2025 SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Three SPHHP Colleagues

Michael J. LaMonte, research professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, which recognizes the work of those who engage actively in scholarly and creative pursuits beyond their teaching responsibilities. LaMonte is a prolific scholar, publishing 20 papers in 2024 alone, who “is widely considered a thought leader in his field for seminal contributions that have enhanced our understanding of the impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health and aging.”

A leading researcher in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), he has been principal investigator or co-investigator on more than $23 million in research grants since 2002. He is one of two PIs on a five-year, $1.7 million study examining measurements of physical activity in relation to healthy cardiovascular aging and resilience among women over the age of 80. The study has produced significant, novel scientific findings and, with LaMonte’s creative leadership, developed a new approach to programming one of the most commonly used activity-tracking devices that is now used as a standard in the field.

His research has resulted in an impressive H-index of 67, according to Google Scholar, and his 256 peer-reviewed publications have been cited more than 35,500 times, including 13 papers that have been cited more than 500 times each.

Additionally, LaMonte has published 18 book chapters and is an editor of an academic textbook on cardiac rehabilitation. One of LaMonte’s early-career publications was the first to show that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with less systemic inflammation. The paper was published in the journal Circulation, one of the premier cardiology journals.

More recently, he led one of the first publications showing device-measured light-intensity activities of daily living were associated with a lower risk of developing heart failure in older women, a study published in JAMA Cardiology.

LaMonte presents his research at national and international conferences, has won numerous awards and served in various journal editor capacities, including for the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition’s Research Digest.

Associate Dean for Strategy, Planning and Operations Michael Redfern received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service, which honors professional staff performance excellence “both within and beyond the position.” His colleagues praise him for his unwavering commitment to professional excellence and his exemplary contributions, not only within the parameters of his role but also in service of the advancement of the university.

Redfern earned both his master’s degree in higher education administration and his MBA from UB. He began his professional career at the university in 2003, serving 12 years in various roles within the School of Nursing before joining the School of Public Health and Health Professions in 2015 as an associate dean and chief operating and financial officer. In 2020, he was promoted to his current position.

Among his significant achievements are the development and implementation of four new academic programs that brought 850 new students to the public health school and generated an additional $5 million in tuition. Colleagues note Redfern’s “ability to translate vision into tangible outcomes that contribute to the growth and success of the university.”

While with the School of Nursing, Redfern spearheaded and managed the school’s first faculty workload database, working with faculty members to develop and deploy the school’s first academic continuous quality improvement (CQI) program, which systematically reviewed all academic programs. Additionally, he helped co-author and manage a $1.4 million training grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in support of the expanding undergraduate nursing enrollment and which established the school’s accelerated BS in nursing program.

Redfern is frequently asked to use his leadership and innovation talent to contribute to university-wide initiatives. For example, he co-chaired UB’s Budget Model Tuition Share Taskforce and Academic Instruction Program Model. He has also served as a member of the University Space Planning Committee, the Post-Baccalaureate Enrollment Strategies and Initiatives Committee, and the Enrollment and Resource Planning Committee. These efforts fostered collaboration across multiple departments, driving improvements in resource management and institutional planning.

Teresa Sikorski, department secretary in the Department of Biostatistics, received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service, which recognizes classified staff members who have consistently demonstrated superlative performance within and beyond their position. She has been a vital contributor to the Department of Biostatistics for more than 36 years, routinely handling responsibilities that support the educational and research mission of the department. The wide scope of her role includes reporting, procurement, scheduling and event support, and she is known for her initiative and creativity in problem-solving.

Sikorski is lauded by her department for her “longstanding institutional knowledge combined with her meticulous tracking and record-keeping of office tasks,” which “has made her an invaluable resource to the chair of the department, faculty and students.”

Her colleagues praise her breadth of expertise, which “significantly contributes to the efficiency of the department, and she shares suggestions for improving processes when challenges arise.”

“She often encounters complex situations that require her keen eye to identify both the problem and the solution, and she communicates effectively with all those involved to resolve the issue,” one colleague wrote in her nomination letter. “For more than three decades, Ms. Sikorski has lent her professional expertise to UB, greatly benefiting our university community.”  

Sikorski’s peers described her as “integral to cultivating a welcoming environment in the office and is often sought out by those in need of assistance or a listening ear.” Her commitment to helping others is also demonstrated by her committee work for the UB Employees Campaign for the Community, advancing faculty and staff participation in the campaign’s fundraising effort.