The University of Vermont has named three new University Distinguished Professors: Jerold F. Lucey, Brooke T. Mossman, and Susan S. Wallace. The University Distinguished Professors program was founded in 2009 with the objective of recognizing and honoring UVM professors who, over an extended period of time, have attained an international reputation in the areas of teaching, research and scholarship, and service, and for that reason bring great distinction to their home institution.
Dr. Jerold F. Lucey is professor emeritus of pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics, UVM College of Medicine. He was chief of Newborn Services at Fletcher Allen Health Care from 1970 to 1990 and editor-in-chief of the prestigious journal Pediatrics for more than 30 years.
Lucey’s pediatric career spans more than 50 years at the University of Vermont. One of his nominators wrote, “in reflecting upon the criteria that warrants the title of University Distinguished Professor, Dr. Lucy meets those criteria as if he were hitting a home run with the bases loaded.”
Brooke T. Mossman is professor emerita of pathology and director of the Environmental Pathology Program in the College of Medicine. Mossman’s scientific contributions over the past 30 years have resulted in her international recognition as one of the world’s foremost authorities in the field of fiber carcinogenesis.
Mossman has provided an important and sustained body of work that continues to inform the world about asbestos. She remains the most widely cited researcher in the world on asbestos-related diseases.
Susan S. Wallace is professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the College of Medicine and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Wallace has made significant contributions to biomedical science and specifically the field of radiation research. Since her first publication in 1969, she has built a body of more than160 publications during a career that spans the genetic revolution as well as the exponential growth of radiation oncology as a field of scientific research.
Wallace has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1971. She recently received an NIH Program Project grant award to support a new translational research effort exploring if certain DNA repair protein variants in the human population increase the risk for some types of cancer.
University Distinguished Professors may use the title throughout their career 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.
