Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost C. Cybele Raver and Faculty Senate Chair Alissa Hare, who is assistant dean of the College of Arts and Science, presented awards at this year’s Fall Faculty Assembly to 10 faculty members who have made significant contributions through their scholarship, research or creative expression.
The Chancellor’s Award for Research recognizes excellence in works of research, scholarship or creative expression published or presented in the past three calendar years.
Jason Grissom, professor of leadership, policy and organizations, was honored for his work on “How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research.” The report expands on previous research to explore the role and effect of principals in our nation’s schools. Grissom’s work concludes that principals influence student achievement, student attendance, teacher satisfaction and teacher retention to a greater degree than was previously thought. His research also demonstrates that more time and resources should be put into developing and supporting high-quality principals. “Jason’s work confirms the vital role that principals play in the success of our schools and demonstrates that investing in effective leadership by principals will have a big payoff for students and teachers,” Diermeier said.
Maria Hadjifrangiskou, associate professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology, was honored for her work on an article published in Nature Microbiology titled “Uropathogenic Escherichia coli subverts mitochondrial metabolism to enable intracellular bacterial pathogenesis in urinary tract infection.” The study examines the specific role of the bacteria that are the primary cause of urinary tract infections and is part of Hadjifrangiskou’s pioneering research on the microbial DNA within the urinary tract. “Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections,” Diermeier said. “They place a significant and ongoing clinical and economic burden on health care systems globally, and they affect patients’ quality of life.” Hadjifrangiskou’s work will make a difference for patients and health care providers, Diermeier noted.
Ari Joskowicz, professor of Jewish studies, was honored for his book, Rain of Ash: Roma, Jews, and the Holocaust. Joskowicz’s book explores the parallel and intertwined experiences of Jews and Roma people during the Holocaust, a topic that has been largely overlooked. It challenges the notion of comparing genocides and instead focuses on how Jewish and Roma histories and memories have become interconnected in complex ways. The work offers new perspectives on historical memory and justice for genocide victims. Praised by scholars and reviewers for its analytical depth and originality, the book makes groundbreaking contributions to Holocaust studies. The book has won the Ernst Fraenkel Prize and was a finalist for the Jewish National Book Award in the Holocaust category.
Akshya Saxena, assistant professor of English, was honored for her book, Vernacular English: Reading the Anglophone in Postcolonial India, which has made significant and original contributions to postcolonial literary studies. In her book, Saxena challenges conventional views of the English language in India, arguing for its role as a language of the people, instead of a language of imperial coercion. It also addresses India’s caste-divided social order and explores English as a vernacular language used for political protest and empowerment, particularly by lower caste and minority groups. The book has garnered recognition across three continents and won MLA First Book Prize and was a finalist for the ASAP Book Prize from the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present.
Alissa Weaver, professor of cell and developmental biology, was honored for her work on a paper published in Developmental Cell titled “VAP-A and its binding partner CERT drive biogenesis of RNA-containing extracellular vesicles at ER membrane contact sites.” Weaver’s lab studies extracellular vesicles—small vesicles released from cells that transport cargoes, such as proteins and lipids, that can interact with recipient cells. The significance of Weaver’s work lies in its contribution to understanding how RNA is packaged into EVs. This knowledge is crucial for advancing EV-based therapies, such as anti-cancer therapeutics, and the paper’s impact on the scientific community is evidenced by its numerous citations and the Star Award presented to Weaver from the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
Three faculty members received the Chancellor’s Award for Research on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, which recognizes excellence in research, scholarship or creative expression that specifically advances understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Tara McKay, associate professor of medicine, health and society, was honored for her work on an article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine titled “Association of Affirming Care with Chronic Disease and Preventive Care Outcomes among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Older Adults.” McKay’s work focuses on the mental and physical health needs of sexual minority persons, and on the resources and social conditions to remediate their marginalized status. The article is the first piece from the Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study and assesses the quality of screening and care received by older LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. South. It takes into consideration their access to affirming care providers and demonstrates that without inclusive and affirming care, health disparities persist. This research—which is policy relevant, action-oriented and guided by theoretical depth—contributes significantly to the field of LGBTQ+ health.
Jonathan Mosley, professor of medicine, and Scott Borinstein, professor of pediatrics, were jointly honored for their work detailed in an article titled “Association Between a Common, Benign Genotype and Unnecessary Bone Marrow Biopsies Among African American Patients,” published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research examines a common genotype that is prevalent in 60 percent to 65 percent of African Americans and causes benign variations in white blood cell counts that are often misinterpreted as a sign of disease. This leads to medical actions that are not appropriate for the patient, such as changes in medications, increased diagnostic testing and exclusion from clinical trials. According to Mosley and Borinstein’s research, it also tends to result in bone marrow biopsies that rarely reveal any underlying disease. This study suggests that genotyping could prevent this kind of unnecessary invasive procedure and improve clinical care for African American patients.
The Thomas Jefferson Award honors a faculty member for distinguished service to Vanderbilt through extraordinary contributions as a member of the faculty in the councils and government of the university. This year’s honoree is Joyce Johnson, professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology.
Johnson has dedicated more than 30 years to Vanderbilt, earning her medical degree on campus, training at Vanderbilt Hospital, and joining the Vanderbilt Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology as a faculty member in 1992. Throughout her career, Johnson has been actively involved in the councils and government of the university, serving four terms on the Faculty Senate, including leadership roles. In the medical school, Johnson participated in self-studies for reaccreditation and co-chaired curriculum revision teams. She’s also served on admissions, promotion and leadership development committees, and was a founding member of the School of Medicine’s Academy for Excellence in Education, while simultaneously continuing her vital work as a nationally renowned pathologist specializing in lung diseases.
The Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research, Vanderbilt’s most prestigious faculty honor for achievement in research, was presented to Lorrie Moore, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English.
Moore’s work stems from research into the human soul, the stages of life and its emotions. The findings of her research are on the pages of her fiction, and she is often described as one of the best American writers of her generation. She is best known for her short stories, and a volume of her collected short fiction was published in 2020—a rare achievement for a living author. Her latest novel, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, won the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the U.S. She has also been awarded a Pushcart Prize, the O. Henry Prize and support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.
