URochester faculty members have received national honors from professional and scholarly organizations.
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University of Rochester 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, we’re spotlighting their many and varied achievements.
URochester faculty members receive ACLS Fellowships
The American Council of Learned Societies has named Molly Ball, assistant professor of history and director of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies program, and Jordan Ealey, assistant professor of Black Studies, 2026 ACLS Fellows.
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 “Pushing Past GDP Per Capita: Brazilian Maternal Health 1915–75.” It examines and compares maternal health and childbirth from 1915 to 1975 for urban and interior spaces in three Brazilian states: São Paulo, Bahia, and Goiás. Learn more about Ball’s research on her website.
Ealey received the ACLS Fellowship for the project titled “Dissonant Dramaturgy: Black Women’s Music-Theatre and the Politics of Possibility.” The project examines Black women’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
Meagan Driver, an assistant professor in teaching and curriculum at the Warner School of Education & Human Development, 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 Ehsan Hoque from the Department of Computer Science was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.
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 education” 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 “for pioneering scalable, ethical AI technologies that improve neurological care, social communication, and health equity across clinical and global contexts.” 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
Susana Marcos, the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science, the Nicholas George Professor in Optics, and a professor of ophthalmology at URochester, was the scientific coordinating author of a paper that received the 2025 Obstbaum Award for the best original article published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
The study reports 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. Scott MacRae, director of refractive services in the Department of Ophthalmology at URochester, is a coauthor. The award was presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 12, in Washington DC.
Eric Phizicky honored with RNA Society’s Outstanding Service Award
Eric Phizicky, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics, was recognized for his exceptional dedication and significant contributions to the RNA Society, particularly in the development and modernization of its flagship journal, RNA.
An internationally recognized researcher in tRNA biology, Phizicky has served the organization in numerous committee roles and by organizing annual meetings. Read more about the award.
Wilfred Pigeon selected for Research Mentor Award
Wilfred Pigeon, a professor of psychiatry and of public health sciences, was recently selected for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’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 Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Lab at URochester Medicine. 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 Prager’s research on work requirements lands Best Paper Award
Elena Prager, an assistant professor of economics at Simon Business School, has received the Best Paper Award from the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. 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, “Employed in a SNAP? The Impact of Work Requirements on Program Participation and Labor Supply.” 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 CRESSE Best Young Research Paper Award for a coauthored paper and is a contributing faculty member to Simon’s Business and Policy Initiative. 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
Tricia Shalka, an associate professor of higher education at URochester’s Warner School of Education & Human Development, has been named a 2026 Diamond Honoree by the ACPA–College Student Educators International. 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, Shalka’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. Read more about Shalka and her research.
