Kudos September 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: Edilia Foster, Admissions Assistant, Admissions - AS&E
AS&E Shared: Lingyue Lu, Postdoctoral Clinician, Counseling Center
AS&E Shared: Crystimaria Kotsiopoulos, Postdoctoral Clinician, Counseling Center
AS&E Shared: Jane Paar, Postdoctoral Clinician, Counseling Center
AS&E Shared: Lily Motta, Psychiatric Nurse Specialist, Counseling Center
AS&E Shared: Anna Craft, Assoc Dir Campus Life, Office for Campus Life
AS&E Shared: Anna Preston, Senior Library Assistant, Tisch Library
Advancement: Kimberly Carvalho, Director of Development, UA-Medical Dev & Alumni Rel
Arts and Sciences: Laurel McLaughlin, Curator, Art Gallery
Arts and Sciences: Patrick Erickson, Postdoctoral Scholar, Biology - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Chance Bonar, Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for the Humanities
Arts and Sciences: Xinqiang Ding, Assistant Professor, Chemistry - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Maxim Secor, Postdoctoral Scholar, Chemistry - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Holly Ritzinger, Administrative Assistant, Community Health-A&S
Arts and Sciences: Emma Armstrong-Carter, Assistant Professor, EP Child Study & Human Dev
Arts and Sciences: Athena Eyster, Assistant Professor, Earth and Climate Sciences
Arts and Sciences: Dylan Vasey, Assistant Professor, Earth and Climate Sciences
Arts and Sciences: Ursina Schaede, Assistant Professor, Economics - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Saumya Singla, Assistant Researcher, Economics - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Denise Cummings, Sr Lecturer, Film & Media Studies
Arts and Sciences: Will Jenkins, Administrative Coordinator, Office Dean Arts & Sciences
Arts and Sciences: Abdulahi Salam, Administrative Coordinator, Political Science - A&S
Arts and Sciences: Hassaan Furqan Khan, Assistant Professor, Urban & Enviro Policy & Plan
Arts and Sciences: Peilei Fan, Professor, Urban & Enviro Policy & Plan
Athletics: James Holmes, Assistant Coach Basketball, Athletics
Athletics: Jacob Versprille, Assistant Coach Lacrosse, Athletics
Athletics: Emily Piergustavo, Assistant Coach Softball, Athletics
Auxiliary Services: George Bailey, Customer Support Rep, Auxiliary Services
Central Administration: Sara Lonergan, Director of Investments, Investment Office
Central Adminisration: Carol Wallace, Staff Assistant, Occupational Health
Central Administration: Kevin Bates, Sr Budget Analyst, Office of Budget & Planning
Cummings: Sarah Lawson, Curriculum Administrator, Academic Affairs-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Jacquelin Graber, Clinical Asst Professor, Amb Med & Theriogenology
Cummings: Carlos Roberto Pinto, Professor & Chair, Amb Med & Theriogenology
Cummings: Laurence Sawyer, Assistant Teaching Professor, Clinical Sciences-Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Maria Fernanda De Mello Costa, Assistant Teaching Professor, Comparative Pathobiology
Cummings: Fabio Brum Rosa, Clinical Asst Professor, Comparative Pathobiology
Cummings: Kayla Carrigan, Client Liaison, Foster Hosp - Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Kaylee Olmstead, Vet Tech II, ECC, Foster Hosp - Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Haley Larose, Veterinary Assistant, Foster Hosp - Cummings-Vet
Cummings: Michaela Randall, Administrative Assistant, Infec Disease&Global Hlth-Vet
Cummings: Miriam Boronczyk, Research Tech, Infec Disease&Global Hlth-Vet
Dental: Lena Grullon, Sr Clinical Financial Analyst, Administration - Dental
Dental: Hector Acevedo, Patient Financial Coordinator, Clinic Billing Operations
Dental: Jordan Selinger, Patient Financial Coordinator, Clinic Billing Operations
Dental: Tanya Sorrell-Johnson, Patient Financial Coordinator, Clinic Billing Operations
Dental: Leigh Griffin, Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Sciences-Oral Path
Dental: Jeffry De Los Rios, Practice Administrator, Periodontology - Dental
Dental: Aurela Zarka, Dental Assistant, Public Health & Comm Service
Dental: Laura Banks, Sr Dental Assistant, Public Health & Comm Service
Dental: Aziza Hume, Research Tech, Research Administration Dental
Dining: William Peralta, Stock Control Clerk, Carmichael Dining Hall
Engineering: Kaylla Cantilina, Postdoctoral Scholar, CEEO
Engineering: Farshid Vahedifard, Visiting Professor, Civil & Envir Engineering
Engineering: Paul Simmonds, Visiting Assoc Prof, Electrical & Computer Engineer
Fletcher: Aram Hur, Assistant Professor, Instruction - Fletcher School
Fletcher: David Logan, Assistant Professor, Instruction - Fletcher School
Fletcher: Sebastián Mantilla Blanco, Distinguished Professor, Instruction - Fletcher School
Fletcher: Saidou Abdoulaye Sy, Postdoctoral Scholar, Instruction - Fletcher School
Friedman: May May Leung, Associate Professor, May May Leung Research
HNRCA: Abraham Kheirbek, Research Coordinator, Energy Metabolism-HNRC
HNRCA: Shaina Hastings, Staff Nurse, Metabolic Research Unit-HNRC
Medical: Alysha Noel, Sr Administrative Coordinator, Center for Black Maternal Hlth
Medical: Francis Covino, Lab Instructor, DPT Boston Program
Medical: Jacob Bouchier, Postdoctoral Scholar, Microbiology-Basic Sci/Medical
Medical: Hanna Clutterbuck-Cook, Project Coordinator, Microbiology-Basic Sci/Medical
Medical: Larissa Havey, Research Tech, Microbiology-Basic Sci/Medical
Medical: Kaitlyn Dorst, Postdoctoral Scholar, Neuroscience-BasicSci/Medical
Medical: Mercedes Mera, Research Administration Coord, Neuroscience-BasicSci/Medical
Medical: Yingchu He, Research Tech, Neuroscience-BasicSci/Medical
Operations: Ryan Jalbert, Plumber, Facilities Medford - Trades A
Operations: Tucker Mccomiskey, Locksmith, Facilities Services - Boston
Operations: Samuel Dudley, Grounds Keeper, Facilities Services - Medford
Operations: Thomas Medrano, Planner Project Manager, Office of VP Operations
Provost: Catherine Foley, Senior Staff Veterinarian, CMS
Provost: Ugochukwu Ugwu, Postdoctoral Scholar, Provost's Office
SMFA at Tufts: Kierra Crenshaw, Administrative Coordinator, SMFA at Tufts
SMFA at Tufts: Qianqian Miao, Admissions Assistant, SMFA at Tufts
SMFA at Tufts: Carolyn Colonna, Assoc Dir Cont Education, SMFA at Tufts
TTS: Matthew King, Director Fine Arts Studios, Tufts Technology Services
Daniel Dennett, professor emeritus of philosophy, received an honorary degree from the University of Beirut and delivered the commencement address in June. He also co-produced a sold-out play at the 59E59 Theater in New York City called The Unbelieving, based on the book he wrote with researcher Linda LaScola, Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind.
Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at The Fletcher School, is receiving the 2023 Huxley Award. He also wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times entitled “The Deluge Facing Africa’s Leaders Is Going to Get Worse” and was interviewed for the NPR segment “Sudan’s dire humanitarian crisis has raised alarm bells in the region.”
William Harvey, associate professor of medicine, has been appointed as the American College of Rheumatology secretary.
Sunil Kumar, president of Tufts University, threw the first pitch at the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park on Friday, August 4.
Susan Landau, professor in cybersecurity and policy at The Fletcher School and the School of Engineering, received a prestigious 2023 USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award. Read about the award on Tufts Now.
Abigail Lemons and Maria Krasilnikov, students at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, have been selected as this year’s Dean’s Fellows.
Peter Paull, School of Medicine clinical assistant professor, has accepted the position of medical director of the Division of Hospital Medicine at South Shore Health. In addition to his role as academic dean, he will assume clinical and organizational oversight of one of the largest inpatient provider groups at South Shore Health.
STEM Ambassadors and Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts (BEST), two Center for STEM Diversity (CSD) programs, were recently named Inspiring Programs in STEM by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The STEM Ambassadors program has a dual focus on professional development and STEM outreach, overseen by program administrator Sophia Hamdan. Led by Sehba Hasan, associate CSD director, the BEST program aims to provide a comprehensive, thriving environment for students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields.
Kwasi Ampene, professor and chair of the music department, is working with the Fowler Museum at the University of California in Los Angeles to return royal regalia and artifacts to the Asante Kingdom that the British looted during one of the Anglo-Asante wars in 1874. This effort was covered by a radio station in Ghana.
Laura Baecher-Lind, School of Medicine dean of education affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, presents a scholarly perspective of strategies to create a more gender-inclusive learning environment in preclinical and clinical medical education in the journal Academic Medicine.
Denise Bates, dean of University College and faculty member in the Department of History, has been named series co-editor for the Contemporary Issues and Methods in Indigenous Studies book series with the University of Alabama Press.
Chance Bonar, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Humanities at Tufts and researcher of slavery in the ancient Mediterranean world, dismantles the myth that ancient slavery “wasn’t that bad” in an article for The Conversation.
Ruby Belle Booth, research assistant at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), is quoted in The Independent on the surging political activity of younger people.
Helen Boucher, dean of the School of Medicine, is quoted in a USA Today article entitled “Not ‘if’ but ‘when’: Antibiotic resistance poses existential threat for modern medicine.” Boucher also co-authored the STAT article “Without a plan to fight superbugs, the Cancer Moonshot will never achieve liftoff.”
Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at The Fletcher School, authored “The AI Regulation Paradox” in Foreign Policy.
Shefali Christopher, associate professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program-Seattle, is quoted in a Runner’s World article about her work studying female athletes and closing the gender data gap in sports science research.
Tanya Crane, professor of the practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, is one of two featured artists for Penland School of Craft’s Auction this year. Watch the video profile of Crane in her studio.
Michelle DiBlasi, School of Medicine assistant professor of psychiatry, explains how climate change can impact our mental health on a WCVB segment.
Deborah Donahue-Keegan, lecturer in education, was invited to be a delegate at the Regional Wellbeing Summit: “Gathering at the Intersection of Wellbeing & Social Change” in September. The summit is co-hosted by the Wellbeing Project, Omega Institute, and Harlem Wellness Center. The summit brings together 150 social change, governmental, arts, and business leaders to advance wellbeing for those on the frontlines of social change.
Shira Doron, assistant professor of medicine, spoke with WCVB about the link between tick bites and unusual food allergies.
Kendra Field, associate professor of history and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at Tufts, is chief historian of the 10 Million Names project at the American Ancestors organization, working to recover the hidden and erased history of 10 million enslaved African Americans and their descendants. She was featured in an ABC News Good Morning America segment. Read more about Field and the project on Tufts Now.
Irene Georgakoudi, professor of biomedical engineering, delivered a lecture on label-free high-resolution imaging at the National Institutes of Health.
Kelly Sims Gallagher, dean ad interim and professor of energy and environmental policy at The Fletcher School, authored a piece in Foreign Affairs on how the United States and China could cooperate in the fight against climate change—and why a shared climate finance platform may be the most promising path.
Laura Gee, associate professor of economics, is featured on the NPR podcast “Planet Money” discussing her paper “Who You Gonna Call? Gender Inequality in External Demands for Parental Involvement.”
Sol Gittleman, Alice and Nathan Gantcher University Professor Emeritus, recently authored a book entitled An Accidental Triumph: The Improbable History of American Higher Education. The book tells the story of how American higher education evolved from a patchwork of seminaries in the early 19th century into the envy of the world in research by the middle of the 20th century.
Brian Hatcher, Packard Professor of Theology in the Department of Religion, provides an annotated translation of Against High-Caste Polygamy, published by Oxford University Press. Read more about the book in this op-ed by Hatcher and this interview with him.
Eitan Hersh, associate professor of political science, co-authored a new study for the Hoover Institution that finds that despite the rhetoric on both sides of the aisle, voting rules have very small effects on election outcomes. Read more about the study on Tufts Now.
Eric Hines, School of Engineering professor of the practice, spoke about the importance of nacelles arriving from France as the final piece needed for offshore wind turbines in Martha’s Vineyard.
Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis (cSPA) at Tisch College, discusses a Community Preservation Act review that cSPA did in conjunction with the Greater Boston Real Estate Board on WBUR, Boston.com, the Lowell Sun, and WGBH. Horowitz also was quoted on NBC Boston about the low unemployment rate in Massachusetts and how that impacts the risk of recession.
John Howard, lecturer in English, authored two ekphrastic poems in the most recent edition of Salamander (Spring/Summer, Issue #56).
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), commented in the Washington Post on the events and national struggles that shape youth voters and was featured on Fox News Sunday, sharing insights about young voters, who have largely favored Democrats in recent elections, but who are less likely than older voters to affiliate with any political party.
Dave Leader, associate professor at the School of Dental Medicine, weighs in on the factors people should consider when deciding between a manual or electric toothbrush in Insider.
David C. Logan, assistant professor of security studies at The Fletcher School, is quoted in a New York Times article entitled “Xi’s Surprise Shake-Up Exposes Problems at Top of China’s Nuclear Force.”
Cheryl London, Anne Engen and Dusty Professorship in Comparative Oncology at Cummings School, discusses how clinical trials could bring hope to other dogs and children with osteosarcoma in episode three of PBS’ “Human Footprint” science documentary series.
Pavel Luzin, visiting scholar at The Fletcher School, is quoted in The Messenger article “How Does Russia’s Embattled Defense Minister Still Have a Job?” Luzin is also quoted in the Newsweek articles “How Much Firepower Does Russia Have Left?” and “Russia’s Offensive Gamble Sees Both Sides’ Resources Stretched Thin.”
Jamie Maguire, Kenneth and JoAnn G. Wellner Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, co-authored the recently published study “GABAA receptors as targets for treating affective and cognitive symptoms of depression” in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. The research was featured in a recent Medical XPress article.
Srivalleesha Mallidi, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and School of Engineering graduate students Marvin Xavierselvan and Avijit Paul from the iBIT Lab, authored research on niche applications in medical imaging based on endogenous contrast, which appeared in the Photoacoustics journal.
Christine McWayne, professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, and a colleague at UC Irvine, received a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation for a project to evaluate the impact of professional learning for Santa Ana Unified School District teachers on home-to-school practices.
Chris Miller, associate professor of international history at The Fletcher School, is quoted in a Financial Times article as well as two New York Times articles, one about the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and the other about Senate Charles Schumer’s interest in strengthening semiconductor manufacturing in America. Miller also authored a piece in The Economist and spoke with Bloomberg TV last month.
Stephen Moss, professor of neuroscience, and Paul Davies, research associate professor of neuroscience, in collaboration with Sage Therapeutics, recently had their research published in the journal Neuropharmacology.
Megan Mueller, associate professor of clinical sciences at Cummings School, is quoted in an NPR piece entitled “Petting other people’s dogs, even briefly, can boost your health.”
James Murphy, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Shuchin Aeron, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, led a team of researchers that received a grant from the National Science Foundation for their research in developing efficient methods for statistical and computational data analysis.
Evan Papa, associate professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program-Seattle, discussed healthy aging and fall prevention tips for older adults on Doctor Radio (SiriusXM Ch. 110).
Mihaela Papa, senior fellow at The Fletcher School, is quoted in the Al Arabiya English article “BRICS summit, economic shift: Exploring a new currency and possible de-dollarization,” in the AP News article “Emerging economies are pushing to end the dollar’s dominance. But what’s the alternative?,” and in the CNN article “A key Russia-friendly bloc may decide to expand. Who stands to benefit?”
Wendy Puryear, Cummings School scientist, and her team appear in the documentary After the Bite on HBO to provide a window into the seal field work that is done on Cape Cod and what goes into the science of seal research. After the Bite details the aftermath of a fatal shark attack on Cape Cod that occurred in the summer of 2018 and how the community was forced to confront dramatic changes to its environment and its way of life.
Tara Sonenshine, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in Public Diplomacy at The Fletcher School, authored an article in The Conversation entitled “Hiroshima attack marks its 78th anniversary—its lessons of unnecessary mass destruction could help guide future nuclear arms talks.” Sonenshine also authored four op-eds for The Hill: “Will ‘Oppenheimer’ change our views on nuclear weapons?,” “When did summer become synonymous with suffering?,” “As the Trump trials plunge into political theater, the world is watching,” and “The great debate: Republicans take center stage.”
Jennifer Stephan, School of Engineering dean of academic advising and undergraduate studies. and Karen Panetta, professor and dean of graduate education, spoke with US News and World Report about things to consider when choosing a STEM major.
Sara Suzuki, senior researcher at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), comments in Chalkbeat New York on how witnessing violence or tragedies can often spur young people into action.
Sam Telford, Cummings School professor and director of the Tufts New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory, is quoted throughout a Verywell Health article about the future of Lyme disease vaccines.
Daniel Votipka, Lin Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and director of the Tufts Security and Privacy Lab, shared a USENIX Distinguished Paper Award for developing incentive strategies to increase participation in “Bug Hunter Bounty” systems to spot errors in software.
Clarissa Yang, the Harvey B. Ansell Professor of Dermatology and chair of dermatology, explains how the sun can damage your hair on the Today show website.
Researchers from the Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy published their paper “Environmental life cycle assessment of recombinant growth factor production for cultivated meat applications” in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Researchers in the Department of Immunology recently authored two papers: “T-Cell MyD88 Is a Novel Regulator of Cardiac Fibrosis Through Modulation of T-Cell Activation” in the journal Circulation Research and “Suppression of Heart Failure With PAR1 Pepducin Technology in a Pressure Overload Model in Mice” in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.
Caroline Genco, has been named provost and senior vice president. She previously served as provost and senior vice president ad interim. Genco is also the Arthur E. Spiller Professor of Immunology.
Find past Kudos (formerly known as People Notes). Submit your own great news or recognize a colleague at go.tufts.edu/kudos.