Established in 2002, this award recognizes outstanding academic and creative achievements across a broad spectrum of scholarly and artistic fields. The award recipients are faculty members who consistently go above and beyond their teaching and professional duties to make extraordinary contributions to their respective fields.
Department of Chemistry
Professor of chemistry, Qing Lin, PhD, is lauded for his contributions to organic chemistry. Dr. Lin is a widely recognized leader in the field of bioorthogonal chemistry, with his methods being used as the basis of several international research programs. In 2019, Dr. Lin received the Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences. In addition, Dr. Lin’s research in physical organic chemistry and chemical biology has produced real-world applications in pharmacology. He is the founder of Transira Therapeutics, a successful spin-off company focused on advancing a therapy for diabetes.
Department of Psychology
Professor in the Department of Psychology, Sandra Murray, PhD, has excelled as a researcher while developing the university’s program in social and personality psychology. Dr. Murray has developed theoretical models of relationship dynamics that are credited with forming a cornerstone in social psychology and psychology more broadly. She has received nearly continuous funding support during her career at UB, including grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. She serves as the psychology department’s associate chair and former head of its social psychology area, providing valuable mentorship to students and collaborating extensively with colleagues.
Department of Medicine
Professor of medicine and Division Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Sanjay Sethi, MD, has made numerous seminal discoveries related to mechanisms of and susceptibility to exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), their treatment and prevention, and the microbiome of individuals with COPD. His work has fundamentally altered understanding of bacteria’s role in COPD and how the host responds to these pathogens. His research laboratory was the first to demonstrate that acute and chronic bacterial infection is a major contributor to COPD pathogenesis. Dr. Sethi is also deputy director of UB’s Clinical Translational Science Institute.
Department of Medicine
Professor of medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Andrew Talal, MD, MPH, is a thought leader and educator in the field of hepatology, achieving prominence as an authority on viral hepatitis. Utilizing novel approaches to engage substance use patients in care for viral hepatitis, Dr. Talal pioneered the use of telemedicine to treat hepatitis patients in opioid treatment programs. Dr. Talal is also a member of the Governor’s Task Force on the Elimination of Hepatitis C in New York State, and he is chair of the New York State Hepatitis C Telemedicine Workgroup.
Department of Pharmacy Practice
Professor of pharmacy practice and associate dean for clinical and translational science in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brian Tsuji, PharmD, researches novel approaches to combat antimicrobial resistance and rational strategies for antimicrobial dosing. Dr. Tsuji is the principal investigator on one of the largest RO1 grants at UB: a $4.4 million National Institutes of Health award to study novel strategies for polymyxin combinations against gram-negative superbugs. Dr. Tsuji has been instrumental in directing the establishment of the Master of Science degree program in Clinical and Translational Therapeutics and also leads the Clinical Research Program.
