The recognitions highlight faculty contributions to imaging science, oral health, community building, toxicology, and more.
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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.
William Calnon honored for distinguished service in dentistry
William Calnon—the Eastman Foundation Board president, a Medical Center trustee, a professor in the Department of Dentistry, and a past Eastman Institute for Oral Health interim director—was presented with the 2023 Dr. Mark J. Feldman Distinguished Service Award. The award is given to an individual in recognition of years of service and commitment to the New York State Dental Association.
- Read more about Calnon’s contributions to dentistry.
Alexis Ghanem named a fellow of the International Academy of Facial Aesthetics
Alexis Ghanem, an associate professor with the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, joins the honorary organization dedicated to advancing the facial aesthetics industry. The International Academy of Facial Aesthetics brings together multi-specialty experts from more than 40 countries to provide professional development at dental schools and conferences. As a fellow, Ghanem will give presentations about comprehensive patient care, fostering interdisciplinary relationships, innovation, and promoting a high-quality patient experience.
- Check out the story of an Ithaca man who came to Rochester for treatment overseen by Ghanem.
Marjorie Gloff named SPAQI Perioperative Physician of the Year
Marjorie Gloff, the associate chair of perioperative medicine was the inaugural recipient of the Perioperative Medicine Physician of the Year Award, given by the Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI). The society is a collaborative forum of multidisciplinary professionals who continue to learn, educate, innovate, and collaborate to deliver high-value, safe perioperative practices.
At Rochester, Gloff also spearheads the education of all perioperative medicine residents, directing three separate rotations.
- Read about Gloff’s role as part of a team that made a special delivery at Strong.
Susana Marcos awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal
Susana Marcos, the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science and the Nicholas George Endowed Professor in Optics, has been awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal by Optica (formerly OSA) and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology. The award recognizes research and work in optics and imaging to create inventions, technologies, and products that have had a major impact on the public. Established in 1992, the Land Medal honors noted scientist and entrepreneur Edwin H. Land, the inventor of instant photography and founder of the Polaroid Corporation.
Marcos, a highly regarded researcher in the field of visual optics and ocular imaging, is a pioneer in the development of new techniques for the evaluation of the eye. Her work aims to understand the interplay of structural, biomechanical, and optical properties of the eye—including their impact on retinal image quality and the limits they impose on visual functions and perception—with applications in myopia, presbyopia, cataract, and corneal corrections.
She cofounded 2EyesVision SL and coinvented the SimVis technology, which allows patients to “try on” multifocal corrections before putting in contact lenses or having an intraocular lens implantation. She has also authored or coauthored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers in top journals and has 23 patents (14 licensed to industry).
Marcos, who is also a professor of ophthalmology, joined the University of Rochester faculty in 2021. Previously, she served as the director of the Instituto de Óptica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IO-CSIC) in Spain, and was a professor of research at CSIC, where she founded the Visual Optics and Biophonics Lab in 2000.
- Take a look back—and ahead—at the Center for Visual Science.
Irfan Rahman garners two Society of Toxicology Awards
Irfan Rahman, the Dean’s Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine, has received the Leading Edge in Basic Science Award from the Society for Toxicology. The award recognizes a scientist who, based on research, has made a recent (within the last five years), seminal scientific contribution or advance to understanding fundamental mechanisms of toxicity. Rahman was also honored with the society’s Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section Career Achievement Award. Both awards recognize his work investigating how cigarette and e-cigarette smoke cause lung injuries and disease.
- Check out Rahman’s research into cannabis e-cig products.
Tricia Shalka honored by ACUI for campus community building
Tricia Shalka, an associate professor in the Warner School of Education and Human Development’s higher education program, was honored by ACUI (Association of College Unions International)—a leading organization for those advancing campus community through work within the college unions and student activities field—with the 2023 Distinguished Faculty Award. The award recognizes a faculty member’s demonstrated support of college unions and campus community building. It’s presented to a full-time faculty member who demonstrates evidence of including the “college union idea” in coursework, conducts or supports research relevant to advancing campus community, and fosters relationships that promote the college union and demonstrate participation outside their position as a full-time faculty member.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted college activities and college unions around the world. Shalka’s research related to student trauma and its impact on a student’s experience, as well as her work related to leadership development and a sense of belonging, has provided important knowledge for student affairs professionals that advances ideals of ACUI related to the “college union idea” and fostering campus community.
Shalka was also a 2020 recipient of ACUI’s Chester A. Berry Scholar Award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding writing that honors the contributions of the ACUI’s first executive director to the field of college unions and student activities.
Rick Spielman earns IEEE’s Erwin Marx Award
Rick Spielman, a senior scientist at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics and a research professor of physics, has received the 2023 Erwin Marx Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) professional association. The Erwin Marx Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to pulsed-power technology by an individual over an extended period of time, is dedicated to Marx and the concept of the cascade impulse voltage generator that bears his name. The award is funded by IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society’s International Pulsed Power Conference.
Spielman has spent more than 40 years as a leader and innovator in the field of pulsed power. He has led or participated in the design of nearly every pulsed-power facility with powers greater than 10 terawatt in the United States.
- Read more about Spielman’s research interests.
