The Wayne State University School of Medicine administration and faculty celebrated the granting of tenure to six of its members and the promotion of others during the annual Promotion and Tenure Reception.
The event, produced by Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Virginia Delaney-Black, M.D., M.P.H., and the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, took place May 20 in the Margherio Family Conference Center.
"This is one of the most joyous ceremonies," said Jack D. Sobel, interim dean of the School of Medicine. "There is no question that this year we have a bumper crop (of promotions and tenure awards). We have one of the most successful promotion and tenure committees on the main campus … . This year we have more people being promoted and granted tenure than in years gone by. It's a tribute to your success, your ability to achieve grants, publish and your academic prowess that is so crucial to this institution. You are the life blood of this place."
Faculty awarded tenure during the ceremony include Hayley Thompson, Ph.D., Oncology; Phillip Levy, M.D., M.P.H., Emergency Medicine; Alana Conti, Ph.D., Neurological Surgery; Zhengqing Hu, M.D., Ph.D., Otolaryngology; Sokol Todi, Ph.D., Pharmacology and Neurology; and Zhe Yang, Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
"Receiving tenure is an incredible affirmation of the value that the university places on my contributions to the scientific community," said Dr. Levy, who has been a faculty member for 13 years. "It represents trust and faith in who I am as an academician and mentor, while signifying an expectation that I will continue to impact my chosen field of cardiovascular research. I am humbled and honored by this recognition and look forward to producing high-quality work for years to come under the WSU banner."
Dr. Todi has been a faculty member for four and one-half years. "To me, achieving tenure means that my peers see significant value to my contributions to the university, the immediate community and to the scientific community more generally," he said. "It also means that I will need to work even harder to justify this great achievement."
Dr. Yang, an eight-year member of the faculty, said tenure means "I can completely concentrate on research, teaching and service, and explore new ideas."
Faculty promoted to the rank of professor include:
Robert Akins, Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Eishi Asano, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatrics and Neurology
Donald DeGracia, Ph.D., Physiology
Hong-Qiang Heng, Ph.D., Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and Pathology
Ikuko Kato, M.D., Ph.D., Oncology and Pathology
Thomas Kocarek, Ph.D., Pharmacology and the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Ladislau Kovari, Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Phillip Levy, M.D., M.P.H., Emergency Medicine
Jeffrey Zonder, M.D., Oncology
Steven Ondersma, Ph.D., Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute
Kaladhar Reddy, Ph.D., Pathology
Malathy Shekhar, Ph.D., Oncology and Pathology
Gen Sheng Wu, Ph.D., Oncology and Pathology
Bret Hughes, M.D., Ophthalmology
Chokechai Rongkavilit, M.D., Pediatrics
Elizabeth Secord, M.D., Pediatrics
Lami Yeo, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology
Indrin Chetty, Ph.D., Oncology
Faculty promoted to the rank of associate professor include:
Alana Conti, Ph.D., Neurological Surgery
Alan Dombkowski, Ph.D., Pediatrics
Zhengqing Hu, M.D., Ph.D., Otolaryngology
Thomas Sanderson, Ph.D., Emergency Medicine
Sokol Todi, Ph.D., Pharmacology and Neurology
Zhe Yang, Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Brian Ference, M.D., M.Phil., M.Sc., F.A.C.C., Internal Medicine
Jorge Lua, M.D., Pediatrics
Mary Morreale, M.D., Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
Ali Gabali, M.D., Ph.D., Pathology
Sandra Narayanan, M.D., Neurological Surgery and Neurology
Radhakrishnan Ramchandren, M.D., Oncology
Abdulghani Sankri, M.D., Ph.D., Internal Medicine
Nicholas Szerlip, M.D., Neurological Surgery
Angela Trepanier, M.S., C.G.C., Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics
Zhihong Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatrics
Giancarlo Zuliani, M.D., Otolaryngology
Krishnarao Maddipati, Ph.D., Pathology
Bo Wang, Ph.D., Pediatrics
Doina David, M.D., Pathology
Dongping Shi, M.D., Pathology