UToledo Recognizes Distinguished Faculty Members with Highest Permanent Honor

Three accomplished University of Toledo faculty members have achieved the rank of Distinguished University Professor and one was named Distinguished University Lecturer in recognition of their exemplary achievements in teaching, research, scholarship and professional service.

The UToledo Board of Trustees approved the recognition - the highest permanent honor The University of Toledo can bestow on a faculty member - at its March meeting today.

Those named Distinguished University Professor are:

• Peter Andreana, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Green Chemistry and Engineering, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics;

• Rupali Chandar, Ph.D., Associate Chair and Distinguished University Professor, Helen Luedtke Brooks Endowed Professor of Astronomy, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and

• Stanislaw (Stan) Stepkowski, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.Sc., Distinguished University Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, joint appointment, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

"The Distinguished University Professor title stands as one of our most esteemed honors, recognizing the remarkable national and international impact these faculty members have made through their research and scholarship," said Dr. Mitchell S. McKinney, UToledo provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

"The groundbreaking work of UToledo scholars like Dr. Andreana, Dr. Chandar and Dr. Stepkowski has been instrumental in UToledo's status as the region's only Carnegie R1 Very High Research Activity designation. Their scholarly endeavors have also been transformative in their respective fields. We are truly proud to celebrate their achievements and deeply thankful for their dedication and the distinction they continue to bring to our institution."

The faculty member recognized as Distinguished University Lecturer is:

• Kristen Geaman, Ph.D., Distinguished University Lecturer, Department of History, Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education.

The title of Distinguished University Lecturer recognizes educators of distinction who advance student learning, facilitate and support student success, and demonstrate a commitment to the University's educational mission.

"The Distinguished University Lecturer designation celebrates dedicated educators who exemplify what it means to truly invest in student growth and success," McKinney said. "Dr. Geaman has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to her students and brings a rare depth of knowledge and enthusiasm to every aspect of her teaching.

About the Distinguished Faculty Honorees

Dr. Peter Andreana, an internationally renowned scholar in the field of carbohydrate chemistry, joined the UToledo faculty in 2012. He is a recognized leader in carbohydrate-based vaccine design for infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapies and in the development of chemical technologies for detecting DNA damage and accessing medically relevant carbohydrate targets.

Andreana's record of continuous external research support is approaching $5 million over his career and reflects sustained success in highly competitive federal programs, including a $1.7 million multiyear NIH R01 award for synthetic carbohydrate vaccine development. His recent NIH R21 award for Alzheimer's research was highlighted by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, UToledo News and local media.

Google Scholar has documented more than 3,100 career citations, placing Andreana among the most widely cited synthetic carbohydrate chemists. His publication portfolio includes multiple book chapters, a royalty-generating patent and more than 60 peer-reviewed articles in authoritative journals.

He received the American Chemical Society (ACS) New Investigator Award in 2010 and the 2023 ACS Wolfrom Award, a prestigious recognition for career achievement bestowed on only one scientist per year nationwide.

Andreana received his bachelor's degree from Brock University, a doctorate from Wayne State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University.

"I have had the fortune of training both in Canada and the United States, homes to many eminent scientists and educators. In my pursuit of science, I was inspired by their legacy," Andreana said. "I view science as a frameless adventure where participation is all-encompassing, and it can shape the best in humanity."

Andreana called the Distinguished University Professor honor, "truly humbling" and said, "Every day at The University of Toledo, I'm reminded that I am amongst true giants in numerous fields of study and yet I simply remain one faculty member among so many extraordinary colleagues, remarkable students and dedicated staff."

Dr. Rupali Chandar, who leads a world-class research program studying star clusters and star formation in other galaxies, joined the faculty at The University of Toledo in 2007. She currently serves as Associate Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Helen Luedtke Brooks Endowed Professor of Astronomy.

Her research uses observational astronomy measurements obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and other facilities to better understand how galaxies like our own evolve and the cycle of matter within galaxies, including star (and star cluster) birth and death.

Since arriving at UToledo, Chandar has published more than 150 papers, achieving an impressive h-index (assessment of research productivity) of 49 and accruing more than 7,400 citations for her work, placing her body of scholarship in the top 10 % of all astronomers.

She has secured 38 funded projects as principal investigator and over 40 as co-principal investigator, amounting to $3.1 million in direct funding and hundreds of hours of observational time supported by the National Science Foundation, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra Space Telescope and numerous ground-based observatory missions.

Chandar has mentored seven postdoctoral students, 10 graduate students and more than 30 undergraduate and high school students, many of whom are co-authors on peer-reviewed publications and have gone on to obtain faculty positions of their own.

Chandar received her bachelor's degree from Haverford College and her master's and doctorate degrees from Johns Hopkins University. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at the STScI and Carnegie Observatories before joining The University of Toledo.

"To be recognized as a Distinguished University Professor for doing work that I love is humbling and gratifying," Chandar said. "I feel very lucky to study the universe for a living, and that every day I get to work with amazingly supportive colleagues and hard-working students at The University of Toledo. I've grown and learned a huge amount because of the opportunities provided by the University and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and am grateful to my collaborators who always make science fun."

Dr. Stanislaw (Stan) Stepkowski, regarded as one of the best tissue transplantation scientists of his generation, joined the faculty at The University of Toledo's Department of Immunology and Microbiology in 2008 and the Department of Surgery in 2009.

He is an international expert in understanding mechanisms underlying immune system responses to and minimizing immune system rejection of allografts or transplanted tissues.

In addition, Stepkowski is an extremely skilled microsurgeon, having worked under the tutelage Dr. Sun Lee, who created basic techniques of organ transplantation models in rodents. Most recently, he collaborated with Dr. Rajesh Gupta, an interventional cardiologist, to develop a modified technique of cardiopulmonary bypass in rats that serves as the basis for a pending NIH grant application.

Stepkowski contributed to the preclinical development of principle immunosuppressive compounds, including cyclosporine and rapamycin. The combination allowed for reduced concentrations and doses of these two drugs, eliminating nephrotoxicity produced by cyclosporine. The concept of two-drug therapy with different mechanisms of action remains a principle in clinical therapy.

Among his many other contributions to transplantation science, Stepkowski's long-lasting collaboration with Dr. Micheal Rees at The University of Toledo College of Medicine promoted new concepts of live donor kidney transplantation by organizing kidney exchanges among willing donors and incompatible recipients.

"I have been very lucky to meet outstanding mentors, like Dr. Barry Kahan and others, who taught me how to develop my talent and accomplish more than I could even imagine," Stepkowski said. "The University of Toledo allowed me to expand my research into long collaborations with outstanding clinicians, Drs. Michael Rees and Obi Ekwenna."

Stepkowski has published 225 papers, acquiring 4500 citations in high-impact journals and was awarded numerous grants from NIH, industry and private foundations totaling more than $30 million. He has also been awarded three patents for his discoveries. He serves as editor-in-chief, associate editor or editorial board member of several journals in his field.

Additionally, he has supervised the dissertation research of more than 30 Ph.D. students and trained a similar number of postdoctoral fellows, with a number of his trainees forging illustrious careers of their own.

Stepkowski received his D.V.M. from the University of Warsaw, and a Ph.D. and D.Sc. in Immunology from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland.

Dr. Kristen Geaman, an expert in medieval Europe, joined The University of Toledo in 2014 and earned the Innovations in Teaching Award from the University Teaching Center in 2016 and an Outstanding Contribution to University Scholarship award in 2018.

She has published two books, edited a third, published several articles and reviews and has presented her scholarship at numerous conferences. Her book "Anne of Bohemia" received a high commendation from the Royal Studies Journal Book Prize.

Geaman is a member of the Ohio Department of Higher Education Social and Behavioral Sciences committee that evaluates courses for inclusion in the State of Ohio's general education transfer module. She has developed activities and learning outcomes for World History textbooks published by Oxford University Press, supports the Routledge Press History of Monarchy companion website and helps the Royal Studies Journal develop their blog.

Geaman is known for creativity in the classroom, incorporating role-playing games and graphic novels into her history lessons. She consistently receives excellent student evaluations, is noted for caring deeply about her students and demonstrates great enthusiasm for her subject matter - essential for success in the classroom.

She emphasizes to her students that "history is an argument. It is not a set of names and dates to remember, but the process of sifting through the past and shaping the fragments left behind into a coherent, meaningful narrative. Since there are gaps in the sources, history is always subject to reinterpretation as we find new sources, new questions and new perspectives."

Geaman holds a B.A. in history from the University of Delaware and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Southern California.

"I am deeply humbled and extremely grateful to all my students over the years whose intellectual curiosity and willingness to try new things have allowed me to develop my teaching skills," Geaman said. "I came to The University of Toledo with only experience as a teaching assistant, so the students and faculty here have massively shaped who I am as an educator."

"A heartfelt thank you to my department, my students and the UToledo community for this recognition," she added. "I'm touched by this acknowledgment of the importance of historical education and creative techniques in the classroom."

The duration of the appointment as a Distinguished University Professor or Distinguished University Lecturer is unlimited and the title may be retained even after a faculty member has retired from the University.

Headshots of the 3 just-named Distinguished University Professors: Dr. Rupali Chandar, Dr. Peter Andreana and Dr. Stanislaw (Stan) Stepkowski.