The University Distinguished Professor Award is the highest academic honor that UVM can bestow upon a member of the faculty. Holders of this title are recognized as not only having achieved international eminence within their respective fields of study, but for the truly transformative nature of their contributions to the advancement of knowledge. These faculty members are considered top scholars who have excelled in their disciplines.
No more than five percent of full professors may hold an active appointment as a University Distinguished Professor at any one time. Faculty holders of this honor may use the title University Distinguished Professor until their retirement at the University of Vermont and wear a medal with their academic regalia signifying this distinction. They will also serve as an informal advisory body to the leadership of the university and receive an annual professional expense stipend to support their scholarly endeavors until retirement or separation from UVM.
Current Professors
MARY CUSHMAN, MD, MSC
University Distinguished Professor of Medicine,
and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
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"Mary Cushman, Professor of Medicine and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. You are an internationally prominent researcher whose scholarship has advanced our understanding of chronic disease and has resulted in improvements to both patient and community health. You research have been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for nearly 30 years. Known as a leader in scientific publishing, you have edited, contributed to, and created numerous journals, you were lauded for being in the top 1% of researchers in clinical medicine in 2018. Your current emphasis on studying the critical role of blood pressure in contributing to the disparity in stroke mortality affecting African-Americans demonstrates your ability to play a leadership role in multidisciplinary teams seeking to solve complex multidisciplinary problems. While leading transformational projects, you are, at the same time, an exemplary mentor to students at various levels of training, and to faculty members. Peers note your collegiality, collaboration, and generosity of spirit, along with an exceptionally creative and inquisitive mind, as being keys to the indelible mark you leave wherever you go.
Mary Cushman, I am honored to recognize your outstanding accomplishments as a scientist, policy maker, teacher, and inspiring mentor by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Vermont."
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 21, 2023
at the University's 222nd Commencement Ceremony
KIRK DOMBROWSKI, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology,
and Vice President for Research and Economic Development
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“Kirk Dombrowski, Professor of Anthropology and Vice President for Research and Economic Development. You are an extraordinarily productive scholar whose work has had a major impact on public health. Widely known in the field of anthropology, as well as fields such as arctic science and studies related to substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, you are noted as an innovative methodologist as well as an excellent ethnographer who engages with insightful questions. Your work stands out for its theoretical depth and practical application, and you are known as a scholarly altruist with an agenda of caring for the welfare of both academics and surrounding communities. Through your leadership, research at UVM has grown considerably; this accomplishment means that faculty scholarship is supported, students at all levels are engaged in exciting new opportunities, and our local, regional, and national communities are improved by the discoveries, programming, and services that we are now able to provide. Your past accomplishments are significant, but the potential for new research, scholarship, and change that you have brought about through your mentorship of junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and predoctoral and masters students is what will carry your work long into the future.
Kirk Dombrowski, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as a researcher, mentor, educator and leader by granting you the title of University Professor of Anthropology and Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of Vermont.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 19, 2024
at the University's 223rd Commencement Ceremony
LESLEY-ANN DUPIGNY-GIROUX, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Geography and Geosciences,
and Vermont State Climatologist
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“Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Professor of Geography and Geosciences and Vermont State Climatologist. You are a pioneer in climate education and literacy and a national leader in climate services and climate-related workforce development. By leading national policy conversations on the impacts of climate change on our communities, especially those that are poor and underserved, you make a critical difference in lives locally as well as globally. Within a transformative era for your field, you are highly respected as an outstanding scholar, instructor, and ambassador for diversity. Your passion carries you through roles as Vermont State Climatologist, president of the American Association of State Climatologists, and member of myriad evaluative and goal setting boards within the discipline. Through your work you have impacted your students and changed the world around you, your passion cutting across barriers that too often separate disciplines and populations, creating a more climate literate society. In addition to your scholarly portfolio, you dedicate yourself to your students; you have sought out and mentored under-represented students from middle school up through doctoral candidates, early career faculty, and women climatologists.
Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as a global ambassador for your field, eminent scholar, and dedicated teacher and mentor by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Geography and Geosciences and Vermont State Climatologist at the University of Vermont.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 19, 2024
at the University's 223rd Commencement Ceremony
TINA ESCAJA, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Romance Languages,
and Gender and Women's Studies
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"Tina Escaja, Professor of Romance Languages, and Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies. You are recognized as the foremost scholar of the works of Delmira Agustini, a Uruguayan poet from the early 20th century, and Ana Rosetti, a contemporary Spanish poet. The breadth of your pioneering research and trans-cultural scholarship, in several genres, is displayed in over one hundred works that include books, book chapters, journal articles, reviews, encyclopedic entries, anthologies, and artistic productions. You are internationally known for your creative and groundbreaking work that integrates poetry and technology—electronic literature—and for your digital exhibits at museums and galleries around the world.
Tina Escaja, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as a scholar in romance languages, as a poet, artistic collaborator, teacher and inspiring mentor to our students by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Romance Languages, and Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Vermont.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 19, 2019
at the University’s 218th Commencement Ceremony
NICHOLAS J. GOTELLI, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Biology,
and George H. Perkins Professor of Zoology
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“Nicholas J. Gotelli, George H. Perkins Professor of Zoology. You are a globally renowned ecologist, an inspiring educator, and a dedicated leader whose remarkable contributions have significantly transformed the field of community ecology. Since joining the University of Vermont in 1992, you have built a distinguished career defined by groundbreaking discoveries and transformative teaching. Your colleagues in the field consider you to be among the ranks of the finest Population and Community Ecologists worldwide, a scholar whose papers from the 1980s are still as impactful to peers as are your most recent works. With scholarly contributions that include 230 publications, including peer-reviewed articles and textbooks, your work has been cited over 58,000 times, establishing you as one of the most influential figures in modern biology. In 2020 you were named a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Most importantly is the crucial way in which you continue to impact the future, involving early career or less experienced colleagues in your work, encouraging, leading, and mentoring younger scholars and educators to step into positions of leadership themselves.
Nicholas J. Gotelli, I am honored to recognize your outstanding accomplishments as a scholar, scientist, teacher, and researcher by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of Vermont.”
—Interim Provost and Senior Vice President Linda S. Schadler
Read May 18, 2025
at the University's 224th Commencement Ceremony
STEPHEN T. HIGGINS, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry,
and Psychological Science
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"Stephen T. Higgins, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychological Science. Your overall scientific contributions to the development of contingency management and its potential for broad reach across health care challenges have changed your entire field. Through your work you have demonstrated one of the few recognized clinical interventions that truly works to reduce smoking, alcohol use, and a plethora of other human ailments. You have made substantial and unique contributions in training and preparing young scientists to pursue careers in the substance abuse field, and in supporting and enriching the careers of junior and senior colleagues. As leader of the Vermont Center for Behavior and Health, your contributions have been recognized and applied locally as well as in significant national and international contexts; there are few in the field more respected and more successful than you. You have left a unique imprint on your field, not only through your prolific research, but by being a generous mentor and dedicated teacher.
Stephen T. Higgins, I am honored to recognize your outstanding accomplishments as a scientist, teacher, and researcher by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Psychological Science at the University of Vermont."
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 21, 2023
at the University’s 222nd Commencement Ceremony
YVONNE M. W. JANSSEN-HEININGER, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
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“Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. You are a true UVM success story, having completed both graduate work and a postdoctoral fellowship at the university before embarking on your exemplary faculty career. The discoveries made in your UVM laboratory over the past three decades are central to our current mechanistic understanding of chronic lung diseases. You are an internationally recognized expert in Redox Biology for your many contributions to understanding how altered oxidative, anti-oxidative, and metabolic processes in the cell relate to the pathogenesis of lung disease. You are developing potential treatments in lung cancer and lung fibrosis aimed at cellular targets your research has identified. Quite significantly, you are a cherished mentor known for the exceptional quality and diversity of the graduate students and postdocs who work with you.
Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as an experimental pathologist and lung biologist, research leader, and dedicated teacher and mentor by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Vermont.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 22, 2022
at the University’s 221st Commencement Ceremony
BROOKE T. MOSSMAN, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Pathology
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"Dr. Brooke T. Mossman is Professor of Pathology and Director of the Environmental Pathology Program in the College of Medicine. Dr. Mossman is an accomplished scientist, mentor and leader in the field of asbestos-induced carcinogenesis.
Dr. Mossman’s scientific contributions over the past 30 years are numerous and sustained, resulting in international recognition as one of the world’s foremost authorities in the field of fiber carcinogenesis.
Dr. Mossman has provided an important and sustained body of work that continues to inform the world about asbestos. She historically remains the most widely cited researcher in the world on asbestos-related diseases.
Dr. Mossman’s nominators commented that it is difficult to imagine a scientist having more direct impact on the world’s understanding of asbestos-induced cancer, or one who has provided more service to the scientific community over the past 30 years.
Dr. Brooke Mossman stands as a stellar academician and world citizen and is most deserving of holding the title of UVM University Distinguished Professor.
Brooke T. Mossman, I am pleased to recognize you as University Distinguished Professor of Pathology.”
—Provost Jane E. Knodell
Read May 22, 2011
at the University’s 207th Commencement Ceremony
MARK T. NELSON, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology
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"Mark T. Nelson, University Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology. Professor Nelson, you are considered a superb scientist, an effective and admired professor and chair, and a remarkably supporting and nurturing mentor.
Your discoveries and characterizations of diverse channels, Ca2+ sparks and functional changes in vascular smooth muscle have changed the field and now inform all work in smooth muscle function that is published today.
Reviewers observe that the pace of building your research portfolio, with over 170 scientific publications and an astonishing number of those in the journals Science and Nature, appears to be even accelerating. As one reviewer summarized, “Mark T. Nelson is a remarkable and complete scientist of international renown. It is truly appropriate for the University to bestow upon him the title of University Distinguished Professor.”
Mark T. Nelson, I am pleased to recognize you as University Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology.”
—Provost John M. Hughes
Read May 17, 2009
at the University’s 205th Commencement Ceremony
GEORGE F. PINDER, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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"George F. Pinder, University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Professor Pinder you are an internationally recognized pioneer in the creation and use of computer models for solution of groundwater contamination problems.
Working at the nexus of groundwater hydrology and numerical mathematics, you were the first to recognize the power of this interdisciplinary approach to addressing the critical environmental issue of rehabilitating contaminated aquifers. Always at the forefront of pioneering efforts in groundwater modeling since your days as a graduate student; today you are universally recognized as one of the preeminent scholars of that discipline.
Throughout your career; you have received numerous national and international awards including Fellow of the American Geophysical Society in 1993, the Distinguished Member Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2012, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Environmental & Water Resources Institute in 2016. You were inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2010 – the only member of the University of Vermont faculty inducted in this prestigious academy.
You have held countless leadership positions, including President of the Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union and served as the founding Director of what is now the Environmental Engineering Program at Princeton University (recently named the number one Environmental Program in the US). From 1989 to 1996 you served as the Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Vermont.
In addition, you were also the founding editor of two prestigious journals – Advances in Water Resources and Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations.
You are a dedicated mentor and role model to countless faculty and students, and a visionary leader who has gained the unwavering admiration of your peers.
George F. Pinder, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as an engineer and mathematician, teacher and scholar, and a mentor and leader by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont.
—Provost and Senior Vice President David V. Rosowsky
Read May 21, 2017
at the University’s 216th Commencement Ceremony
PRAMODITA SHARMA, PHD
University Distinguished Professor,
and Schlesinger-Grossman Chair of Family Business
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“Pramodita Sharma, Professor and Schlesinger-Grossman Chair of Family Business. It is no exaggeration to state that you have not only led this field for more than a decade but also helped transform it into what it is today. Since joining the University of Vermont in 2011, your research has yielded more than 32,000 citations, adding more than 2,000 citations each year. Scholars around the globe seeking to learn about succession or family entrepreneurship will find themselves immersed in your research, including your eleven books, many of which are already considered to be classics in your field. You have had an immeasurable impact on the field of family business, shaping and elevating its standards of scholarship; due to your work, UVM is now viewed as a global epicenter of knowledge and leadership in this field. You have been honored with several international awards, including two prestigious lifetime achievement awards. Most importantly you are viewed as a natural leader who has the best interest of family business at heart, demonstrating how to make impactful differences in people’s lives.
Pramodita Sharma, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as an innovative scholar, research leader, and dedicated teacher and mentor by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor and Schlesinger-Grossman Chair of Family Business at the University of Vermont.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 19, 2024
at the University's 223rd Commencement Ceremony
GARY S. STEIN, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry,
and Surgery
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"Gary S. Stein, Professor of Biochemistry and Department Chair, and Professor of Surgery. You are internationally recognized for a vast number of leading-edge discoveries that established new paradigms in the fields of cancer and bone biology. Through transdisciplinary collaborative initiatives, you have addressed health and healthcare challenges encountered in underserved communities locally and internationally. Your work has led to advances in cancer biology and pathology, and has made a lasting impact by providing education and research experiences to students where opportunities were limited. By prioritizing collaboration and collegiality you have developed a network of colleagues across the globe who recognize your dedication and leadership in accelerating progress towards making cancer a preventable and treatable disease. In labs, classrooms, and beyond, you demonstrate a dedication to fairness and improving the human condition through working as part of a diverse group where curiosity and learning drive new discovery.
Gary S. Stein, I am honored to recognize your outstanding accomplishments as an educator, researcher, scientist, and leader by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Department Chair, and Professor of Surgery at the University of Vermont."
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 21, 2023
RUSSELL P. TRACY, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,
and Biochemistry
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"Russell P. Tracy, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Biochemistry. You have played a prominent role in elucidating hematologic aspects of cardiovascular disease. Your research through 34 years as a faculty member at UVM has resulted in major discoveries in the molecular, cellular, and genetic epidemiology of blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, and inflammation. Your more than 700 publications have been cited more than 110,000 times, numbers that placed you among the top 1 percent most highly cited researchers of 2018. For the period 1996 to 2011, you were recognized as one of the 400 most highly influential biomedical researchers.
You have served your profession with passion and dedication. Your commitment to UVM is equally impressive including, among many activities, ten years as Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academic Activities for the Larner College of Medicine.
Russell P. Tracy, I am honored to recognize your stellar accomplishments as a biomedical and clinical researcher, teacher and mentor by granting you the title of University Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Biochemistry at the University of Vermont.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Read May 19, 2019
at the University’s 218th Commencement Ceremony
DAVID M. WARSHAW, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
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Dr. Warshaw is a prominent leader in molecular motor research and the development of technologies in his discipline. As a basic scientist he has focused his research on muscle and cell motility making significant contributions to our understanding of the mechanics and regulation of smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. His peers describe him as being able to illuminate “the complexity of muscle mechanics” while communicating “complex concepts in ways students, physicians and scientists without his expertise can appreciate the elegance and the impact of his science.”
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Important Faculty Updates, May 17, 2021
JIANKE YANG, PHD
University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Statistics,
and Williams Professor of Mathematics
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Dr. Yang is a pioneer in the study of nonlinear optics in complex media waves, nonlinear photonics and parity-time optics. He has contributed to our understanding of the way light beams can be shaped and redirected through interactions with nonlinear materials. His work as an applied mathematician has been described by his peers as “crucial to the development of all-optical computing systems for image processing and parallel processing problems."
—Provost and Senior Vice President Patricia A. Prelock
Important Faculty Updates, May 17, 2021
Eligibility/Criteria
Nominees must hold a full-time faculty appointment at the University of Vermont at the rank of Full Professor and must have held faculty status at the University for a minimum of 10 years. Exceptions to this 10-year rule can be made to recruit and/or retain highly qualified faculty who meet all other UDP expectations. Current senior administrators at the level of deans, vice presidents, vice provosts, provosts, or presidents with underlying faculty appointments are only eligible for these awards once they return to a full-time faculty assignment.
Nomination Process
Any full-time UVM faculty member, Chairs and Deans may nominate any full-time member of the faculty for a University Distinguished Professor Award. Nominations are due by February 1st every year (if this date falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday), and must include the following:
- A nomination letter addressing the nominee’s unique qualifications for this distinguished title, with attention not only to his or her reputation and scholarly achievement but to the ways in which these contributions have proven transformative. Nominators are invited to respond to the question: “But for this individual, what would not have happened?” A strong nomination also speaks to the individual's adherence to Our Common Ground and commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion at UVM and in their profession.
- Two letters from external references addressing the points described in (a) above. These need not be at ‘arm’s length’ but must be from individuals of appropriately high standing in their respective fields. Solicitation of external references is to be handled by the nominator.
- The nominee’s current CV.
Please note that the nomination packet is restricted to the materials enumerated above. Additional materials will be returned to the nominator.
Nomination material should be submitted with the "University Distinguished Professor Award Nomination" as the file name no later than 11:59 PM on February 1st (if this date falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday).
Award Committee
Nominations will be reviewed by a committee of University Scholars and University Distinguished Professor Award recipients. The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs appoints the Chair of the Committee and its members. The Committee recommends candidates for the award to the Provost. The Provost makes the final decision regarding award recipient.
Award Review Committee 2023-2026
Review Committee Chair: Beth Kirkpatrick, Professor & Chair, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine; AY2021-2022 University Scholars Award recipient.
Review Committee Members:
- Tina Escaja, Professor, Department of Romance Languages & Linguistics, College of Arts & Sciences; AY2018-2019 University Distinguished Professor Award and AY2015-2016 University Scholars Award recipient
- Sylvie Doublié, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine; AY2014-2015 University Scholars Award recipient
- Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine; AY2021-2022 University Distinguished Professor Award and AY2018-2019 University Scholars Award recipient
- Holger Hoock, Professor, Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Dean, Graduate College
- Lokangaka Losambe, Professor, Department of English, College of Arts & Sciences; AY2014-2015 University Scholars Award recipient
- Kimberly Vannest, Professor & Chair, Department of Education, College of Education & Social Services; AY2021-2022 University Scholars Award recipient
- David Warshaw, Professor & Chair, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Larner College of Medicine; AY2020-2021 University Distinguished Professor Award and AY1999-2000 University Scholars Award recipient
- Asim Zia, Professor, Department of Community Development & Applied Economics, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences; AY2020-2021 University Scholars Award recipient
Selection Timeline
- December 1, annually: Call for nominations opens.
- February 1, annually: Nominations due. *(if February 1st falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday)
- February 1 - March 30: Nomination reviewed by Awards Committee.
- April 1 - Awards Committee submits list of finalists to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Jane Okech at Jokech@uvm.edu. Copy submissions to Jennifer Diaz (she/her) at Jennifer.Diaz@uvm.edu.
- May 1 - The Provost announces award recipient.
For more information, contact Jennifer Diaz (she/her) at Jennifer.Diaz@uvm.edu
Contact Information
Please contact the following individuals with any questions.
Jane E. Okech
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
304 Waterman Building
85 South Prospect Street
Burlington, VT 05405
Phone: 802 656-1481
Email: Jane.Okech@uvm.edu
Jennifer Diaz
Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
304 Waterman Building
85 South Prospect Street
Burlington, VT 05405
Phone: 802 656-8513
Email: Jennifer.Diaz@uvm.edu