Published May 5, 2011 This content is archived.
Three faculty in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences were among those honored at the seventh annual Celebration of Faculty and Staff Academic Excellence held April 21 in the Center for the Arts.
The ceremony, attended by more than 200 friends, family members and colleagues, recognized faculty and staff for outstanding achievement in scholarship, research and creative activity.
Those honored from our school were:
Leonard H. Epstein, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Social and Preventive Medicine, who was recognized for recently being designated a SUNY Distinguished Professor, the highest faculty rank in the SUNY system.
Mary Anne Rokitka, PhD, associate dean for biomedical undergraduate education, recently retired, who received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.
John M. Canty Jr., MD ’79, Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Chair in Cardiovascular Disease, who received the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.
UB President Satish K. Tripathi, PhD, lauded the honorees for their achievements, which he said are indicative of the university’s core mission.
“Over the years, this has become one of my favorite highlights of the academic year,” said Tripathi, who served as UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs before being appointed as the university’s 15th president earlier in the week. “For me, this ceremony is a wonderful reminder of what UB is all about and why I’m so proud to be part of this university. It is a celebration of everything we aspire to as an academic community.
“Through your discoveries, your ideas and your intellectual and creative contributions, you remind us of one of our most cherished beliefs as a public research university: the belief that knowledge can change the world,” he added.