Kudos April 2025
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.
The following students received the Hult Prize at Tufts University: Ayah Basmeh, Jhothshana Ganesh, Sarah Jun, Ruoxuan (Alice) Fang, Carley Debiase, and Idrissa Cisse.
Scott Huang, D26, received first place in the American Dental Association 2024 Health Literacy Video Contest. Huang collaborated with Tim Huang, a student at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, on this fun-filled, musical guide to improving your oral health.
Iris Jaffe, Elisa Kent Mendelsohn Professor of Molecular Cardiology at the School of Medicine, won the 2025 Barbarajean Magnani Award from Tufts Medicine.
Misha E. Kilmer, the William Walker Professor of Mathematics, and Kilmer’s colleagues from other institutions are the recipients of the 2025 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Activity Group on Computational Science and Engineering Best Paper Prize. The team received the award for their paper, “Tensor-tensor algebra for optimal representation and compression of multiway data,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021. The paper was selected for “groundbreaking work in tensor-tensor algebra, advancing data compression, theory, and applications, enabling superior efficiency and broad impact across disciplines, including simulations and data science.” The SIAM Activity Group on Computational Science and Engineering awards the prize every two years to the author(s) of the best paper, as determined by the prize committee, on the development and use of mathematical and computational tools and methods for solving problems that may arise in broad areas of science, engineering, technology, and society. The prize recognizes a paper that makes an outstanding and potentially long-lasting contribution to the field. The selection criteria emphasize multidisciplinary work that opens up new areas of research, and potential broad impact, in addition to novelty, creativity, and overall scientific advancement and quality.
Patti Klos, senior director of dining services, is among the recipients of the 2025 International Food Manufacturers Association’s Silver Plate Awards. Read more about dining services and Klos on Tufts Now.
Eva Lundsager and Timothy Hyunsoo Lee, both lecturers at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, were recipients of a Creative Individuals Grant from Mass Cultural Council.
Mariah Matinian, D25, received the Outstanding Student Leader Award from the American College of Dentists. This honor recognizes dedication to leadership, ethics, and service in dentistry.
James Rice, professor of history, was named to the editorial board of the journal Environmental History, the world’s leading scholarly journal in environmental history. Published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the American Society for Environmental History and the Forest History Society, the journal brings together scholars and practitioners to explore the changing relationships between humans and the environment.
Roya Zandparsa, clinical associate in the Department of Prosthodontics, has been appointed president of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) for the 2025–2026 term. A dedicated advocate for women in dentistry, Zandparsa has been a driving force in advancing oral health, empowering women dentists, and fostering collaboration in the profession. As president, she will lead AAWD’s mission to support and uplift women in dentistry through innovative programs, networking opportunities, and professional development initiatives.
Five Tufts faculty have been named as senior members of the National Academy of Inventors, an honor for academic inventors who are rising leaders in their respective fields and who have produced technologies that seek to bring a positive impact on society. The organization recognizes and supports academic inventors and enhances the visibility of academic technology and innovation. This year’s senior members from Tufts are Ira Herman, professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology emeritus at the School of Medicine; Valencia Koomson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Nikhil Nair, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering; Igor Sokolov, professor of mechanical engineering; and Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering. They will be inducted at the NAI annual meeting in June in Atlanta.
Food is Medicine (FIM) at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy received $3.5 million from the Rockefeller Foundation to expand and strengthen FIM programs across the United States in collaboration with 4P Foods, Adelante Mujeres, Alameda County Recipe4Health, Community Servings, Harvard University’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, and Hawaii Good Food Alliance. As part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s $100 million FIM commitment, these new grants will advance research, while supporting small and midscale U.S. farmers, improving health outcomes for people with chronic disease, and mitigating rising health care costs in communities in California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. One of the grant awardees is the Delta GREENS Project, a collaboration between the Friedman School and the Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Read more about the grant on Tufts Now.
Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion and Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health at the School of Medicine, highlights the power of tracking blood pressure postpartum in this Forbes article.
Tim Atherton, professor of physics, led a team of Tufts researchers who authored the paper titled “A programmable environment for shape optimization and shapeshifting problems” in the journal Nature Computational Science. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Eileen Babbitt, professor of the practice of international conflict management at The Fletcher School, was quoted in the Business Insider article “The art of no deal: Negotiation experts dissect Trump and Zelenskyy’s Oval Office clash.”
Mulugeta Berhe, senior fellow at The Fletcher School, discussed the factors necessary to form a lasting peace agreement in Sudan in The Conversation Africa.
Chloe Bird, Sara Murray Jordan Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine, co-authored a Journal of the American Dental Association guest editorial highlighting the need for better care coordination between oral health professionals and prenatal care providers.
Arik Burakovsky, associate director of academic support at The Fletcher School, appeared on a 7 News Boston segment to discuss President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office.
Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at The Fletcher School, wrote the Foreign Policy article “American AI Is High on Its Own Supply.”
Michael Cohen, affiliate at The Fletcher School, authored an MSNBC op-ed about Canada’s elections.
Tom Dannenbaum, associate professor of international law at The Fletcher School, commented in The World segment “Israel cuts off aid to Gaza.”
Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at The Fletcher School, was interviewed for the NPR Goats and Soda segment, “A respected U.S. famine warning system is ‘currently unavailable.’ What’s the impact?”
Daniel Drezner, distinguished professor of international politics at The Fletcher School, was interviewed for the Rachman Review podcast episode “US systems unravel under Trump,” quoted in the ABC News article “Trump’s threats to pull aid if Egypt, Jordan don’t accept Palestinians could lead to new alliances, experts say,” authored the World Politics Review article “Getting Out of Trump’s Way Could Be Russia and China’s Best Bet,” and was featured in the NPR segment “The political evolution of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
Haili Dunbar, director of clinical education for the Physician Assistant Program and assistant professor at the School of Medicine, Rayne Loder, clinical associate professor at the School of Medicine, Hope Coleman-Plourde, A25, and Heather Dwyer, senior associate director of CELT, collaborated and recently authored a paper on inclusive instruction and equitable classroom engagement.
Tamirace Fakhoury, associate professor of international politics and conflict at The Fletcher School, co-edited the book Refugee Governance in the Arab World. Read more about her book and insights into Arab governance on Fletcher’s website.
Donald Heflin, executive director of the Edward R. Murrow Center at The Fletcher School, authored “How allies have helped the U.S. gain independence, defend freedom and keep the peace—even as the U.S. did the same for our friends” in The Conversation.
Kelly Sims Gallagher, dean of The Fletcher School, and Daniel Drezner, distinguished professor of international politics at The Fletcher School, along with U.S. Senator Chris Coons, participated in a panel held by Carnegie Endowment on the future of bipartisanship in U.S. foreign policy. Gallagher was also quoted in the Washington Post article “How China came to dominate the world in renewable energy” and a New York Times article “Will the Shift to Clean Power Continue Under Trump?”
Heidi Goethert, assistant research professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Alanna O’Callahan, A24, V28, and Sam Telford, professor in the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, along with colleagues from the Martha’s Vineyard Tick-borne Illness Reduction Initiative, authored research titled “Minor Hosts Have a Major Impact on the Enzootic Transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi” in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Philip Haydon, Annetta and Gustav Grisard Professor at the School of Medicine, shared a personal account of how NIH funding cuts will affect researchers, institutions, and patient care, which was published on the Epilepsy Foundation New England’s website.
Barbara Kates-Garnick, professor of the practice at The Fletcher School, was quoted in the Canary Media article “NJ has given up on offshore wind for now. Who’s to blame?” and the CommonWealth Beacon article “Three federal grants targeting diesel fuel emissions are now unavailable to Massachusetts.”
Michael Klein, professor at The Fletcher School, is quoted in a Barron’s article about how economists would enact President Trump’s trade goals.
Valencia Koomson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, was the senior author on the paper “Home-based blood pressure monitoring using the AHOMKA care model: a longitudinal single-group pilot study in Accra” published in the Health Sciences Investigations Journal. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Susan Landeau, professor of cybersecurity and policy at The Fletcher School and director of the Cybersecurity Center for the Public Good, authored the Lawfare article “The Dangers Lurking in the U.K.’s Plan for Electronic Eavesdropping.”
Graham Leverick, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, co-authored the research paper “Understanding the Salt Concentration and Counteranion Dependence of Li+ Solvation Entropy,” published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
Cheen Loo, professor of pediatric dentistry and postdoctoral program director, authored a Sampan article sharing why children need to start going to the dentist at a young age to ensure good habits for life.
Pavel Luzin, visiting scholar at The Fletcher School, commented in a Business Insider article about Russian arms exports.
Charlie Mace, associate professor, and Giorgio Morbioli, postdoctoral scholar, both in the Department of Chemistry, and colleagues authored “Clinical evaluation of patterned dried plasma spot cards to support quantification of HIV viral load and reflexive genotyping” in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Luca Magnier, F26, spoke with euradio about a European Union economic initiative to grow Europe’s industrial competitiveness on a global scale.
Chris Maliga, senior photography studio manager at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, has work in two exhibitions. First Look: A Second Glance 2025 is on view at Panopticon Gallery in Kenmore Square until April 23. The Photographic Nude 2025 at LightBox Photographic Gallery in Astoria, Oregon, is on exhibit until April 5.
Mike Mandel, lecturer of photography, and Chantal Zakari, professor of the practice in graphic arts, both at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, exhibited their books at the Jersey Art Book Fair earlier this year at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Helen Marrow, professor of sociology, recently co-authored the article “Imagined Exit as Voice: Americans’ Emigration Aspirations Under Obama and Trump” in the journal International Migration Review.
Daniel Maxwell, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, is quoted in a CNN article about the U.S. foreign aid freeze.
Chris Miller, professor at The Fletcher School, is interviewed for the Lawfare Daily podcast episode “Chris Miller and Marshall Kosloff on the Abundance Agenda’s Implications for National Security;” the EconoFact podcast episode “On the Economics, Geopolitics and Technological Challenges of AI;” the Intelligence Squared podcast episode “Chokepoints: Economic Warfare in the Modern World, with Edward Fishman;” the ABC Australia segment “Will Trump’s tariffs help India rival China’s tech dominance?;” and the CNBC Squawk Box segment “The chip industry wants more clarity around policymaking, says ‘Chip War’ author Chris Miller.” Miller was also quoted in the Wired article “Trump Still Considering Tariffs on Taiwanese Chips, Despite $100 Billion TSMC Deal” and authored the Financial Times opinion piece “TSMC plays its hand in Donald Trump’s tariff war.”
Zora Murff, endowed professor of the practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, had an exhibition of mixed media colleges, The Devil Hiding in Plain Sight, on view at Abakus Projects last month.
Wendy Puryear, scientist, and Jon Runstadler, professor and chair of infectious disease and global health, both at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, authored articles that appeared in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s “Top Trending in 2024 Collection.” The article “High-pathogenicity avian influenza in wildlife: a changing disease dynamic that is expanding in wild birds and having an increasing impact on a growing number of mammals” is featured in the “Most Discussed Articles” and “Most Cited Articles” for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the article “The virus is out of the barn: the emergence of HPAI as a pathogen of avian and mammalian wildlife around the globe” is featured in the “Most Cited Articles” for the American Journal of Veterinary Research.
Tyrone Reese, D25, represented the School of Dental Medicine as a panelist at a health-care career panel hosted by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu at Madison Park High School. The event was a part of the Madison Park High School Career Exploration Initiative, which aims to help connect students with industry pros, hands-on experiences, and career pathways in the City of Boston. Reese answered questions from Madison Park students and shared information about the different career paths within the field of dentistry.
Elizabeth Rozanski, associate professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, shares advice on safely traveling with pets by plane and the importance of being prepared in a Discover Magazine article.
Deeb Salem, professor at the School of Medicine, has been the driving force behind the Physician Pathway Act, which was signed into law at the end of 2024 as a way to help ease the shortage of primary care doctors in Massachusetts. Salem’s work and leadership were featured in Boston Business Journal.
Kayla Sample, assistant clinical professor, Claire Fellman, associate professor, Greg Wolfus, associate clinical professor, Jennifer Grady, assistant clinical professor, all at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, along with Benjamin Koethe, instructor at Tufts Medical Center, authored research in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association on urinary tract infections. The study into urinalysis screening tools validates a best practice for veterinary clinics. Read more about the research on Cummings School’s website.
Kathryn Sawyer, director of clinical education at Tufts Seattle DPT Program, authored an article about a student with blindness, which was published in the Physical Therapy Journal.
Patrick Schena, Barton L. Rachlin, E59, A85P Professor at the School of Arts and Sciences, is quoted in the Courthouse News article “Trump’s plan for a ‘national 401(k)’ faces hard questions.”
Tara Sonenshine, professor of the practice at The Fletcher School, is quoted in the Washington Post article “How to handle anti-Americanism abroad” and authored the U.S. News & World Report commentary article “Doesn’t Everyone Want World Peace? Not Donald Trump, Apparently.”
Charles Sykes, John Wade Professor in the Department of Chemistry, and colleagues from Tufts and other institutions authored “Nickel promotes selective ethylene epoxidation on silver” in the journal Science. Read more about the research on Tufts Now.
Monica Duffy Toft, professor of international politics at The Fletcher School, authored “Trump’s threats on Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine and Panama revive old-school U.S. imperialism of dominating other nations by force, after decades of nuclear deterrence” in The Conversation.
Loring Tu, professor of mathematics, visited Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut, as part of a three-member external review panel of the mathematics department. His edited volume, Group Actions and Equivariant Cohomology, has been published by the American Mathematical Society.
Josephine Wolff, associate professor of cybersecurity at The Fletcher School, is quoted in the Good Housekeeping article “Parents Are Being Crushed By School-App Notifications.”
Sylvia Yoo, associate professor at the School of Medicine, with Tufts colleagues, authored research titled “Addressing Inequities in Amblyopia Treatment Outcomes,” which was published in the journal Pediatrics.
Andréa Zandona, visiting professor of comprehensive care at the School of Dental Medicine, contributed expert insights to a CNN article about identifying the best electric toothbrushes to keep smiles healthy and bright.
Tufts European Center was recently spotlighted in the “PBS Dream of Europe” series.
Food is Medicine researchers have conducted the first national survey on public awareness and perceptions of food, health, and Food is Medicine programs. The team found that nearly 90 percent of Americans surveyed agreed that eating healthy foods is important for preventing conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and type-2 diabetes. The results, published in the journal Health Affairs, revealed that while under 30% have heard of the Food is Medicine movement, more than half would try a produce prescription, medically tailored grocery, or medically tailored meal program, if offered through their health-care providers. Among those with food and nutrition insecurity, interest in participating rises to nearly 70%. Read more about the survey on Tufts Now.