferro, professor in the Department of Political Science and lecturer at The Fletcher School, delivered the keynote address on “U.S. Grand Strategy and Transatlantic Security” at the conference New Baltic Insecurities: A Euro-Atlantic Perspective held at the University of Tartu in Estonia, on May 29. The conference was co-sponsored by the United States Embassy in Tallinn, the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu, and The Fletcher School’s Russia and Eurasia Program.
Sam Telford, Cummings School professor and director of the New England Regional Biosafety Lab, is quoted in this AP News article about how tick and Lyme season will be impacted following a mild winter.
Josephine Wolff, associate professor of cybersecurity at The Fletcher School, was featured in a Net Diligence article entitled “A Q&A with Josephine Wolff of Tufts University.”
Clarissa Yang, Harvey B. Ansell Professor of Dermatology and associate professor and chair of dermatology, explains how to treat and prevent the skin reaction known as margarita burn in this WCVB-TV segment.
Yongjie Yang, professor of neuroscience, talked to Spectrum News about the role of astrocytes in Fragile X syndrome.
Fang Fang Zhang, the Neely Family Professor and interim chair of the Division of Nutrition of Epidemiology and Data Science at the Friedman School, organized the largest online forum in the history of the Friedman School, with more than 3,300 participants in China attending online and 80 attending in person in Shanghai. It was jointly held with the Fudan University School of Public Health on June 9. Fudan University is one of the top-tier universities in China.
The Climate Policy Lab at The Fletcher School hosted a Climate Policy Summer Academy, a capacity building program, to work with country partners on how to use the Policy Gap Analysis methodology.
Michael Chin, research director of the Tufts Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center and Research Institute and genetics, molecular, and cellular biology professor, was appointed dean ad interim of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, effective July 1.
Christina Economos dean ad interim at the Friedman School, was appointed the school’s new dean, effective July 1. Dariush Mozaffarian, Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition, will take on a new leadership role to build a cross-school initiative around Food is Medicine that will combine research, education, patient care, and community engagement to highlight the power of nourishing food. In recognition of his accomplishments, he will receive the honors of Distinguished Professor and dean emeritus.
Kelly Sims Gallagher, F00, F03, professor of energy and environmental policy and director of the Center for International Environment & Resource Policy, was appointed dean ad interim of The Fletcher School, effective July 1.
Find past Kudos (formerly known as People Notes). Submit your own great news or recognize a colleague at go.tufts.edu/kudos.