Rochester faculty are being honored for notable and longtime contributions to their fields.
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人妻少妇专区 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鈥檙e spotlighting their accomplishments.
Mark Adams elected VP of Medical Society of State of New York
, a professor of clinical imaging sciences, was elected vice president of the Medical Society of the State of New York. A member of the society for more than two decades, he was treasurer from 2018 to 2023 and serves as chair of the Legislative and Physician Advocacy Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee. He also serves on the Investment Committee of the society鈥檚 Board of Trustees.
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Robert Doran recognized with Alan Walker Book Award
, edited by Robert Doran, a professor of French and comparative literature, is co-winner of the triennial , sponsored by the American Liszt Society.
Doran鈥檚 collection of essays, published by the 人妻少妇专区 Press in 2021 as part of its Eastman Studies in Music series, was one of two books awarded the recognition. It鈥檚 the third time over the past four award periods that an Eastman Studies book has won the Alan Walker Book Award.
Varchas Gopalaswamy awarded Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize

Varchas Gopalaswamy, a scientist at the 人妻少妇专区鈥檚 Laboratory for Laser Energetics, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 EPS-PPCF Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize. The prize, awarded on behalf of the board of the EPS Division of Plasma Physics, is in recognition of his 鈥渋mpressive contribution to the development of statistical modeling to achieve accurate predictions of laser fusion experiments thereby improving implosions and achieving record Lawson products for direct-drive on OMEGA.鈥
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Terrance Kessler elected an Optica Fellow

Terrance Kessler, a senior research engineer and diversity manager at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, was elected a fellow by the Board of Directors of Optica, an honor that recognizes his contributions to the optics and photonics community.
Kessler is being recognized specifically 鈥渇or pioneering innovations in the technology and applications of large-aperture optics used for fusion and chirped-pulse amplification lasers.鈥
Lisa Kitko to lead Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing

, the dean of the School of Nursing and a professor of nursing and geriatric medicine, was named chair-elect of the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. The council serves as a home for cardiovascular nursing science, provides resources for nurses鈥 professional development at all stages and career paths, and advocates for nursing and cardiovascular and stroke conditions across the lifespan.
An award-winning nurse scientist, Kitko sheds light on the role of family caregivers in managing heart failure in her research. She has contributed to the development of interventions and support programs aimed at addressing the needs of both heart failure patients and their caregivers, and her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and AHA.
Susana Marcos and team recognized by Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery
, the David R. Williams Director of the , the Nicholas George Professor in , and a professor of ophthalmology at Rochester, was recognized for her work on a (JCRS). Marcos and her fellow authors received the JCRS 2023 Mamalis Award.
The annual award is presented to the best laboratory science article published in the publication in the year, as voted on by the journal鈥檚 editors. The authors were recognized at the 2024 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Meeting in Boston.

Maiken Nedergaard receives Nakasone Award
, a professor of neurology, has been recognized by the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization with its for her 鈥済roundbreaking discovery and exploration鈥 of the glymphatic system, the brain鈥檚 unique waste removal system, and the role that sleep plays in its function.
Nedergaard is codirector of the , which maintains research facilities at the 人妻少妇专区 Medical Center and the University of Copenhagen. In 2012, her lab , a previously unknown network of channels that piggybacks on blood vessels. The system is used to transport cerebrospinal fluid deep into brain tissue and flush away toxic waste, including beta amyloid and tau, two proteins associated with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Christie Petrenko recognized for her work on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

, a research associate professor at the University鈥檚 , director of clinical training in the , and an associate professor of pediatrics, has been recognized with the , presented at FASD United鈥檚 . The award, whose recipients are selected by a committee of adult self-advocates with FASD, recognizes Petrenko鈥檚 considerable contributions as a researcher and an advocate in the field.
Petrenko is the codeveloper of an FASD mobile app. She has coauthored a to help medical professionals diagnose the disorder as well as a for clinicians and researchers.
- Read about Petrenko鈥檚 work to help people with FASD thrive.
Jannick Rolland named to Augmented World Expo鈥檚 XR Hall of Fame
, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering and director of the , has been inducted to 鈥檚 (AWE) . Featuring 101 inaugural inductees, the XR Hall of Fame honors the pioneers whose groundbreaking contributions have shaped and propelled the extended reality industry forward.
The XR Hall of Fame .鈥 She and her fellow inductees will be recognized at the AWE USA 2024 event taking place in June in Long Beach, California.

Jessica Shang named Young Engineer of the Year
The Rochester Engineering Society (RES) named , an associate professor of and a scientist at the (LLE), as the 2023 Young Engineer of the Year, an honor for which she was a finalist in 2022. The award recognizes outstanding achievement and contributions to the profession by young engineers in the Rochester region and promotes the importance of engineering practice to society. Shang will be recognized at the RES Awards in May.
Shang鈥檚 research spans many disciplines, including fluid dynamics of the brain, turbulence and viscosity at high-energy-density conditions, and biologically inspired hydrodynamic sensing. Her group collaborates with the 人妻少妇专区 Medical Center, LLE, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, among others.