PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Over the course of the Spring 2026 semester, Brown University faculty members were honored with a range of awards, appointments and accolades for outstanding research, service, leadership and mentorship. The scholars, whose fields range from medicine to sociology to Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, earned national and global recognition for their work. Among such distinctions are the following honors:
Dr. Eli Y. Adashi, a professor of medical science and dean emeritus of medicine and biological sciences at Brown, received an honorary doctor of public service degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, for his contributions in shaping modern reproductive medicine, women’s health and bioethics. Adashi also received an honorary degree from his alma mater, Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Dr. Edward Akelman, a professor of orthopaedic surgery and chair of the Warren Alpert Medical School’s orthopaedic department, received the 2025 Milton W. Hamolsky, M.D. Outstanding Physician of the Year Award from the Rhode Island Hospital Medical Staff Association, part of Brown University Health. The prestigious award recognizes physicians who demonstrate exceptional clinical skill, leadership, professionalism and dedication to the practice of medicine.
Christopher Cleveland, an assistant professor of education and education policy, was awarded a 2026 National Academy of Education NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship for his research project titled “Understanding Special Education at Scale.”
Professor of Sociology Prudence L. Carter received the Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service at the Teachers College, Columbia University, convocation ceremony in May. She was recognized for her research on educational inequalities and the root causes of academic disparities.
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Yu-Han Chiu received the Rising Star Award from the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research, which recognizes early- to mid-career investigators whose achievements and potential set them on a trajectory to become research leaders in reproductive, perinatal and pediatric epidemiology.
Mara Freilich, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, received a Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award from the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement for a project titled “Foraging in an Impaired Sensory Landscape: Using Sensory Biology to Inform Ecosystem Impacts of Hypoxia in Aquatic Environments.” The Scialog initiative was launched to spur novel research across disciplines into the complex processes behind neurobiological adaptation to stressors such as exposure to pollution, toxins and increasingly unpredictable environments.
Dr. Stephanie Graff, an associate professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School and director of breast oncology at Brown University Health Cancer Institute, was named an Advocacy Champion by the Association for Clinical Oncology. The distinction recognized her meaningful advocacy work in 2025 to ensure that every patient with cancer has access to high-quality care.
Amy Greenwald, a professor of computer science, won a 2026 Influential Paper Award from the International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, a nonprofit that promotes science and technology in the areas of artificial intelligence, autonomous agents and multiagent systems. She won the award for research connecting machine learning and game theory in multiagent environments.
Alvin Huang, an assistant professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry, was a winner of the 2025 National Institute on Aging Start-up Challenge for Acre Therapeutics, a company he co-founded with Brown postdoctoral research associate Ryan O’Rourke that aims to develop novel therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease using a precision medicine approach.
Professor of Economics Peter Hull was selected as an Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute 2026-27 visiting scholar and will conduct research while in residence at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Dr. Jeffrey Hunt, who is also the program director for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Brown University, received the2026 Agnes Purcell McGavin Award for Prevention from the American Psychiatric Association. The award, established in 1964, recognizes a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has made significant contributions to the prevention of mental disorders in children and adolescents and influenced the general well-being of young people
Chathuraka Jayasuriya, an associate professor of orthopaedics at the Warren Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital, received the IDeA Entrepreneur Award at the National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence in June. The award acknowledges the accomplishments of a researcher with the National Institutes of Health Institutional Development Award program who has shown innovation in the areas of entrepreneurship and/or commercialization.
Professor of International Economics Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan received a 2025 Review of Economic Studies' Excellence in Refereeing Award. She was selected for her contributions in providing the journal with multiple timely, constructive and insightful referee reports over the past year.
Dr. Adam Lewkowitz, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School and Women and Infants Hospital, received the IDeA Rising Star Award at the National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence in June. The award recognizes investigators who exemplify the ideals of research excellence and who have gained independent research success through the National Institutes of Health Institutional Development Award program.
Dr. Emily Miller, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of associate health services, policy and practice and of psychiatry and human behavior, received the MONA Medal for Research award from Marcé of North America. The medal is awarded every two years to an individual in recognition of groundbreaking research supporting the aims of the society.
Shanti Morell-Hart, an associate professor of anthropology and of archaeology and the ancient world, was named a 2026-27 Dumbarton Oaks research fellow in Pre-Columbian Studies. The fellowship encompasses research developed out of archaeological, art historical and ethno-historical approaches to the Pre-Columbian past in Mesoamerica, Central America and the Andes.
Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Dr. Steven Rasmussen received the Charles Reppucci Butler Hospital Service Award, which is presented annually to an outstanding individual for their support and advocacy on behalf of Butler Hospital.
Dr. Tanya Rogo, an associate professor of pediatrics, clinician educator, at the Warren Alpert Medical School, received the Art of Healing Award from the Harlem Fine Arts Show.
Lynn Rothschild, an adjunct professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry, and Jim Head, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences (research), received an honorable mention from the Aurelia Institute Prize in Design for Space Urbanism, a contest that evaluates concepts for near-future space stations, lunar habitats and autonomous industrial facilities. Their habitat concept, bioARK, uses algae reactors to manage heat while generating food, oxygen and biomass.
Dr. Steven Rougas, an associate professor of emergency medicine and of medical science and director of the doctoring program at the Warren Alpert Medical School, received the 2026 AAMC Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA) Distinguished Service and Leadership Award. This award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional and sustained leadership, service and contribution to the Association of American Medical Colleges NEGEA over an extended period of time.
Dov Sax, a professor of environment and society and of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, was one of three co-authors to receive the George Mercer Award for an Outstanding Paper by An Early-Career Researcher from the Ecological Society of America for their paper, “A species’ response to spatial climatic variation does not predict its response to climate change,” published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Mariah Stump, an assistant professor of medicine, clinician educator, at the Warren Alpert Medical School, was selected as a new fellow in the esteemed American Medical Women’s Association fellowship program. Stump, who is an attending physician with Brown University Health and an adjunct faculty member of the Mindfulness Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, was recognized for her commitment to the association and her career as an outstanding leader and accomplished physician.
Kimani Toussaint, a professor and senior associate dean for research and strategic initiatives at Brown’s School of Engineering, was named the International Society for Optics and Photonics’ 2026 awardee for diversity outreach. Toussaint is the seventh recipient of the annual award, which recognizes work promoting diversity in the education, training and participation of people in optics and photonics.
Dr. Audrey Tyrka, a professor and chair of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the State University of New York’s Purchase College. She graduated summa cum laude from Purchase College in 1988 with a degree in psychology.
Ryan Van Patten, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School, received the American Neuropsychiatric Association Sidney R. Baer Jr. Career Development Award, which recognizes a neuropsychiatry, behavioral neurology or neuropsychology advanced trainee or faculty member whose outstanding accomplishments offer promise of a successful career in neuropsychiatry and the clinical neurosciences.
Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a professor of data science and computer science (along with Brown computer science Ph.D. student Victor Ojewale) won a best paper award at the ACM Conference on AI and Agentic Systems for their paper, “What Benchmarks Don’t Measure: The Case for Evaluating Abstention Competence in Autonomous Agents.”