University of Rochester faculty members have received recognition from professional and scholarly organizations.
Share your updates
Know of a faculty member receiving an award or honor? Contact us so we can help share the news.
University of Rochester 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’re spotlighting their accomplishments.
Heather Busick chosen as Informatics Physician Leader of the Year
Heather Busick, an assistant professor of emergency medicine and internal medicine, was awarded the 2025 PINA Informatics Physician Leader of the Year Award.
This distinction from Physicians in AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) recognizes a physician who demonstrates the practical application of informatics through successes in implementations of technology, leading modernization efforts, change management, governance of data, quality, and technology, and/or advancing their organization’s strategic position in the healthcare industry using informatics skills.
Benjamín Castañeda receives Peruvian award for technological innovation
Professor Benjamín Castañeda from the Department of Biomedical Engineering was recognized in July with an award by the Peruvian government for technological innovation. On July 2, the nation’s first-ever Day of the Peruvian Inventor and Scientist, Castañeda and several other previous winners of the National Invention Competition were honored by el Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (Indecopi), Peru’s governmental office that oversees intellectual property and consumer defense.
Specifically, Castañeda was praised for his leadership in designing and manufacturing hundreds of mechanical ventilators to support critically ill patients in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Daniel Gildea receives Test of Time Paper Award
The Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) selected a paper by Professor Daniel Gildea from the Department of Computer Science for its 25-year Test of Time Paper Award. Gildea’s 2000 paper, “Automatic Labeling of Semantic Roles,” was published in Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. The ACL called it “a foundational paper that paved the way for semantic role labeling and beyond.”
Each year, ACL selects up to two papers published 25 years earlier, and up to two papers published 10 years earlier, for contributions that have had a “long-lasting impact on the field of natural language processing and computational linguistics.” Gildea’s research focuses on studying statistical approaches to natural language processing, particularly for the tasks of machine translation and language understanding.
SMBE recognizes Amanda Larracuente
Amanda Larracuente, the Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor of Biology, was named this year’s recipient of the Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution Mid-Career Excellence Award, a prestigious honor given to mid-career scientists who are recognized leaders in the field.
Larracuente’s lab integrates genomic, cytological, and molecular approaches to study selfish DNA and its impact on genome evolution. Larracuente also advises the undergraduate program in Computational Biology and codirects the Genomic Intensive Data Science Research, Education, and Mentorship program.
Michael Rotondo joins ABS Board of Directors
Michael Rotondo, a professor of surgery and CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group, has been appointed to the American Board of Surgery’s board of directors.
ABS is the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists. Rotondo’s three-year term began July 1.
Rotondo’s research focuses on trauma management strategies, and his work on damage control surgery has redefined the standard of care around the world.
Melissa Sturge-Apple named APA fellow
Melissa Sturge-Apple, interim dean of the Warner School of Education and Human Development, has been named a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. The honor recognizes Sturge-Apple’s significant research contributions to the field of psychology.
Sturge-Apple is a longtime faculty member in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences and a researcher at the Mt. Hope Family Center. Her research centers on parenting and child development, with a particular focus on families experiencing adversity.
