The Board of Regents also approved the following actions at its Dec. 5 meeting:
Bylaws changes for Board of Regents, UM-Flint
A series of changes to the Regents Bylaws and the UM-Flint Bylaws for Shared Government were approved. The Regents Bylaws changes are of a housekeeping nature, while the UM-Flint changes involve a variety of details related to the makeup and procedures for the UM-Flint Faculty Senate. The Regents Bylaws changes can be viewed online, as can the UM-Flint changes.
— James Iseler, The University Record
Restructuring and closure of CoE’s Division of Integrative Systems + Design
The College of Engineering has restructured the Division of Integrative Systems + Design by moving the administrative and operational functions of its programs, including faculty and staff appointments and budgets, into academic departments within CoE. The restructuring will move Automotive, Manufacturing, and Global Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering functions to the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Energy Systems Engineering to the Department of Chemical Engineering; Systems Engineering and Design to the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering; and Design Science to the associate dean for graduate and professional education. The activities to support these changes started July 1. ISD was a non-tenure-granting division, and faculty retained an appointment and a tenure home in another primary department. With this restructuring, faculty retain their appointment and tenure home in their primary department.
— James Iseler, The University Record
New governance structure to aid U-M Health decision making
A new governance structure for University of Michigan Health includes U-M Health’s two subsidiaries, UM Health-Sparrow and UM Health-West. The governance structure will support more efficient and agile decision making across the regional network in support of the Michigan Medicine’s mission, vision and organizing principles. The regents’ action includes adoption of amended and restated bylaws for UM Health-West and UM Health-Sparrow and five of its subsidiary hospitals: UM Health-Sparrow Lansing Hospital, U-M Health-Sparrow Carson Hospital, UM Health-Sparrow Clinton Hospital, UM Health-Sparrow Eaton Hospital and UM Health-Sparrow Ionia Hospital.
— Mary Masson, Michigan Medicine Department of Communication
Ann Arbor campus
Faculty appointment with tenure
Liliana Cortés Ortiz, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and associate professor of anthropology, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Katie Edwards, professor of social work, School of Social Work, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Josef Nguyen, associate professor of film, television, and media, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Devon Payne-Sturges, professor of environmental health sciences, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Connie Sung, professor of social work, School of Social Work, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Ricardo Vinuesa, associate professor of aerospace engineering, College of Engineering, effective Aug. 25, 2025.
Kaspar Wüthrich, associate professor of economics, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Named professorships
* Vikas Gulani, Fred Jenner Hodges Professor of Radiology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Jennifer Head, John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, effective Nov. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Andrew M. Ibrahim, the George D. Zuidema Professor of Surgery, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Khanna Dinesh, Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of Rheumatology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024 through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Suljo Linic, Martin Lewis Perl Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2030.
* Rada F. Mihalcea, Janice M. Jenkins Collegiate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2030.
* Amit Misra, Edward DeMille Campbell Collegiate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2030.
* Pamela A. Moss, John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Education, Marsal Family School of Education, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2029.
Thatchaphol Saranurak, Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026.
* Dennis M. Sylvester, Edward S. Davidson Collegiate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2030.
Elliot Tapper, Andrews Family Research Professor of Hepatology, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Zhen Xu, Li Ka Shing Professor of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2029.
Administrative appointments
* Mark Fitzgerald, senior associate dean, School of Dentistry, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through May 31, 2025.
Chin Hwa Dahlem, associate dean for professional practice, School of Nursing, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Aug. 31, 2027.
** James DeVaney, special advisor to the president for academic innovation, Office of the President, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2025.
Robert Hewlett III, interim associate vice president for finance, Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective Jan. 6, 2025.
Lisa K. Low, senior associate dean for professional graduate studies, School of Nursing, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027.
George A. Mashour, interim executive vice dean for academic affairs, Medical School, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Other transactions
Joseph M. Bower, chair, Army Officer Education Program, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through July 31, 2028.
Flint campus
Zhenfeng Liu, acting chair, Department of Accounting, Finance, and International Business, School of Management, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025.
Sasha R. Drummond-Lewis, chair, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, College of Arts, Sciences and Education, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027.
Yael Sela, chair, Department of Psychology, College of Arts, Sciences and Education, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
* Reappointments
** Interim approval granted
— Compiled by Genevieve Monsma, The University Record
Retirements
Richard Aaron, professor of music, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Dec. 31, 2024. Aaron is a professor of cello who joined U-M in 2006 as a tenured professor of music. He joined the faculty at the Juilliard School in 2007. Prior to joining U-M, Aaron taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory. He has taught master classes in Spain, Germany, France, Korea, Japan, China and Australia, as well as at many of the leading music schools in North America, including Rice University, Oberlin Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Mannes, the Hartt School and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Since 2003, Aaron has been on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and has taught at many other summer music institutes, including the Indiana University String Academy, the Calgary Music Bridge, the Peter the Great Music Festival (Holland), the Aria International Summer Academy (Massachusetts), the Innsbruck Summer Music Academy (Missouri), the Chautauqua Institution (New York), the Idyllwild Summer Program (California), the Heifetz International Music Institute (Virginia), the Marrowstone Music Festival (Washington), and Encore (Ohio). He also is a frequent competition judge.
Kiumi Akingbehin, professor of computer and information science, College of Engineering and Computer Science, UM-Dearborn, Dec. 31, 2024. Akingbehin received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Howard University in 1972, his M.S. degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1975, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in computer science from Wayne State University in 1982 and 1986, respectively. He joined UM-Dearborn in 1985 as an adjunct lecturer in industrial and systems engineering, was promoted to associate professor of computer and information science in 1991, and to professor in 1998. From 1992-94 and 2000-02, he was acting chair of the computer and information science department. Akingbehin’s research interests are in the areas of real-time software engineering, software metrics, real-time computing, novel computing architectures, connected and autonomous vehicles, and mobile app technologies. His work was funded by the National Science Foundation, Motorola, Engineering Design Services, and others. He published more than 130 papers in various journals and conferences. Prior to joining the university, he was a project engineer for General Motors and a software engineer for Candid Logic.
Irina Arakelian, lecturer IV in mathematics, LSA, May 31, 2024. Arakelian received her M.S. degree in mathematics from St. Petersburg State University in Russia. She taught mathematics at St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University from 1979-97, and then was a computer programmer with Boston University Medical School. Arakelian joined U-M as a lecturer II in 1999 and became a lecturer IV in 2005. During her career Arakelian taught several sections of the mathematics introductory sequence each semester. Her teaching evaluations have consistently been excellent. In 2002, she became assistant director of the Mathematics Learning Center and was promoted to director in 2004. For 20 years, Arakelian has managed all aspects of the MLC, which consists of the Math Lab, a walk-in and online free tutoring service for university undergraduates, serving mathematics courses from pre-calculus to linear algebra. She also was responsible for staffing of the labs for computerized gateway testing in various mathematics courses. As director of the MLC, she hired, trained, scheduled and monitored all undergraduate and graduate level tutors and lab staff. In 2010, Arakelian received the LSA Excellence in Education Award.
Thomas J. Armstrong, professor of industrial and operations engineering, College of Engineering, Dec. 31, 2024. Armstrong received a B.S.E. degree in aerospace engineering in 1971, an M.P.H. degree in industrial health in 1972, and a Ph.D. in industrial health, physiology and engineering in 1976, all from U-M. He joined the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering as an assistant research scientist and lecturer in 1977, and joined the Department of Environmental and Industrial Health in the School of Public Health as an assistant professor in 1978, was promoted to associate professor in 1983 and to professor in 1990. He also was appointed professor of biomedical engineering in 1998. He also was director of the occupational health program in SPH from 1989-95, director of the Center for Ergonomics from 1998-2016, and director of the U-M Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center from 1998-2004. Armstrong’s research focused on work design for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. In 2003, he was named a senior visiting fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Bologna. Armstrong received the ACGIH Wagner Award in 2019 for his outstanding commitment to the creation and dissemination of occupational exposure values in the field of national and international worker health and safety.
Chun-Shu Chang, professor of history, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Chang received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1964. He joined U-M as an associate professor of history in 1966 and was promoted to professor in 1973. Chang is a scholar of prodigious thematic range and chronological depth. He was trained in the Chinese classical tradition in Taiwan, and at Harvard in the Western tradition of Chinese studies. His command of Chinese history and civilization covers the major periods from the Shang (1600 B.C.E.) to the Republic (1911 C.E.); the political and intellectual history of the modern period; the historiography of China and the documents of its history; and the history of Chinese literature. He is composing a treatise on the history of the Chinese empire from earliest times to the 20th century in 13 volumes, a substantial amount of which has already appeared in monographs and articles. It draws upon his mastery of the sources and is an expression of his philosophy of history, open to various, even conflicting interpretations, rather than confining itself to a single theory of historical causation.
Walter Cohen, professor of English language and literature, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Cohen received his B.A. degree in English from Stanford University in 1971, and his doctorate in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley in 1980. He was an assistant professor, associate professor and professor of comparative literature at Cornell University from 1980-92, served as dean of the Graduate School from 1993-2001, as vice provost from 1998-2004, and as senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2009-13. From 1998-99, he was the national president of the Association of Graduate Schools. He joined U-M as professor of English language and literature in 2014. Cohen is a preeminent scholar of comparative literary history, with expertise in Renaissance and early modern studies. He has written extensively on Renaissance drama, Marxist literary criticism, world literature, and the profession of literary studies. He is the author of two major monographs and more than 40 articles. He has delivered more than 100 papers, invited lectures and keynote addresses, including at leading universities across the United States and Europe.
Cathleen M. Connell, professor of health behavior and health equity, School of Public Health, Dec. 31, 2024. She received her B.S. degree in 1980 from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in human development and family studies from Pennsylvania State University in 1983 and 1986, respectively. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular risk reduction at Washington University in St. Louis from 1986-88. Connell joined U-M as an assistant professor in 1989 and was promoted to associate professor and professor in 1995 and 2003, respectively. Connell was director of the Education and Information Transfer Core of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Research Center and interim director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease. In SPH, she was associate chair, department chair, associate dean of academic affairs, senior associate dean of academic affairs, and interim dean. Connell has also made substantial contributions to the teaching program in SPH, offering a wide range of required and elective courses. Connell served on or chaired numerous department, school and universitywide committees, including the SPH Executive Committee and the Advisory Committee on Academic Programs. Connell’s research program has focused broadly on the health and well-being of older adults.
Mick P. Couper, research professor, Survey Research Center in the Institute for Social Research, Jan. 1, 2025. Couper earned a B.Soc.Sc. in social work in 1978, a B.Soc.Sc. in sociology in 1980 and an M.Soc.Sc. in sociology in 1983 from the University of Cape Town. He earned an M.A. in applied social research from U-M in 1989, and a Ph.D. in sociology in 1990 from Rhodes University in South Africa. He has held a research appointment at SRC since 1990. He was promoted to assistant research scientist in 1993, to research associate professor in 1999 and to research professor in 2007. From 2009-13, he was associate director of SRC. He has held adjunct professor appointments at the University of Maryland, and the Department of Sociology at U-M. He has held faculty associate positions at U-M’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and Population Studies Center. Couper has made important contributions to the study of survey methodology and is well known for his work on survey nonresponse and the use of technology in survey research. He has authored or co-authored seven books and more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and a member of the International Statistical Institute.
Gregory R. Dressler, Collegiate Professor of Pathology Research and professor of pathology, Medical School, Dec. 31, 2024. Dressler received a B.Sc.E. and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and 1986, respectively. He completed postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany, and was appointed a senior staff fellow at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland. Dressler was appointed assistant professor of pathology at the Medical School and assistant investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1995. He was promoted to associate professor in 2000 and professor in 2007. In 2008, he received the Collegiate Professorship in Pathology Research. Dressler’s work focused on kidney development and kidney disease. The lab discovered multiple genes and pathways that control development of the urogenital system and can contribute to chronic and acute renal disease upon deregulation. His work is widely recognized in nephrology and developmental biology, garnering more than 16,000 citations. Since 1996, his work was continuously funded by multiple grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Larry M. Gant, professor of social work, School of Social Work; and professor of art and design, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, Dec. 31, 2024. Gant received his A.B. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1979, and his M.S.W. in 1981, M.A. in psychology in 1985, and his Ph.D. in social work and social psychology in 1986, all from U-M. Gant joined U-M as an assistant professor of social work in 1987, was promoted to associate professor in 1995 and to professor in 2007. He was co-appointed as professor of art and design in 2011. In 2020, he was named as the second director of SSW’s DEI program. In his research, Gant has worked simultaneously at the neighborhood level locally and in Detroit, as well as at the international level, studying the impacts of mass migration across major European communities, including Berlin, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Krakow and Warsaw. Gant and teams of undergraduate and M.S.W. students in a special course section traveled to these communities, working to promote and implement prevention or negation measures for public health concerns.
Geoffrey E. Gerstner, associate professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry, Jan. 1, 2025. Gerstner received his D.D.S degree and his M.S. in oral biology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1985. He received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA in 1992. Gerstner joined U-M as an assistant professor in 1992 and was promoted to associate professor in 1999. Gerstner has chaired, co-chaired or directed 21 courses and lectured in 58 courses. He taught undergraduate, predoctoral dental students, dental residents and graduate students. He received eight teaching awards from dental classes, dental student organizations and the dean. During his tenure, he developed standards in clinical education of temporomandibular disorder and orofacial pain as well as of obstructive sleep apnea assessments. He developed a series of 20 standardized obstructive sleep apnea patients that are used in the curriculum to teach screening procedures. He standardized the practice of orofacial pain treatment in the predoctoral dental clinics. Gerstner developed an accredited mini-residency in dental sleep medicine, which provides practicing dentists with the ability to treat life-threatening sleep related breathing disorders. Gerstner’s research has focused on orofacial motor control and dysfunction.
Clement Hawes, professor of English language and literature, and of history, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Hawes received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1986. He joined Albion College as assistant professor in 1986, moved to Southern Illinois University in 1990 and was promoted to associate professor in 1996. He joined U-M in 2010 as a professor. Hawes is a premier scholar in the fields of early modern English literature and history, and an internationally recognized expert on the Ranters, the 18th-century novel, and the poet Christopher Smart. He first explored the connections between mania and creativity from the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century in “Mania and Literary Style: The Rhetoric of Enthusiasm from the Ranters to Christopher Smart.”His second major monograph, “The British Eighteenth Century and Global Critique,”appealed to a wider range of scholars with its examination of the impact of colonialism and imperialism on English literature, by how authors entered into, and sometimes initiated, an evolving conversation on empire, race and identity. With it, he contributed to the dethroning of the notion of single literary canon, drawing as he did from texts arising in all parts of the empire.
Joel D. Howell, Elizabeth Farrand Collegiate Professor of Medical History, professor of internal medicine, Medical School; professor of history, LSA; and professor of health management and policy, School of Public Health, Dec. 31, 2024. Howell earned his B.S. degree from Michigan State University in 1975 and his M.D. from the University of Chicago in 1979. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar in 1984 and received his Ph.D. in the history and sociology of science in 1987, both at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined U-M as an instructor in 1984, was promoted to assistant professor in 1986, associate professor in 1990 and professor in 1997. In 1988, he was jointly appointed in the Department of Health Management and Policy and the Department of History. In 2001, he was named the Victor Vaughan Collegiate Professor of the History of Medicine. His research centered on medical technology history. Howell served as associate chair of the history department and a variety of administrative positions in the university community. He was the founding director of both the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program and the Medical Arts Program.
Smadar Karni, professor of mathematics, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. After receiving a B.Sc. in mathematics and physics from Hebrew University, Karni earned her M.Sc. in applied mathematics from Tel Aviv University. She received a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in 1990 from Cranfield Institute of Technology. Karni held a postdoctoral assistant professorship at U-M, and a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at NYU Courant Institute. She held positions at Temple University before returning to U-M in 1997 as associate professor and was promoted to professor in 2003. Karni’s research is in applied mathematics and numerical analysis, specifically numerical methods for partial differential equations, computational fluid dynamics, and nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws. Her publications include articles with leading numerical analysts on a range of topics including nonreflecting boundary conditions, nonconservative hyperbolic systems, compressible multifluids, slowly moving shocks, interface tracking, shock-interface interactions and adaptive algorithms. Recognized as an excellent teacher, her courses focused on applied mathematics, including numerical methods and analysis, differential equations, and scientific computing. She actively encouraged participation of women in applied mathematics and was a four-time recipient of the Crosby Research Award from the National Science Foundation for advancement of women in science and engineering.
Catharine A. MacKinnon, Elizabeth A. Long Professor of Law and professor of law, Law School, Dec. 31, 2024. MacKinnon received her B.A. degree in 1969 from Smith College, a J.D. in 1977 from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in political science in 1987 from Yale University. She was an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School from 1982-85, and a professor of law at Osgoode Hall from 1988-90. She has taught at Yale, the University of Chicago, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Minnesota, Harvard, York (Osgoode Hall) and Stanford, and has received numerous honorary degrees. She joined the Law School as a professor in 1990. MacKinnon’s fields of concentration include constitutional law — especially sex equality and speech — political theory and international law. She is the foremost American scholar of feminist legal theory. Her book “Sexual Harassment of Working Women” defined the cause of action for sexual harassment as employment discrimination. She has written extensively on political theory and legal matters affecting women. MacKinnon has participated extensively in national and international path-breaking litigation concerning sex equality under international law principles, including a lawsuit brought by survivors of the war in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Daniel S. McConnell, research scientist of epidemiology, School of Public Health, Dec. 31, 2024. McConnell received his Ph.D. from U-M in 1991. He was a postdoctoral fellow in 1991 and a research investigator in 1993 within the Reproductive Sciences Program. He became an assistant research scientist in 1998 associate research scientist in 2010, and research scientist in 2022 in the Department of Epidemiology. McConnell has been instrumental in advancing the understanding of the endocrinology of reproductive health of women. His U-M career has focused on developing new, more sensitive and accurate assays for blood-based biomarkers, especially for steroids and other hormones. These have been most notably applied to the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, a longitudinal, multisite study launched in 1996 focusing on the biological and psychosocial changes occurring during the menopausal transition. McConnell served as the associate director then director of the U01 SWAN Central Laboratory developing new and improved bioassays to enable study of the menopause transition. He also served as associate director then director of the P-30 Assays and Reagents Core Facility in the Reproductive Sciences Program and director of the Iodination Core Facility.
John D. Piette, professor of health behavior and health equity, and of global public health, School of Public Health; and professor of internal medicine, Medical School, Dec. 31, 2024. Piette received his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1992. He joined U-M as an associate professor of internal medicine in 2001 and was promoted to professor in 2007. He joined SPH in 2014 as a professor of health behavior and health education. Piette has served as director of the U-M Center for Managing Chronic Disease and as associate director of the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research. His research focuses on developing and evaluating novel strategies for using patient-facing health technology to improve the accessibility and quality of care for patients with mood and anxiety disorders, chronic pain, substance use disorders, and chronic medical illnesses. Piette has twice been named a Fulbright Faculty Scholar for his teaching and research in Latin America. In 2017, Piette was named a professor of global public health. In addition to his U-M roles, Piette is one of 15 Department of Veterans Affairs senior research career scientists and has multiple leadership scientific roles in the VA.
Barry G. Rabe, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, professor of public policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; professor of environmental policy, School for Environment and Sustainability; professor of environment, SEAS and LSA; professor of political science, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Rabe received his B.A. degree from Carthage College in 1979, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in 1980 and 1985, respectively, at the University of Chicago. He joined U-M faculty 1985 as an assistant professor of health politics in the School of Public Health and became a professor in 1999. His appointment moved to the School of Natural Resources and Environment, now SEAS, where he was instrumental in the creation of the Program in the Environment and where he served as interim dean for two years. Rabe has had an active appointment in the Ford School since 2001, and his tenured appointment was moved to the Ford School in 2009. Rabe is a widely acknowledged authority on climate policy who engages deeply with policy practitioners at international, national, and state levels to help solve critical challenges.
Kenneth Resnicow, Irwin M. Rosenstock Collegiate Professor of Public Health, professor of health behavior and health equity, School of Public Health; professor of pediatrics, Medical School, Dec. 30, 2024. Resnicow received his doctorate from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1985. He then began his academic career at the American Health Foundation and Columbia University in New York City. He was a professor at the Emory University of Public Health, and in 2003 joined U-M, where he was named the Irwin Rosenstock Collegiate Professor of Health Education. He also was the associate director of community outreach and engagement for the Rogel Cancer Center. He designed and evaluated innovative behavior change programs across a wide range of health domains including smoking cessation, weight control, breast cancer treatment, vaccine uptake, cancer screening, genetic testing, diet and physical activity, medical adherence, organ donation, substance use, youth violence, gun use, car safety, and accrual into clinical trials. He was active globally, collaborating with health-care providers and researchers in more than 25 countries including South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Singapore, Romania, Israel, Qatar, Turkey, Finland, Tunisia, Ukraine, and the Netherlands.
Douglas Richstone, Lawrence H. Aller Collegiate Professor of Astronomy and professor of astronomy, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Richstone earned a B.S. degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1971, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1975. Richstone joined U-M in 1980 and was promoted through the ranks to professor in 1988. He has been the Lawrence H. Aller Collegiate Professor of Astronomy since 2006. Richstone’s science focused on understanding the cores of galaxies, where black holes were expected to reside. This culminated with his leadership of a team that leveraged groundbreaking imaging and spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the masses of black holes in nearby galaxies. The modern astrophysical understanding that all sufficiently massive galaxies harbor a black hole in their nuclear region — and that black holes affect the evolution of their host galaxy — is laid on this groundwork. Richstone shared the 2017 Carl Sagan Prize from the American Astronomical Society. He was chair of the Department of Astronomy from 1985-90 and 2000-10, overseeing a revitalization of the department at all levels, including joining the large Magellan Telescope consortium in Chile. Richstone later served as the associate dean for natural sciences in LSA from 2015-18.
Terry E. Robinson, Elliot S. Valenstein Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and professor of psychology, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Robinson received his B.A. degree from the University of Lethbridge in 1972, his M.A. degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1974, his Ph.D. degree from the University of Western Ontario, in 1978, and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Lethbridge in 2016. He joined U-M as an assistant professor in 1978, was promoted to associate professor in 1984 and to professor in 1989. Robinson was the Elliot S. Valenstein Collegiate Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience from 2001-11. He is a world-renowned behavioral neuroscientist whose research focused on brain and psychological mechanisms of addiction. Robinson identified neural sensitization changes caused by drugs and proposed that the role of those neural changes in addicted individuals was to cause excessive wanting to take drugs but not cause more liking of the same drugs. Among Robinson’s many honors are the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association, the William James Fellow Award for lifetime achievement from the Association for Psychological Science, the Grawemeyer Award for Outstanding Ideas in Psychology, and the Henry Russel Lectureship at U-M.
Athina Sikavitsas, clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine and of pediatrics, Medical School, Dec. 5, 2024. Sikavitsas completed her D.O. degree at the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in 1986. She then completed a rotating internship at Chicago Osteopathic Hospital in 1987 and a residency in pediatrics at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in 1990. In 1991, she was appointed an assistant clinical professor at Chicago Medical School, University Health Sciences. She also completed a fellowship in faculty development at Cook County Family Medicine in 1995. In 2002, she joined U-M as an adjunct clinical associate in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and then clinical assistant professor in the emergency medicine and pediatrics departments. Sikavitsas has served as service chief in emergency medicine since 2019 and was the schedule coordinator for the Division of Children’s Emergency Services until 2017. In her role as service chief, she serves as a leader in the children’s emergency services division and has been instrumental in helping further the clinical goals and mission of both the division and the department.
Bradley R. Smith, professor of art and design, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, Dec. 31, 2024. Smith received a Bachelor of University Studies degree in art and biology from the University of Utah in 1980, an M.A. degree in medical illustration from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1983, and a Ph.D. in anatomy from Duke University in 1988. Prior to joining the Stamps School, Smith was an assistant research professor in the Department of Radiology at Duke University Medical Center. Smith joined the Stamps faculty in 1999 as an associate professor and as a senior associate research scientist in Michigan Medicine. Smith was associate dean for academic programs from 2019-23, where he was a strong advocate of interdisciplinary art and design education. Smith is a multifaceted visual artist and imaging researcher who explores intersections of life sciences and image-making at the Stamps School. Smith blends science and art, focusing on biotechnology’s societal impacts. His research includes visualization methods for cardiovascular development studies and protocols for magnetic resonance microscopy. At the Stamps School, he was instrumental in launching the interdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts curriculum. He directed the graduate program in biomedical illustration at Michigan Medicine.
Debra A. Thompson, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and professor of biological chemistry, Medical School, Dec. 31, 2024. Thompson received her B.S. in chemistry in 1974 and secondary education certificate in 1976 from Western Michigan University. She received her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1984 from Michigan State University. From 1984-89, she pursued postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying the biochemistry of photoreceptor cells in the mammalian retina. In 1990, she joined U-M as a visiting assistant research scientist, then as assistant professor of ophthalmology and of biological chemistry. She was promoted to associate professor in 1998 and to professor in 2005. Thompson is internationally recognized for her research on the molecular mechanisms of inherited retinal diseases, particularly those impacting vitamin A metabolism and the function of the photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelium. She also explored the use of novel therapeutics, demonstrating preclinical proof-of-concept for gene-replacement therapy for early-onset retinal degeneration. Her work was funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health, foundations and industry, and was published in 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles as well as book chapters and abstracts, and benefited greatly from interactions with colleagues and trainees.
Valerie Traub, Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor, Adrienne Rich Distinguished University Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies, professor of English language and literature, and professor of women’s and gender studies, LSA, Dec. 31, 2024. Traub received her B.A. degree in American studies and women’s studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1982 and her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1990. She was appointed assistant professor of English at Vanderbilt University in 1989 and associate professor in 1994. Traub joined U-M in 1996 as an associate professor and was promoted to professor in 2001. She chaired the Department of Women’s Studies from 2003-09 and again in 2019. She was graduate chair for both the Department of English from 1998-2001 and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies in 2020. Traub’s work in early modern studies, with special expertise in queer and gender studies, has had a profound impact on the theorization of personhood and sexuality in scholarship devoted to Europe in the years 1500-1700. Traub received a Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in 2010, served on the Michigan Society of Fellows from 2001-04, and received a Michigan Humanities Award in 2023.
Danielle Kim Turgeon, clinical professor on internal medicine, Medical School, Jan. 2, 2025. Turgeon received her M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York, in 1984. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital and a clinical fellowship in gastroenterology at the U-M Health System. Turgeon joined U-M as a lecturer in gastroenterology in 1990 and moved through several academic ranks to become clinical professor in 2015. She has held numerous administrative roles, including clinical educator at the Medical School from 2001-16, and has been the director of the GI Clinical Translational Research Laboratory since 2016. Turgeon has been the clinical track faculty ombuds at the Medical School since 2019. She continues to distinguish herself in her research, predominantly in cancer prevention and early detection within gastroenterology, focusing on Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer. Her work has significantly advanced understanding in the fields of colon cancer and hereditary cancer syndromes. She has published multiple book chapters, clinical trials, comparative studies, and more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals. She was recently awarded the 2023 and 2024 Gastroenterology Fellowship Faculty Teaching Award at U-M.
Donna M. Wicker, clinical assistant professor in ophthalmology and visual sciences, Medical School, Oct. 3, 2024. Wicker graduated from the State University of New York College of Optometry in 1987, following her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1983. In addition to her Michigan optometry license, Wicker is low-vision certified by the Michigan Optometric Association since 1991. She is co-chair of the MOA Low Vision Rehabilitation Committee. Wicker is also a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry since 1991. In addition, she completed the Clinical Investigator Course through the AAO in 2021. At U-M, she was staff optometrist from 1987-2000, lecturer from 1988-2002, clinical instructor from 2002-16, and clinical assistant professor from 2016-24. Wicker has published at least 14 articles relating to low vision and contact lens patient care, more than nine were peer-reviewed scientific research. Wicker has also provided low-vision-related lectures at professional state, national and international conferences, in addition to local community service talks. She has presented to community organizations roughly 33 times. She has been involved in resident teaching in both the classroom and clinic setting. She was also involved in medical student teaching.
Peter Yaman, clinical professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry, Jan. 1, 2025. Yaman received his D.D.S. degree from the School of Dentistry in 1971, and his M.S. degree in 1975. He joined U-M as an instructor in 1971, became clinical assistant professor in 1975 and was promoted to clinical professor in 1998. He directed the Graduate Restorative Program from 1988-2016. Yaman served for more than five decades at U-M with a commitment to dental education and has enhanced the reputation of the School of Dentistry at the local, state and international level with his focus on graduate education. He was instrumental in mentoring numerous predoctoral dental students. In 2018, Yaman was appointed director of Advanced Interdisciplinary Patient Care for the dental school, developing systems to improve management and treatment of multidisciplinary complex cases between postgraduate and predoctoral dental students, and facilitating relationships and protocols for improved patient care between graduate clinics. In 2022, Yaman received the Special Faculty Appreciation Award from the Michigan Section of the Pierre Fauchard Academy for outstanding contributions to the progress and standing of the dental profession. At U-M, Yaman served for three years on the Financial Affairs Advisory Committee, and as committee chair for one year.
— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
