High honors for SPHHP faculty

Two SPHHP faculty members were named recipients of the 2024 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and the ongoing pursuit of excellence.

Clinical Associate Professor Janice Tona, PhD, OTR, received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, which honors those who consistently demonstrate superb teaching at the undergraduate, graduate or professional level.

Tona has four decades of experience as a registered occupational therapist and three decades of experience in academia. She is regarded for her “remarkable commitment to educate and mentor students through profound times of change and challenge.”

As director of the occupational therapy program, “her implementation of creative solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic preserved the continuity of students’ education and fieldwork, resulting in all class of 2021 occupational therapy students graduating that year.”

Tona is a collaborative educator who has fostered projects that include UB’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) program and micro-credential program. She has also collaborated with the School of Dental Medicine on providing dental care to people with disabilities, which has led to improved training for students in both fields.

This spring, Tona also was named to the Roster of Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association. The roster honor recognizes occupational therapists who, through their knowledge, expertise, leadership, and advocacy, have made a significant contribution to the profession.

Associate Professor Rachael Hageman Blair, PhD, received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, which recognizes sustained and “consistently superior service contributions of teaching faculty.”

Hageman Blair, a member of the UB community since 2011, is “an exemplary scholar and a passionate educator.” An expert in artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and data mining, Hageman Blair serves as co-director of UB’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

She is a nationally and internationally recognized biostatistician whose “unique skillset in high-demand topics makes her an incredibly sought-after scholar in the field.” In addition, Hageman High honors for SPHHP faculty Blair is widely regarded for her crossdisciplinary mentorship, guiding students from the Department of Biostatistics, as well as other departments within SPHHP and serves as associate director of education in UB’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Hageman Blair’s popularity among students is demonstrated by the fact that enrollment for Statistical Data Mining I and II, courses she has taught since 2012, has surpassed 600 students over the past three years—a number considered “unprecedented” in the history of the Department of Biostatistics.

Professor of Biostatistics Lili Tian, PhD, has been elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA). Tian received this award, according to ASA, for “key and significant contributions to statistical methodology for biomarker evaluation and biomarker combination, for leadership in statistical education and for exemplary service to the statistics profession.”

ASA is the second-oldest continuously operating professional association in the country, composed of the world’s largest community of statisticians. The distinction of ASA fellow is prestigious and based on the member's outstanding professional contributions, leadership and commitment to the field of statistical science. The title of ASA fellow is awarded to just one-third of the top 1% of ASA members, reflecting their outstanding contributions to statistical sciences.

"Dr. Tian is a recognized leader in the areas of biomarker evaluation and classification methods,” said Douglas Landsittel, PhD, chair of SPHHP’s Department of Biostatistics. “Her methodological work has contributed valuable extensions to popular statistical methods, which are essential for accurate evaluation of biomarkers and diagnostic tests across a greater range of applications. Many of her nearly 120 publications are published in highly ranked statistical journals.”

During her career, Tian has also focused on exact and computationally efficient statistical procedures for reliability and other important measures in applied fields including public health, cancer research, epidemiology and health policy studies. She has made significant contributions to statistical/biostatistical research, demonstrated by her many citations in scientific research journals as well as books and proceedings.

“A central theme in my research is the development of proper performance metrics and accurate classification methods for facilitating biomarker evaluation and disease diagnosis. These metrics and methods are vital in medical and biological research, especially in biomarker discovery and diagnostic studies, as well as in information theory and other related fields,” Tian explained.

James A. Lenker, PhD, OTR/L, ATP, RESNA Fellow, associate professor of rehabilitation science, will serve as president of the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA). Lenker previously served a four-year term as treasurer of RESNA, and this year is completing a two-year term as president-elect. His research interests include computer-based assistive technology, evaluation of accessible public transportation systems and usability testing to support development of new assistive technology products.

RESNA is the professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions.

RESNA advances the field by offering advanced certification for assistive technology (AT) professionals, continuing education, and professional development; and developing AT standards in areas ranging from transportation standards to accommodate wheelchair users to standards for accessible parks and recreation facilities. It also promotes research through publication of a peer-reviewed journal, Assistive Technology, now in its 35th year; public policy initiatives; and sponsored forums for idea exchange among its multidisciplinary membership.