At its May meeting, the Board of Trustees elected five new board members and recognized two members for becoming trustees emeriti.

New trustees

Patrick Cunningham

Patrick Cunningham is the retired chief executive officer of investment advisory firm Manning & Napier, Inc. In 2022, he came out of retirement to serve as deputy mayor under City of Rochester Mayor Malik Evans ā€™02 until 2023.

Cunningham spent 24 years at Manning & Napier and was instrumental in growing the company and bringing it public in 2011. He spent most of his early career in engineering, first as a field engineer in the energy sector and later as co-owner of an engineering consulting firm.

He has served on several community boards, including the Rochester Museum & Science Center, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and Cancer Wellness Connection. A long-time leadership volunteer with the Wilmot Cancer Institute, Cunningham currently serves as chair of its advisory board and has provided generous philanthropic support, including funding to enable ovarian cancer research in honor of his late wife, JoEll.Ģż He is also on the campaign steering committee of .

Cunningham holds a bachelorā€™s degree from MIT. He resides in Rochester and has two adult daughters.

Elina Ianchulev ā€™97

Elina Ianchulev is chief outcome officer at RemoniHealth, a digital health company that enables remote management of chronic conditions such as AMD, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

Her career has spanned Wall Street, global consulting, and health tech innovation, and she spent more than 20 years at Deloitte Consulting advising C-suite leaders across healthcare and technology. Earlier in her career, Ianchulev worked in capital markets at Merrill Lynch and held a business development role at Alfamedic, a Harvard University-affiliated medical informatics startup.

After earning her bachelorā€™s degree in economics from °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, Ianchulev earned an MBA from MITā€™s Sloan School of Management. She also studied at the London School of Economics.

Ianchulev and her husband, Sean ā€™95, are members of the Universityā€™s annual giving society, the George Eastman Circle, and also provide generous support to the Universityā€™s Strategic Opportunities Fund. They have two sons, including Alec ā€™28, and serve on the Parents Leadership Committee. They reside in Harrison, New York.

Akbar Rafiq ā€™98

Akbar Rafiq is chief investment officer at Fidera Vecta, a credit special situation fund. He has more than two decades of experience investing across global credit markets with a particular focus on complex and dislocated opportunities. He has held senior leadership and investment roles within leading global platforms, with responsibility spanning portfolio management, capital allocation, and credit strategy.

Prior to Fidera Vecta, Rafiq was a partner and head of European credit and co-portfolio manager for distressed and dislocated asset strategies at York Capital Management Europe (UK) Advisors. He also held roles at Deutsche Bank AG, Bear Stearns, and Alta Communications, Inc.

Rafiq and his wife, Lala ā€™99, have prioritized scholarship support in their philanthropy to the University, generously establishing the Rafiq International Endowed Fund. Members of the George Eastman Circle, the Rafiqs also support the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections.

After earning a bachelorā€™s degree in economics from °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, Rafiq earned an MBA from the London Business School. He and Lala have two children and reside in London.

Meredith Rowe ā€™93, ā€™95W (MS)

Meredith Rowe is the Saul Zaentz Professor of Early Learning and Development at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She leads a research program on understanding the role of parent and family factors in childrenā€™s early language and cognitive development.

Roweā€™s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other private foundations, and she has published widely in education and psychology journals. She was associate editor of the journal Developmental Science for ten years and is currently on the executive committee of the International Association for the Study of Child Language.

Since 2021, Rowe has been a member of the National Council. In 2025, she established the Rowe Family Scholarship to support students in human development at the Warner School.Ģż Rowe and her husband, Christian Hart Nibbrig ā€™95, are members of the George Eastman Circle.

After earning a bachelorā€™s degree in psychology and a masterā€™s degree in human development from the Warner School, Rowe went on to receive a doctoral degree in human development and psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

She and her husband reside in Massachusetts with their three children.

Daniel Sabbah ā€™74, ā€™82 (PhD)

Danny Sabbah retired from IBM in 2015 as chief technology officer and general manager of IBM Cloud and Next Gen Computing. He spent more than 40 years at IBM, holding positions from research and software developer to general manager of various divisions within the company. He was responsible for creating IBMā€™s cloud platform and played a key role in driving the companyā€™s successful expansion into internet software.

Today, Sabbah serves in a consulting capacity to numerous private equity and venture capital firms and is a senior advisor for Bridge Growth, LLC. In 2023, he coauthored his first book, The Heart of Innovation: A Field Guide for Navigating Authentic Demand.

At °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, he serves on the national councils for the and the . He is also a member of the steering committee for the For Ever Better campaign.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the computer science department at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, Sabbah generously established a distinguished professorship in computer science in 2024. This built upon his earlier endowed support for faculty research and strategic initiatives. Since 2008, he and his wife, Karen Dana Carlson, have been members of the George Eastman Circle. They reside in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and have two adult children.

Trustees emeriti

At the May meeting, two board members moved to trustee emeritus status. Both have completed three terms as voting trustees, and their leadership, counsel, strategic partnership, and philanthropy have advanced the University in many meaningful ways.

Nomi Bergman

Nomi Bergman, founder of Bright House Networks and 1010data, joined the board in 2011 and has served as chair of the Nominations and Board Practices, Advancement, and Student Affairs Committees. She also served as cochair of the campaign planning committee before the public launch of the For Ever Better campaign. The parents of two °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ graduates, she and her husband, Neal, consistently championed student life by opening their home to welcome incoming students and their families to the University of Rochester community.

Bergman has served on the national councils of both the Hajim School of Engineering and the School of Arts & Sciences, and as a member of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics Visiting Committee and the Hajim Deanā€™s Advisory Committee.

She provided early leadership that helped propel the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence to the forefront of the field and has been a champion of neurological research and education, student leadership, and outdoor education.

Bergman received the Arts, Sciences & Engineering John N. Wilder Award in 2010 for her inspirational philanthropy.

Carol Karp

Carol Karp, former chief regulatory officer at Prothena Biosciences, Inc., joined the board in 2011. She has served as a member of the Academic Affairs, Compliance and Compensation, Executive, Facilities and Campus Planning, Investment, Joint Health Affairs, and Research and Innovation Committees. As chair of the latter, she displayed her strong commitment to innovative practices and respect for the Universityā€™s role in disseminating global knowledge.

Karp also served as the inaugural board vice chair, serving as an essential strategic partner to both the president and board chair in supporting the work of the University while exhibiting leadership over the Executive Committee and serving as an ex officio member of all other board committees.

She co-established the Carol ā€™74 and Sarah Karp ā€™11 Endowed Library Fellows Fund, elevating exceptional students to provide peer-led training on the University Librariesā€™ programs and services while contributing to the programā€™s leadership, service, and research development. Karp was also recognized with the Robert F. Metzdorf Award in 2020 for her contributions and meritorious service to the University Libraries.

Carl Chiarenza, an artist-in-residence and a professor emeritus in the at the °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, is being remembered as a notable American photographer and an erudite scholar.

Chiarenza, who died in May at the age of 90, was the Fanny Knapp Allen Professor of Art and Art History from 1986 until he retired in 1998. After retirement, he was named artist-in-residence and remained available for critiques and classroom visits.

Internationally known as a photographer specializing in abstract imagery, Chiarenza created photographs featured in more than 90 one-person and more than 280 group exhibitions since 1957. He authored numerous monographs and essays, as well as a seminal biography of American photographer Aaron Siskind called Aaron Siskind: Pleasures and TerrorsĢż(Little, Brown and Company, 1982).

Beyond his contributions to photography and scholarship, Chiarenza was widely admired for his generosity and warmth.

ā€œThe multitude of things that distinguish Carl as a scholar and as an artist are all secondary to the fact that he was a fine human and a generous citizen,ā€ says , a professor of art and the chair of the Department of Art and Art History. ā€œI donā€™t remember many of the countless topics we covered over breakfast at the Frog Pond or Highland Diner in Rochester, but the warmth and wholly uncommon generosity of spirit is something I still embrace from every one of those timesā€”they live with me.ā€

A trailblazer in photographic scholarship

Chiarenza earned an AAS in 1955 and a BFA in 1957 from Rochester Institute of Technology. He went on to earn an MS in 1959 and an AM in 1964 from Boston University.

In 1973, he became the first person to earn an art history PhD in photography from Harvard University.

ā€œCarl ruffled feathers there by intending to write a dissertation not only on a living Ģżartist, but on a photographerā€”two categories that had never before been found worthy in that department,ā€ recalls , a professor emerita of art history at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ. ā€œIt is a tribute to his talent, and the force of his will, that he was allowed to proceed.ā€

Chiarenza lectured and conducted workshops at more than 100 institutions in 33 states during his academic career.

Before his tenure at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, Chiarenza was a professor of art history at Boston University, where he served in the roles of chairman and director of graduate studies. He also taught at Smith College and Cornell University.

ā€œHe enjoyed teaching his lectures on the history of photography by starting with a cave painting,ā€ says artist and landscape designer Heidi Katz, Chiarenzaā€™s wife of 48 years. ā€œHe loved his smaller engaging seminars, some co-taught with colleagues from other disciplines. But finally, he loved being artist-in-residence with his own studio space on the University campus for several years after he retired.ā€

Finding mystery in the ordinary

Described by colleagues as a prolific and tenacious artist, Chiarenza worked predominantly in black and white, producing photography of collages made from materials such as torn paper and various foils.

His creative process often included the other art form about which he was passionate: music. ā€œHe never worked in the darkroom or studio without music being a part of it,ā€ says Katz, adding that Chiarenza was a singer and musician who played the saxophone and clarinet.

Chiarenzaā€™s worksā€”from collages to single and multiple large format printsā€”are collected on , and catalogues include Journey into the Unknown, which accompanied a at the Eastman House in 2021.

An Eastman House description of the retrospective noted, ā€œRather than create straightforward records of the cast-off materials that appear before his camera, Chiarenza photographically transforms them into new and provocative images. [ā€¦] His photographs often bear little resemblance to their actual subjects and instead suggest mysterious worlds that viewers are invited to explore.ā€

A legacy in art and education

Chiarenzaā€™s academic and artistic contributions leave a legacy in the worlds of art, photography, and research. The archive of his artwork is housed at the in Richmond, Virginia, and his papers are at Harvard University.

Along with his artistry. Chiarenzaā€™s legacy includes the artists, students, and scholars he mentored throughout his career.

ā€œWhen I turn the key to my studio, I bring with me an audience of three,ā€ says Topolski, adding that Chiarenza was a friend and mentor for 30 years. ā€œAlong with my father, who gives me confidence and checks the standard of my craft, and my mentor from grad school who taught me how to embed meaning into process, Carl is there to remind me that what I do is wholly important as long as it is wholly genuine. And being genuine in my studio is respecting it relative to what envelops itā€”kinship and family.ā€

Chiarenza is survived by his wife and three adult children, Jonah, Gabriella, and Suzanne.

°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ faculty are leaders in their fields who are regularly recognized with regional, national, and international awards and honors for their professional contributions to research, scholarship, education, and community engagement.

As part of an ongoing series, weā€™re spotlighting their many and varied achievements.

Michael Burritt named to Percussive Arts Societyā€™s Hall of Fame

ā€™84E, ā€™86E (MM), the Paul J. Burgett Distinguished Professor and a professor of percussion at the , is among six extraordinary musicians named to the . The society cites Burritt as “one of his generationā€™s most accomplished percussionists.”

Hall of Fame inductees represent a breadth of influence from the heights of orchestral innovation and jazz mastery to the frontiers of contemporary composition and world percussion. Burritt and his cohort will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the lead-up to PASIC 2026 in Indianapolis this November.

Lauren Ghazal honored with Victoria Mock New Investigator Award

, an assistant professor and researcher at the , received the Oncology Nursing Societyā€™s 2026 Victoria Mock New Investigator Award. The honor recognizes early-career researchers who are building a scientific foundation for oncology nursing practice.

As a family nurse practitioner and cancer survivor, Ghazal brings a unique perspective to her research, which focuses on improving the health and quality of life of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. Her work also explores the financial toxicity of cancer care among AYAs, integrating her background in economics and healthcare.

As part of the Mock Award, Ghazal presented a lecture in April at the Oncology Nursing Societyā€™s annual Congress, titled ā€œAdvancing Equity in AYA Cancer Survivorship.ā€

Ali Goli named a 2025 Marketing Science Institute Young Scholar

, an assistant professor of marketing at , has been named a . The MSI Young Scholars Program recognizes outstanding early-career researchers in marketing, fosters crossdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthens connections between academia and industry. This yearā€™s cohort represents some of the most promising scholars globally. Goli will join fellow 2025 MSI Young Scholars at a retreat in New York City later this spring.

Goliā€™s research spans digital marketing, advertising, public policy, customer loyalty, and behavioral economics. He teaches in areas such as marketing analytics, digital marketing strategy, and data-driven decision making.

Yanan Guo receives Distinguished Paper award at computer security conference

Assistant ProfessorĢżĢżfrom theĢżĢżis the senior author of a study that won a Distinguished Paper award at theĢż.

Guo and her colleagues from Zhejiang University in China and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore were recognized for their paper titled “Demystifying and Exploiting ASLR on NVIDIA GPUs.”

The conference is the premier forum for presenting developments in computer security and electronic privacy, and for bringing together researchers and practitioners in the field.

Frank Huo awarded American Chemical Society honor

, the Dean and Laura Marvin Endowed Professor in Physical Chemistry and an associate professor of optics, has received the in Theoretical Chemistry by the Physical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society.

The award by researchers who are in the first 10 years of their career as independent researchers.

Alex Iosevich named 2026 Simons Fellow in Mathematics

, a professor of mathematics, has been named a 2026 by the Simons Foundationā€™s Mathematical & Physical Sciences. The Simons Fellow Program extends academic leaves to a full academic year, allowing more time to focus on research.

Simons Fellows are selected based on their scientific accomplishments in the five years preceding the application and on the potential scientific impact of the work to be done during the leave period.

Bryanna Moore named Greenwall Faculty Scholar in Bioethics Ģż

, an assistant professor of health humanities and bioethics, of philosophy, and of pediatrics, will join the ,Ģża national career development award supporting innovative research on pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making.

Mooreā€™s project will explore the role ofĢżparentsā€™Ģżreasons inĢżpediatricĢżdecision-making.

Simon faculty garner ā€˜Connecting to Practiceā€™ Award

Ģż²¹²Ō»å , along with coauthor and Simon Business School PhD student have received the ā€œā€ for their paper titled ā€œ.ā€ Wu is the Susanna and Evans Y. Lam Professor and Pandey is an assistant professor at Simon.

The award, presented by the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section (FARS) of the American Accounting Association, recognizes research that meaningfully bridges academic insight and professional practice. The FARS Midyear Meeting typically receives 400 to 500 submissions each year.

Their paper examines how the Sarbanes-Oxley Act reshaped career pathways in public accounting, reducing on-the-job learning opportunities and altering the professionā€™s attractiveness. The study highlights broader implications for labor markets, professional mobility, and the pipeline of accounting talent.

Elena Prager named to Poets&Quantsā€™ 2026 ā€˜40 Under 40ā€™ List

, an assistant professor of economics at Simon Business School, has been named to the 2026 ā€œ40 Under 40 MBA Professorsā€ list by Poets&Quants, a prestigious annual recognition honoring the worldā€™s most talented young business school professors.

A leading microeconomist, Prager has earned recognition for the impact of her research and teaching. Her work focuses on issues at the intersection of health economics, labor economics, and industrial organization, with recent work examining health insurance networks, hospital pricing, employer consolidation, and how public policy influences labor supply and program participation.

In 2025, she received the for a coauthored paper. She also serves as a contributing faculty member to Simonā€™s .

In the video below, Prager explains how market power impacts consumers, workers, and innovation in the modern economy.

Agnes Thorarinsdottir receives NSF CAREER award

The National Science Foundation has granted its most prestigious award for early-career faculty,Ģżthe Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, to , an assistant professor of chemistry.

In ,ā€ Thorarinsdottir is developing transition metal coordination compounds with highly temperature-sensitive electrochemical properties.

Thermoelectric devices are important for the advanced manufacturing of instruments for energy generation, cooling and heating, wearable electronics, and healthcare. The fundamental knowledge gained from this project will enable a transformative approach to the design of next-generation thermoelectric devices that can convert waste heat into electricity for immediate or later use and employ electricity for cooling applications, as well as electrochemical temperature sensors that can operate continuously in remote locations.

Research in the Thorarinsdottir group focuses on applying the tools of synthetic molecular and materials chemistry to the design of new electrochemical systems that address challenges in energy, catalysis, and environmental sustainability. Emphasis is placed on harnessing variable-temperature electrochemistry and framework materials to facilitate the development of electrochemical systems that are suitable for electricity-to/from-fuels and heat-to/from-electricity conversions.

Itā€™s possible that a universityā€™s image has never been more important than it is today, and thatā€™s because the higher education environment has never been this fraught.

Starting this fall, universities are expected to spend the next two decades competing for a shrinking pool of college-aged students, bringing the concerns of the ā€œenrollment cliffā€ to bear. ĢżWith families struggling financially, thereā€™s growing skepticism about the value of a degree. Geopolitical volatility has complicated global recruitment strategies for students and faculty. Federal policy changes have created many uncertainties for the future of research and healthcare.

The is meeting the moment with a refreshed brand strategy and identity. Launched in October 2025, the refreshed brand reflects °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s evolution while creating a new foundation to strengthen its global reputationā€”one of the five pillars of , the Universityā€™s strategic plan.

Sid Bhattacharya, the associate vice president for marketing, and Michelle Hildreth, the director of creative strategy and solutions, are two of the people from °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ marketing and communications (UMC) who were integral to °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s first brand refresh in almost 20 years. In a Leadership Conversation, Bhattacharya and Hildreth offered a behind-the-scenes look at their ongoing work on the brand, including multichannel national campaigns that aim to enhance °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s reputation worldwide.

Here are five takeaways.

Marketing isnā€™t an act; itā€™s a system.

Until 2023, °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ was primarily engaged in what Bhattacharya called ā€œrandom acts of marketing.ā€ That started to change when was hired as the Universityā€™s first vice president for marketing and communications. Redefining the legacy position to include marketing paved the way for a marketing division, which began to take shape in September 2024 when Bhattacharya joined the University.

The primary goal of the marketing team was to re-envision °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s brand and develop ongoing initiatives to convey the Universityā€™s strengths for contemporary audiences. Bhattacharyaā€™s earliest conversations put the ultimate goal of his teamā€™s work in clear terms.

ā€œThere was consistent drumbeating around being sick and tired of °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ being a hidden gem. How do we lose ā€˜hiddenā€™ and become just a gem?ā€

A big part of Bhattacharyaā€™s role was to unleash °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. To give the University the spotlight it deserves, the marketing team is executing a strategy that is taking place across five platforms:

• Brand
• Enrollment (undergraduate and graduate)
• Storytelling (e.g., Social Media, News Center, Rochester Review)
• Digital (including web modernization)
• Strategic internal communications

Bhattacharya has overseen a deliberate shift toward a more comprehensive, layered approach that employs strategic tactics and initiatives, working with partners across the institution.

One of the latest examples of this work is the flagship brand video The 90-second spot presents °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ as a place that thinks in terms of ā€œand,ā€ not ā€œor,ā€ celebrating the way its community blends ideas, supplements interests, and connects disciplines. Hildreth noted that the video features more than 40 students, faculty, and staff and an original score composed by the Emmy Award-winner , an associate professor of contemporary media and film composition, which was performed by the .

Higher ed audiences want less polish and more proof.

More and more students and families are looking at the cost of tuition and the prospective debt that comes with a degree, and theyā€™re wondering, ā€œIs this worth it?ā€ Hildreth shared that not only are they more skeptical than previous generations, theyā€™re also better at tuning out traditional marketingā€”and almost instinctively rejecting it.

So, how does °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ ensure itā€™s heard? Hildreth pointed to five strategies.

The first is audience-specific storytelling. A prospective student wants different information than an alumnus considering a gift or a research partner exploring collaboration opportunities. °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s challenge is to tailor stories that resonate with each group without straying from its overarching brand message.

Outcomes-first messaging is another approach that emphasizes how °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ degrees and research lead to careers and real-world solutions.

Authenticity and ā€œpeer voiceā€ have also become increasingly important. Hildreth noted they are leaning into student-generated content, highlighting real experiences because it helps build trust and works a lot better than ā€œsizzle marketing.ā€

Equally important to using an authentic voice is being transparent and accountable, especially with current or prospective donors or external partners and the broader public. These groups want clear evidence of institutional impact, including how °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ is using philanthropic funds and the outcomes of research.

Finally, thereā€™s the rise of a brand systemā€”enemy to random acts of marketing. The marketing team is moving away from one-off campaigns and brand moments to ensure °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ expresses itself consistently across all touchpoints.

ā€œThe universities that ā€˜winā€™ in the next decade of brand perception arenā€™t going to be the ones that spend the most on marketing. Theyā€™ll be the ones that have the clearest sense of who they are and have the courage to express it.ā€

AI is reshaping how people discover °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ.

Student search behavior is changing in a big way. Instead of pulling up Google and typing specific topics like ā€œno core curriculumā€ into the search bar, they are increasingly using AI-driven platforms, such as ChatGPT and Claude, to ask complex, multi-variable questions.

Bhattacharya addressed this shift, explaining that while traditional paid search or search engine optimization remains important, they also need to consider answer or generative engine optimization. These days, even if a student uses Google to search, the first thing they will see is an AI overview, which may provide whatever information they are looking for. The rise of ā€œzero-click searchingā€ has many universities working to enhance their discoverability. Bhattacharya shared that his team conducted some testing and didnā€™t love the way °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ currently appears in these instances.

ā€œIn order for us to show up better when prompt queries we care about are used, we have to do some content, website organization, and structural work. So, weā€™ll be thinking about how we can show up in the right way, at the right times.ā€

Social media is another area where the marketing team is leveraging AI, specifically through , a comprehensive social media management and intelligence platform. The platformā€™s AI-assisted content publishing and generation feature enables the team to quickly and easily develop a range of content options that they can shape to fit the moment. Other examples include generating alt text for images and ā€œinbox automation,ā€ which simplifies how °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ accounts engage with followers by categorizing messages and suggesting responses. By automating some of the more routine work in this space, the social team is freed to spend more time on creative strategy and storytelling.

Hildreth acknowledged AI is a hot-button issue for creatives, some of whom wonā€™t consider using it at all. However, her team embraces it for research and the synthesis phase of the creative process (e.g., mood-boarding). And thereā€™s one critically important rule: nothing goes out without a human touching it.

House of brands < Branded house

April 15 was a big day at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, and the reason may have flown under the radar for many (especially if they missed the April 20 issue of @Rochester). The Universityā€™s health system formally changed from ā€œUR Medicineā€ to ā€œ°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine.ā€ It may seem like a minor change, but itā€™s a major move for brand and visual alignment that reinforces the One University philosophy in a meaningful way.

Historically, °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ schools and units operated with significant independence in how they presented themselves, creating an institution of many brands. The marketing teamā€™s work has helped to bring those brands (i.e., UR Medicine) under a single umbrella where they can share a visual and messaging framework that allows for some flexibility.

Hildreth explained that the value of the brand system is the way it relieves University entities from having to spend time explaining who they are, what they stand for, or how they are part of °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€”itā€™s all baked in.

The marketing team has empowered schools and units to be good brand and University citizens by offering guidelines and an array of resources at . Thereā€™s also the brand activation tool, , which offers hundreds of ready-to-use, customizable templates.

ā€œFolks are realizing how much better this landscape is for creation. Weā€™re giving them little nuggets, and theyā€™re really running with them. It is good to see people adopting it and making it their own.ā€

Bhattacharya added that brand unity not only creates a stronger, more recognizable identity but also offers practical benefits, such as cutting costs and minimizing duplicative efforts. Thereā€™s also some data that shows the brand work is working.

In February 2024, the marketing team used a comprehensive Harris poll to gauge how well people know who °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ is, what it does, and whatā€™s distinctive about it. In the last year and a half, brand awareness has gone from 11 percent to 24 percent.

Undergraduate applications were up almost nine percent, and early decision applications are up 17 percent. Both are important signals as admission is the Universityā€™s revenue engine. In all cases, Bhattacharya emphasized these gains arenā€™t just the product of recruitment marketing; theyā€™re part of a cumulative effort and everyone aligning with the University brand.

The work is far from done.

°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ is part of a crowded and increasingly competitive market. Although the marketing teams have reinvigorated the brand and produced some early results, the efforts to date should be considered an initial set of moves in a long game.

Hildreth shared that as the marketing team continues to strengthen the brand, they will look to elevate their video content and digital work. Bhattacharya is looking forward to expanding °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s market presence beyond the 11 core markets of its current image campaign.

Given the long tail of brand work, Bhattacharya and Hildreth were asked to consider what makes a brand last. What gives a brand power?

Hildreth believes a strong brand is clear and confident.

ā€œThere are a lot of universities and companies out there that are afraid to have a point of view. But the brands that stand out stand for something clear, and they do it in a way that helps the audience see themselves in it.ā€

Bhattacharya emphasized authenticity. As his team developed °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s brand strategy, they focused on what is genuinely unique about the University, grounding it in strong proof points. He also expressed gratitude for the Universityā€™s initial investment in the brand because consistency is critical to the momentum and visibility that builds recognition. Finally, he pointed to credibility and trust, as once those are lost, branding no longer matters.

Developing a brand that is clear, confident, authentic, consistent, and trustworthy isnā€™t achieved by policing the University community; rather itā€™s cultivated by a community of evangelists.

ā€œA brand is never done,ā€ said Bhattacharya. ā€œAnd maintaining it is not solely the role and responsibility of the marketing team; itā€™s on all of us.ā€

Together, these programs support research, international study, and community-based work across fields ranging from chemistry and engineering to the humanities and social sciences. The cohort includes students from theĢż, theĢż, and theĢż.Ģż

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of its members and the community, the ā€™s (MAG) will open its doors to allā€”free of chargeā€”sometime in 2027, much sooner than anticipated.

ā€œMaking the museum free ensures that everyone can experience the inspiration, learning, and connection that it offers,ā€ says University President Sarah Mangelsdorf. ā€œWe are deeply grateful to our donors, partners, and the broader community whose support makes this historic step possible.ā€

ā€œBy eliminating our admission fee for everyone in perpetuity, generations of community members will soon be able to enjoy ²Ń“”³Ņā€™s extraordinary collection and benefit from a rich cultural education without cost of entry ever standing in the way,ā€ says Sarah Jesse, the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director of the Memorial Art Gallery. The museum has raised more than $9 million through its fundraising efforts, surpassing its original goal and timeline.

Visionary support

A pivotal $1 million gift from Alexander ā€œAlā€ A. Levitan ā€™63M (MD) and Lucy K. Levitan marked the completion of the museumā€™s fundraising for the initiative. The Levitan Family Capstone Challenge underscored the coupleā€™s commitment to ensuring everyone has access to ²Ń“”³Ņā€™s world-class collections.

As visionary philanthropists, the Levitans have long championed access to education and formative opportunities for young people. Through endowed scholarships and fellowship funds, they have created pathways for students at the Universityā€™s . During a visit to donate works of art to the museum, they learned about the Free for All, Forever initiative and immediately wanted to be part of it.

ā€œWe are profoundly thankful to the Levitans for helping us reach this milestone,ā€ adds Mangelsdorf. ā€œBecause of them, and the collective tremendous support of so many, the museum has met its Free for All goals early, which is a remarkable achievement.ā€

A $3 million leadership gift announced in the fall 2025 from MAG Board of Managers Vice President and University Trustee Doug Bennett ā€™06S (MBA) and Abby Bennett, along with the Sands Family Foundation, established the Abby and Doug Bennett and Sands Family Foundation Free for All Endowment. That gift served as the initial call to action for others to help the museum achieve its vision.

In April 2026, Mary Ellen Burris ā€™68W (EdM) to the Free for All Endowment. Additional leadership gifts from an anonymous donor, Kitty and Nick JospĆ©, and Sandy Hawks Lloyd and Justin Hawks Lloyd added to that momentum. Many members of the community have also supported the initiative, underscoring that every contributionā€”no matter the sizeā€”is helping to make free admission possible.

ā€œThe Memorial Art Gallery is a treasure in our community, and everyone should have access to it,ā€ says Burris.

Why free admission matters

Sustained public support has helped MAG grow its reach and deepen its impact across the community.

ā€œFor many years, Monroe County has proudly supported the MAG in its efforts to offer reduced-price and no-cost opportunities for residents, expand community engagement, enhance access to art and arts education in local schools, and accelerate important projects and exhibitions that might not otherwise reach the community,ā€ says Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. ā€œItā€™s exciting to see private philanthropy now extending free admission to all visitors. Public-private partnerships are a sustainable way to reinforce our areaā€™s reputation as an arts and cultural hub.ā€

ā€œMaking the museum free ensures that everyone can experience the inspiration, learning, and connection that it offers.ā€ ā€”°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ President Sarah Mangelsdorf

Currently, adult admission is $20ā€”an amount that adds up quickly for families or discourages repeat visits. When the museum has offered free days in the past, attendance has increased more than sixfold, underscoring how many people are eager to visit when cost is no longer a factor.

ā€œStrengthening Rochesterā€™s already vibrant arts and culture sector by expanding access for children is a key objective of the , because we know exposure to the arts boosts intellectual growth and creative thinking,ā€ says Mayor Malik Evans. ā€œI want to thank the University of Rochesterā€™s Memorial Art Gallery for launching the Free for All, Forever initiative and the generous donors whose gifts brought this vision to reality for helping us advance our goal of establishing Rochester as a premier city of the arts.ā€

A return to ²Ń“”³Ņā€™s roots

When Emily Sibley Watson gifted the museum to the community in 1913, she imagined it as a place of education and enjoyment for all. For its first 56 years, MAG was free to the publicā€”a legacy the museum will soon restore.

The Free for All, Forever initiative was conceived as an endowment, with its earnings covering the loss of admission revenue and costs associated with a rise in attendance, ensuring that general admission remains free for everyone in perpetuity. Annual gifts and memberships will continue to sustain exhibitions, lectures, school programs, community events, and hands-on creative workshop classes. Together, this support ensures that the museum remains not only free to enter but also vibrant, dynamic, and deeply engaged with the community it serves.

As a part of the campaign, the Free for All, Forever initiative underscores both the museum and the Universityā€™s broad commitment to expanding access and deepening community engagement. It represents a portion of the museumā€™s overall campaign goal of $60 million, which will support curatorial and staff excellence, exhibitions, new acquisitions and commissions, and expanded educational and creative opportunities for °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ students, school partnerships, and the broader Rochester community.

ā€œWe feel strongly that every family in this region deserves the same opportunities that we have had to engage with art and build unforgettable memories together,ā€ says Doug Bennett. ā€œWe are thrilled that the museum can eliminate the cost of admission next year.ā€

About the For Ever Better campaign

²Ń“”³Ņā€™s Free for All, Forever initiative is a key priority during For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochesterā€”a $1.75 billion campaign rooted in the Universityā€™s . The campaign seeks not only to raise critical funds but also to meaningfully engage 250,000 peopleā€”amplifying the Universityā€™s impact locally and around the world.

About the Memorial Art Gallery

MAGā€”one of the few university-affiliated art museums in the country that also serves as a public museumā€”houses 5,000 years of art history and a permanent collection of more than 13,000 objects. Located in Rochester, New York, the museum offers a year-round schedule of world-class exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, and family activities. Its 14-acre campus and Centennial Sculpture Park are a popular destination for Rochesterians and out-of-town visitors alike.

The museum extends gratitude to its Board of Managers and the many supporters whose gifts helped build momentum for the Free for All, Forever initiative, including but not limited to Anonymous, University Trustee Doug Bennett ā€™06S (MBA) and Abby Bennett, David Burns ā€™78S (MBA) and Margaret Burns, Mary Ellen Burris ā€™68W (EdM), Andy and Karen Gallina, M. Lois Gauch ā€™56W (EdM), University Trustee Emeritus Gwen M. Greene ā€™65, Sandy Hawks Lloyd and Justin Hawks Lloyd, Kitty and Nick JospĆ©, Elisabeth Judson ā€™76W (MA) and Thomas Judson, Cornelia Klein, Anne Konar, Meribeth and Howard Konar, the William and Sheila Konar Foundation, Peter Landers ā€™83 (MS) and Kathy Landers ā€™82, Al Levitan ā€™63M (MD) and Lucy Levitan, William Maniscalco, Ken McCurdy, Sharon and Bob Napier, the Sands Family Foundation, James Tabbi, and Rob Tortorella.

Academic medical centers are constantly striving to do three very difficult things at the same time: deliver world-class, cost-effective care; train a new generation of clinicians; and push the standard of care through research. Today, more than ever, delivering on each mission is complicated by federal and state policy changes, a significant reduction in federal funding, and increasing labor costs and expenses.

is one of about 225 academic health systems across the country that are pivoting and evolving, reshaping how they heal, teach, and discover. And how it continues delivering is being guided by Boundless Possibility, °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s 2030 strategic plan. At and those efforts are being led by , the president and CEO of both hospitals.

Parrinello has been with °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine since 1975. Starting at Strong, she worked in nursing through the 1990s and then moved into central administration and eventually became Strongā€™s chief operating officer. Now the president and CEO of two hospitals, Parrinello offered a glimpse into her corner of °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine in a Leadership Conversation.

Here are five takeaways.

ā€˜System-nessā€™ is Meliora.

Most of todayā€™s academic medical centers have moved from providing care through a single hospital to operating as multi-campus health systems composed of specialty hospitals, centers, and research institutes. Parrinello explained that evolution began at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ in the late 1990s. Strong was becoming increasingly crowded, while Highland had room to grow. Rather than expanding Strong, the University began thinking strategically about how to work collaboratively.

What started as taking advantage of natural synergies between two Rochester hospitals became the foundation for expanding access to care regionally. °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine embraced affiliation with smaller, rural hospitalsā€”such as those in , Ģż, ,Ģż , , and ā€”to maintain strong community hospitals close to home for residents across the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier, with access to highly specialized care in Rochester.

Parrinello calls this ā€œsystem-nessā€ and pointed to °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicineā€™s cancer care as one of its best outcomes. (In his Leadership Conversation, David Linehan, the CEO of the Medical Center, dean of the , and senior vice president for health sciences at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, also talked about the concept of system-ness, which he described as ā€œusing all the pieces on the chessboard.ā€)

ā€œHealthcare is very, very complex these days. It takes teams of highly trained individualsā€”oftentimes with very specialized skill sets to provide optimal care for our patients.ā€

Parrinello spoke of system-ness as both ethos and aspiration. Itā€™s being one team with one purpose and a shared commitment to delivering high-quality care at the right level, in the right place, seamlessly. But itā€™s also striving to be ever better at doing it.

The goal isnā€™t more space; itā€™s better care.

Overcrowding in emergency departments is a national problem with local complications. In 2001, within months of Strong completing renovations to its current emergency department, one longstanding community hospital announced it was closing and another significantly downsizing. These changes put a strain on all remaining emergency departments in Monroe County, including Strong, which today provides care for more than 110,000 emergency patients each year in a space designed for 66,000.

The Strong Expansion Project is °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine investing in a structural solution to an issue the community has faced for years.

When completed, theĢżnew nine-story patient towerĢżwill give the hospital more than 650,000 square feet of new, modern space and more than triple the size of the hospitalā€™s Emergency Department (ED). Another important feature is the addition of more than 100 inpatient beds.

ā€œPatients are often waiting to get to beds. Moving patients when they need to be admitted is the real key to managing overcrowding in the ED.ā€

Parrinello made it clear that the tower isnā€™t just about more space (or beds); itā€™s about the right space. The new tower will provide one critical care bay designed for treating high-intensity trauma cases and another critical care bay for patients who need immediate medical intensive care for cardiac or neuro emergencies. Children in need of emergent care and patients experiencing mental health crises will also be treated in environments that are better suited for their needs.

°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine is taking another, more innovative approach to capacity issues by moving care beyond hospital walls. A new program that Parrinello is particularly excited about is , an option for patients with acute needs who can be safely and effectively treated in their home with daily visits from care teams and telemedicine connections to the hospital.

ā€œItā€™s been really exciting. Once families become more competent and confident in providing care in the home, readmission rates tend to be lower because they know they can reach out to their provider and get the services that they need.ā€

Hospital at Home is a new form of inpatient care, but patients can also receive a whole array of more medically advanced services in outpatient settings. Parrinello noted that leadership is continually thinking about how °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicine can maximize efficiencies and patient convenience in roughly 250 off-site clinical locations, including the for Orthopaedics and Physical Performance in Henrietta.

Strongā€™s expansion is for staff, too.

Parrinello explained that the expansion project was also designed with employee well-being in mind, and simply starting construction provided a much-needed morale boost to faculty and staff in Strongā€™s perpetually overcrowded ED.

ā€œWatching that building be built is really encouraging, because we owe it to our teams. We need to make sure they have the right spaces to work in so they can provide the best care to patients.ā€

But thereā€™s more to well-being than providing staff members with the space and time to have meals, exercise, and recharge. Parrinello noted that , °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicineā€™s inaugural chief well-being officer, is working with IT teams and clinical leaders to design more efficient workflows. Parrinello added that part of creating efficiencies is making sure they have the right personnel and the right patient-to-staff ratios. Rooney is helping there as well.

Currently, Strong is staffed to care for around 950 patients every day, and frequently more than that, despite having only 897 licensed beds. The expansion will drastically improve the working conditions for staff and the privacy and comfort provided to patients. Although the incremental increase in overall patient volumes will be gradual given the current volume, Parrinello said more nurses and clinical support staff will be needed to serve the much larger facility. Recruitment plans are being developed to ensure the hospital is fully staffed when Phase 1 of the expansion project opens in May of 2027.

Policy and funding remain wildcards.

Forces beyond the hospitalā€™s wall have the potential to reshape °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicineā€™s care far more than the current expansion project. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, cuts $1 trillion from health programs over a period of eight years, including $120 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly ā€œfood stampsā€).

Additionally, if the legislation continues as projected, an estimated 10 million people will lose their health insurance coverage, which is especially worrisome to Parrinello.

ā€œFor healthcare providers, thatā€™s scary. When people lose insurance, itā€™s very difficult for them to get scheduled appointments with a provider. If they have no insurance and no ability to pay, what do they do? They come to the ED.ā€

With Josh Farrelman, the vice president for government relations, Parrinello and other leaders have been working closely with legislators to ensure °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicineā€™s interests are reflected in New York Stateā€™s budget, which goes into effect this fall. They are also working with local government leaders and community partners to help area residents understand and comply with changing eligibility requirements for Medicaid and SNAP.

The future is bright and more automated.

Whenā€™s the last time someone talked about the future without mentioning AI? This isnā€™t one of those times.

Acknowledging that there are reasons to be cautious, Parrinello believes AI will be a transformational technology in healthcare. She called out Gregg Nicandri, the inaugural chief digital and innovation officer, who is leading °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ Medicineā€™s . Nicandri and his team are charged with helping the health system leverage AI and other emerging technologies to help providers and clinical teams work more quickly and efficiently.

is also helping the hospitalsā€™ digital leadership teams determine how best to use AI to create efficiencies and improve patient care. Parrinello shared an existing example of that: DAX, an AI-powered documentation tool that uses ambient listening. Unburdened by notetaking, physicians using DAXā€”with the patientā€™s permissionā€”can now shift focus solely on the patient. Itā€™s also a big win for provider wellness.

ā€œWeā€™ve heard doctors say this has changed their lives. Because physicians see patients back-to-back-to-back, they often spend their evenings with their notes. Itā€™s the work after workā€”thatā€™s a stressor.ā€

The potential applications for AI are exciting, but Parrinello is moved more by conversations that tackle fundamental questions Strong and Highland face.

How do we provide better care in off-site locations closer to patientsā€™ homes?

How do we build stronger synergies across the network?

How do we make sure weā€™re leaving room to focus on learning and innovation?

As her teams work to answer those questions, Parrinello is inspired by the improved success both hospitals have had recently in recruiting clinicians, nurses, and support staff in the wake of the pandemic.

ā€œA lot of people left healthcare jobs during the scary pandemic times,ā€ she said. ā€œNow, weā€™re seeing a resurgence in interest with many more healthcare students and applicants for jobs in healthcare, and Iā€™m very, very excited about that. I love the energy that comes with new people coming into our organization.ā€

The °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s Eastman School of Music has announced a new bachelor of music (BM) in music creation and technology, a degree program designed for students whose musical practice is grounded in electronic and digital technologies.

Led by ā€™05E (DMA), associate professor of music and technology and former head of music learning at music software company Ableton, the new major will emphasize electronic music production and performance, sound design, recording and editing, DJing, and the development of software and hardware. The inaugural class will begin study in fall 2027.

The program is part of °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s newly established , an interdisciplinary academic collaboration between two leading °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ schools: Eastman and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. The department also serves as the academic home for faculty engaged in SoundSpace, a transdisciplinary research center advancing °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s leadership in music and technology.

Together, the new major, department, and research center reflect the inspiring combinations possible at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€”where artistry, engineering, creativity, and emerging technologies come together to shape how music is made, studied, and experienced.

• Read more about Eastmanā€™s .

, a political scientist at the whose research focuses on how people form opinions and how that translates into political and social phenomena, has been elected a member of the .

Membership in the National Academy of Sciences is awarded to scholars in recognition of distinguished and continual achievements in original research. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the scientific community, and Druckman is among 120 members and 25 international members elected in 2026.

ā€œIā€™m extremely honored and appreciative of all the opportunities I have had throughout my career,ā€ says Druckman, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science. ā€œIt is special to receive the honor, too, while at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, which has long had a department at the forefront of advances in political science.ā€

Druckman, a renowned expert in political polarization and American democracy, has published seven books and more than 200 articles and book chapters in political science, communication, economics, sciences, and psychology journals.

He is involved in several prominent initiatives including sitting on the boards of , the , the , and the board of trustees for the . He is also a principal investigator for the .

The National Academy of Sciences, a private, nonprofit institution, was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Along with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, it provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

Druckman joins a prestigious list of current selected to the academy in past years, including , the Tracy H. Harris Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus; , the Charles Frederick Houghton Professor of Chemistry; , the J. Lowell Orbison Endowed Chair and Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics; and , the William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics.

°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ faculty are leaders in their fields who are regularly recognized with regional, national, and international awards and honors for their professional contributions to research, scholarship, education, and community engagement.

As part of an ongoing series, weā€™re spotlighting their many and varied achievements.

°µĶų³Ō¹Ļ faculty members receive ACLS Fellowships

TheĢżĢżhas namedĢż, assistant professor of history and director of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies program, and , assistant professor of Black Studies,Ģż.

The ACLS Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Awardees were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants through a multi-stage peer review process and represent a broad range of institutions, fields, and career stages.

Ball received the ACLS Fellowship for the project titled ā€œPushing Past GDP Per Capita: Brazilian Maternal Health 1915ā€“75.ā€Ģż It examines and compares maternal health and childbirth from 1915 to 1975 for urban and interior spaces in three Brazilian states: SĆ£o Paulo, Bahia, and GoiĆ”s. Learn more about Ballā€™s research on herĢż.

Ealey received the ACLS Fellowship for the project titled ā€œDissonant Dramaturgy: Black Womenā€™s Music-Theatre and the Politics of Possibility.ā€ The project examines Black womenā€™s music-theatre in the 19th and 20th centuries as a legitimate form of Black feminist intellectual production.

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity recognizes Meagan Driver

, an assistant professor in teaching and curriculum at the , has been selected for the 2025 Strong Start Coach Excellence Award from the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD).

The honor recognizes a first-year coach in the Faculty Success Program who demonstrates exceptional commitment to the coaching role, increasing effectiveness, and consistently positive feedback from Faculty Success Program participants. All coaches who coached for NCFDD in 2025 were eligible for consideration.

Ehsan Hoque inducted into AIMBE College of Fellows

Professor from the wasĢż.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers, comprised of the top two percent of engineers in these fields. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or educationā€ and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Hoque was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows ā€œfor pioneering scalable, ethical AI technologies that improve neurological care, social communication, and health equity across clinical and global contexts.ā€ He was inducted along with 175 colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2026 at a ceremony held during the AIMBE Annual Event in Arlington, Virginia, in April.

Researchers earn best original article honors

, the David R. Williams Director of theĢż, the Nicholas George Professor inĢż, and a professor of ophthalmology at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, was the scientific coordinating author of a paper that received the 2025 Obstbaum Award for the best original article published in theĢżJournal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

TheĢżĢżreports results from a novel measurement of ocular dominance using a binocular visual simulator in several eye clinics. It represents a major multidisciplinary, multi-centric milestone in improving the correction of presbyopia. , director of refractive services in the Department of Ophthalmology at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļ, is a coauthor. The award was presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting onĢżSunday, April 12,Ģżin Washington DC.

Eric Phizicky honored with RNA Society’s Outstanding Service Award

, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics, was recognized for his exceptional dedication and significant contributions toĢżthe , particularly in the development and modernization of its flagship journal,ĢżRNA.

An internationally recognized researcher in tRNA biology, Phizicky has served the organization in numerous committee roles and by organizing annual meetings.Ģż.

Wilfred Pigeon selected for Research Mentor Award

, a professor of psychiatry and of public health sciences, was recently selected for the American Academy of Sleep Medicineā€™s 2026 Research Mentor Award. The award recognizes leaders who are fostering the next generation of researchers in sleep and circadian science.

Pigeon is the director of the at . His primary research and clinical focus is the mechanisms, consequences, and treatment of sleep disturbance, especially as they co-occur with common medical and mental health conditions.

Elena Pragerā€™s research on work requirements lands Best Paper Award

, an assistant professor of economics at , has received the Best Paper Award from the . The annual award recognizes the most outstanding paper published in the journal over the past three years and highlights research with meaningful implications for economic policy and practice.

Prager was honored for her 2023 coauthored paper, ā€œā€ Her research focuses on the intersection of industrial organization, health economics, and labor markets, using detailed empirical data to examine how policy shapes behavior among firms, workers, and consumers.

A leading scholar in her field, Prager continues to earn distinction for her work. In 2025, she received the for a coauthored paper and is a contributing faculty member to Simonā€™s . Her recent research explores topics such as health insurance networks, hospital pricing, employer consolidation, and the effects of public policy on labor supply and program participation.

Tricia Shalka named a 2026 ACPA Diamond Honoree

, an associate professor of higher education at °µĶų³Ō¹Ļā€™s Warner School of Education & Human Development, has been named a 2026 Diamond Honoree by the . She is one of 22 individuals nationwide recognized for making significant and lasting contributions to the field of student affairs and higher education.

A leading expert on trauma among college students, Shalkaā€™s research examines how traumatic experiences impact student success and how trauma-informed practices can guide administrators, faculty, and staff in supporting and responding to student survivors. .