VCU honors seven with 2026 Distinguished Faculty Awards

By Office of the Provost

Virginia Commonwealth University has announced seven recipients of the annual Distinguished Faculty Awards, which recognize achievement in teaching, scholarship, service and overall excellence.

"This year's Distinguished Faculty Award winners have not just distinguished themselves in teaching, scholarship and service - they have shown what excellence means at a major research university," said Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., VCU executive vice president and provost. "Through their mentorship and innovation, our faculty winners continue to inspire the next generation of leaders and scholars across our campus."

The honorees will be recognized at the VCU Faculty Recognition Gala on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Jefferson Hotel. (In prior years, Distinguished Faculty Awards winners were recognized at the universitywide Faculty Convocation. In an effort to prioritize high-impact engagement and respect faculty time during the busy start of the academic year, the university will no longer hold that event.)

Here are this year's recipients of VCU's Distinguished Faculty Awards.

University Award of Excellence

Richard Sterling, M.D., School of Medicine

Richard Sterling, M.D.

As associate chair for research for the Department of Internal Medicine and chief of hepatology, Sterling has helped transform how clinicians worldwide assess liver fibrosis. This disease, a buildup of scar tissue after repeated or long-term injury, affects more than 1 in 9 U.S. adults. Many Americans don't know they have liver fibrosis, as it can progress silently for years, or even decades, with few symptoms.

Sterling led the groundbreaking development of the Fibrosis-4 Index, a formula used to help estimate the probability of advanced liver fibrosis. FIB-4 can be calculated from information found in routine blood tests. Prior to the formula, a liver biopsy, which is invasive and potentially risky, was required to identify patients likely to have advanced fibrosis.

While FIB-4 was originally developed for patients with HIV or hepatitis infections, the formula is now one of the most widely used and inexpensive tools to assess many other liver diseases. Millions of patients have benefited from FIB-4, and it is considered one of the most important advances in non-invasive liver disease assessment.

Through his leadership, Sterling has helped build the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health into an integrated center for advancing research, education and clinical care for liver and metabolic disease. Alongside his colleagues, he has helped grow VCU's hepatology program into one of the leading liver centers in the United States, with the VCU Liver Transplant Program performing approximately 200 transplants each year.

"Over more than three decades at VCU, Dr. Sterling has established himself as an internationally respected physician-scientist, visionary academic leader and transformational educator whose work has advanced the university's mission and significantly improved the lives of patients worldwide," said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.

University Distinguished Scholarship Award

Hermine H. Maes, Ph.D., School of Medicine

Hermine H. Maes, Ph.D.

For more than three decades, Maes has led advances to understanding of the genetic and environmental influences underlying human behavior and health. Through twin and family study designs, her research disentangles the complex interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental influences that shape behaviors. She has helped improve the way scientists study genetics, developing and teaching statistical methods used by researchers around the world

Maes has made major contributions to the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development, one of the longest-running and most influential twin registries in the world. This study has tracked approximately 2,800 twins from adolescence into young adulthood, enabling groundbreaking insights into the origins of substance use, psychiatric disorders and related behavioral traits.

As associate director of mentoring for the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Maes has demonstrated a passionate dedication to preparing the next generation of scholars through an NIH-funded training program in Psychiatric and Statistical Genetics, which has been continuously supported for more than 25 years.

"Through her sustained record of innovative research, international leadership in methodology, and dedication to mentoring and interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Maes has established herself as a truly outstanding scholar in her discipline," said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.

University Distinguished Service Award

Edmund Acevedo, Ph.D., College of Humanities and Sciences

Edmund Acevedo, Ph.D.

Acevedo's career has been defined by sustained, wide-ranging service, from department leadership to national professional organizations.

Two decades at VCU have taken him from chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences to associate dean for the College of Humanities and Sciences. Along the way, Acevedo has built a research record cited more than 4,000 times, work that has run alongside a steady stream of service to VCU.

Now serving as the senior associate director of the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, Acevedo has guided the department through institutional change and oversaw undergraduate enrollment growth of nearly 400%.His research has produced significant work outside the classroom, showing why physical activity protects the body against cellular wear and tear from chronic stress and offering a new lens on how exercise guards against disease.

As director of faculty development and research for the You First at VCU, First-Generation Student Success and Research Center, Acevedo built programs that gave first-generation and Asian American students a stronger foothold in their academic careers.

Beyond VCU, Acevedo has served as president of the American Psychological Association's Division 47 and the Southeast chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, extending the university's reach and reputation nationally.

"Through his unwavering commitment to service, Dr. Acevedo has undeniably made substantial contributions to his field, as well as to the professional development of myriad students and colleagues," said Catherine Ingrassia, Ph.D., dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. "He continues to bring a level of excitement and professionalism to the College of Humanities and Sciences, contributing to a foundation of excellence that allows CHS to grow and succeed as a vibrant hub of education and scholarship at VCU."

University Distinguished Teaching Award

Sarah Jane Brubaker, Ph.D., L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Sarah Jane Brubaker, Ph.D.

Brubaker is known for creating classroom environments that are rigorous, intentional and deeply human. A hallmark of her approach is to respectfully tackle complex and sensitive topics, striking a balance between sharing diverse perspectives while incorporating students' own experiences.

Brubaker founded the Graduate Certificate in Gender Violence Intervention, an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented program that has prepared more than 100 professionals working in the field. This program stands as a sustained teaching innovation, translating scholarship into applied learning and equipping students to engage directly with issues in professional and community contexts. Through initiatives such as "Disrupting Criminalization in Education," she has also connected students to community-based work, reinforcing the relationship between academic inquiry and lived experience.

"Dr. Sarah Jane Brubaker is an exceptional educator whose influence extends far beyond the classroom," said Robyn McDougle, Ph.D., interim dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. "For more than 25 years, her rigorous, student-centered teaching and steadfast commitment to mentorship have shaped generations of scholars and public-service professionals. The Wilder School is proud to celebrate her remarkable contributions."

University Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award

Chi-Ning Chang, Ph.D., School of Education

Chi-Ning Chang, Ph.D.

Chang has built a research program at the intersection of artificial intelligence, advanced quantitative methods and education. His work has translated emerging technology into practical tools for mentorship and career development.

Chang's work on hybrid human-AI mentoring systems addressed gaps in graduate student support that widened during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to help students in need today.

He founded the GET Centered research project, an initiative that examines how AI-assisted mentoring can support international STEM graduate students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The project has translated into applied workshops, including a 2025 collaboration with the College of Engineering, School of Business and Office of the Provost, connecting Chang's methodological research directly to student career preparation.

His scholarship has produced 33 peer-reviewed publications with nearly 700 citations, secured more than $1.67 million in federal funding and earned national recognition through his service as chair of the American Educational Research Association's Structural Equation Modeling and Multilevel Modeling Methods Special Interest Group. He has also extended that expertise into VCU's AI ecosystem, developing a graduate course for the VCU Convergence Applied AI Graduate Certificate and serving on its curriculum committee.

"Dr. Chang's accomplishments demonstrate a remarkable trajectory for an early-career scholar," said Kelli Feldman, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education. "He has established a distinctive and forward-looking research agenda, secured competitive external funding, published influential scholarship and made meaningful contributions to student mentoring and professional service."

University Outstanding Term Faculty Award

Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., School of Medicine

Mary Helen Hackney, M.D.

Hackney, throughout her time at VCU, has made a commitment to educating future physicians, advancing cancer care and improving health equity across Virginia. She has served as a faculty model for teaching, scholarship, clinical research and service to her patients.

Hackney has emphasized improving cancer care to underserved communities through her role as director of the Rural Cancer Outreach Program at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this role, she developed and sustained a statewide network that brought oncology services, including chemotherapy, screening, survivorship care and palliative services, to rural populations across Virginia.

Hackney has also defined herself through her work in the classroom, crafting a teaching philosophy that emphasizes compassionate communication, patient-centered care and critical thinking - skills essential to the physicians of tomorrow.

"Dr. Hackney's work bridges the missions of academic medicine - teaching, discovery and service - and demonstrates how a term faculty member can have profound and lasting influence on students, colleagues, patients and the broader community," said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.

University Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award

Joshua P. Cole, Ph.D., School of Education

Joshua P. Cole, Ph.D.

As an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education for eight years, Cole has defined himself as a leader in classroom excellence and instruction.

Cole emphasizes inclusive excellence and an innovative approach to pedagogy through several graduate-level courses he teaches, including Equity in Leadership as well as Multicultural Education and Professional Writing. In the classroom, he creates an environment that sustains intellectual rigor and provides students a bridge between theory and practice to help them understand and apply leadership concepts as future educational practitioners.

Outside the classroom, Cole has also made an impact at VCU. He served as executive director of the Office of Strategic Engagement in the School of Education from 2019 to 2022, helping secure more than $1 million in funding that led to initiatives advancing educational outcomes for students.

"We are delighted to celebrate Dr. Joshua Cole and this well-deserved recognition, which also highlights the important contributions our adjunct faculty make to our students and academic programs," said Kelli Feldman, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education.