April 23, 2018
CLICK HERE to read the SUNY media release
Congratulations to 15 UUP members from chapters across the state, including University at Buffalo Prof. Stelios Andreadis, above, who were recently appointed to the Distinguished Faculty Rank by the SUNY Board of Trustees.
The Trustees approved the appointments—for distinguished professorship, distinguished service professorship, and distinguished teaching professorship—April 11. The appointees are members of the Buffalo Center, Buffalo HSC, Buffalo State, Cortland, Downstate Medical Center, Fredonia, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Purchase, and Upstate Medical Center chapters.
“We are very proud of our members, who have been honored for their service and dedication to the University, to public higher education, to vital research, and to the students they serve,” said UUP President Fred Kowal. “Congratulations to these talented individuals.”
"The SUNY faculty members receiving these distinguished ranks have achieved immeasurable success within their fields and on their respective campuses," said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson.
Said board Chairman H. Carl McCall: "To receive distinguished ranks, appointees must possess the ability to lead and innovate, as well as meet the rigorous standards of our distinguished ranks. Congratulations to all honorees, who embody the spirit and values of SUNY’s core values."
Distinguished Professorship
Andreadis, chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University at Buffalo. He has made important contributions to the bioengineering field in fundamental and translational research, with emphasis in the areas of stem cell bioengineering; vascular, skin, and gland tissue engineering and regeneration; molecular design of biomaterials; protein and gene delivery, and lentiviral arrays for high-throughput pathway analysis of stem cell differentiation and reprogramming.
Steven J. Fliesler, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor at UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. His research focuses on the retina and pathologies that affect vision. He is widely considered by colleagues to be "the world's foremost authority on the topic of cholesterol biosynthesis and metabolism in the retina."
Bernice Porjesz, director of the Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory at SUNY Downstate. She has done cutting-edge research in alcoholism, neurophysiology, and genetics for the past 40 years. Porjesz has written more than 200 publications, she serves on the editorial boards of several renowned journals and is a dedicated mentor to trainees and junior faculty.
Sharon R. Steadman, Department of Sociology and Anthropology at SUNY Cortland. She is a global authority on the Chalcolithic to Byzantine archaeological periods of the Turkish Anatolian Plateau. Steadman has supervised 14 excavations throughout the Near East, and has been the field operations director for excavations at Turkey’s Cadir Hoyuk for the past 20 years.
Andrew S. Whittaker, UB’s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. Whittaker is an internationally known structural engineer who has made fundamental contributions in areas including performance-based earthquake engineering, seismic probabilistic risk assessment, and characterization of the effects of detonations of high explosives.
Zhen Yan, UB’s Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Yan received global recognition for her groundbreaking findings and scholarship, particularly for her investigations related to the areas of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder.
Distinguished Service Professorship
Andrew J. Kahn, Buffalo State College Department of Theater. He is the founding director of The Anne Frank Project, a social justice initiative that examines genocide, bullying, and intolerance through storytelling and performance.
Timothy B. Mihuc, director of SUNY Plattsburgh’s Lake Champlain Research Institute. An expert in stream and lake ecology, Mihuc has mentored over 100 undergraduate student research projects and served as thesis advisor for 11 master’s degree students.
Joseph A. Skrivanek, Purchase College Department of Chemistry. He is a longtime mentor of under-represented minority students in the natural and social sciences and is founder and director of the Baccalaureate and Beyond (Bridges) programs.
Paula M. Trief, clinical professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University. She has been involved with innovative programs at Upstate’s Joslin Diabetes Center that address diabetes prevention and management and health disparities.
Tracey E. Wilson, Department of Community Health Sciences at SUNY Downstate. Wilson is committed to improving public health and eliminating health inequities in Brooklyn. Her work supports the mission of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, which works to eliminate health disparities in Brooklyn; she is BHDC research core co-director and serves on its Executive Board.
Distinguished Teaching Professorship
Christopher S. Cohan, UB’s Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He has developed novel websites, unique interactive learning exercises, and a one-of-a-kind hands-on "brain museum" to support multi-modal education of students in neuroscience.
Pete K. Ducey, SUNY Cortland Department of Biological Sciences. He uses an array of teaching methods, including scaffolding and innovative applied learning activities to engage students. As a faculty mentor, he introduces majors and non-majors to professional undergraduate and graduate research.
Daniel George Payne, SUNY Oneonta Department of English. He serves as the director of the John Burroughs Nature Writing Conference, which provides unique opportunities for students from various disciplines to interact with international experts in the field of Environmental Literature.
Andrea A. Zevenbergen, SUNY Fredonia Department of Psychology. She is committed to faculty-student collaborations and has supervised more than 50 independent study students, three McNair students, and an undergraduate research fellow. Also, she has co-authored paper presentations with 35 students and supervised more than 150 student internships.