Noteworthy Achievements
Noteworthy Achievements
March 27, 2026
The PROFessionals of the Month program celebrates exemplary Rowan University employees, as nominated each month by their colleagues across the University community. To read honorees’ profiles, visit PROFessionals of the Month.
Dhritiman Bhattacharya, Electrical/Computer Engineering, received $50,000 from New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. to support the study “Design and control of a magnetic Möbius microbot for biomedical applications.”
Weam Elbezanti, CMSRU, received $49,993 from New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. to support the study “Comparative transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of epigenetic modifiers romidepsin and mithramycin A under hyperthermic conditions in a murine model of colorectal cancer peritoneal carcinomatosis.”
Qian He, Geography, Planning, and Sustainability, received $25,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (Rowan University -Rutgers Camden Joint Board) to support the study “Climate strain on healthcare access: A multi-county assessment of healthcare infrastructure vulnerability in South Jersey.”
Pratap Kafle, School of Veterinary Medicine, received $48,610 from New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. to support the study “Developing a molecular xenomonitoring system for West Nile Virus and emerging arboviruses in New Jersey.”
Mina Shahriari Khalaji, Biomedical Engineering, received $50,000 from New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. to support the study “Multifunctional janus dressing disrupting biofilm, inhibiting STING Pathway, and modulating antioxidant for infected wound treatment.”
Minwook Kim, Cell & Molecular Biology, received $50,000 from New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. to support the study “Identifying molecular factors for cell-free joint therapeutics.”
Frank MacLeon, School of Osteopathic Medicine, received for FY25: $2,250,000 (total FY26 funding to date: $11,250,000) from NJ Department of Human Services to support FY26 – Integrated Eligibility System Support.
Marchella Mazzoni, Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM, received a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for Best Producer for her work on The Rowan Report Election Night Special. The Rowan Report Election Night Special also won in the student division’s Best Crisis Coverage/Breaking News category.
Marketing & Communication (MARCOM) received 10 Educational Advertising Awards. The pieces are listed below with categories in parentheses.
- Gold awards were received for:
- Rowan Blog, Studying Historic Climate Change Through the Rock Record (Digital Video),
- Ed & Em Eats (Instagram content),
- Rowan Online Alumni Benefit (Special Promotions Campaign),
- The Young Professor and the Savannah Bananas (Video) and the Alumni Success Series (Streaming/On Demand Content).
- Merit awards were received for:
- Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine - Opening & Ribbon Cutting (Integrated Marketing Campaign)
- Soaring with Pride 2025 | Homecoming (Special Video)
Michael McCormack, Neuroscience, received $8,625 from Huntington's Disease Society of America to support HDSA Center of Excellence for Huntington's Disease.
Margaret Pearce, Biological & Biomedical Sciences, received $549,717 from National Institutes of Health to support the study “Mechanisms of mutant huntingtin aggregate engulfment and spreading by phagocytic glia.”
Deborah Shapiro, College of the Arts, received $25,000 from National Endowment for the Arts to support A Marie Rader Presenting Series engagement with Rennie Harris Puremovement's "American Street Dancer," as part of the 26|27 Marie Rader Series season.
University Publications received a Silver Educational Advertising Award for Rowan Magazine (Publication/External).
Ben Wu, Electrical/Computer Engineering, received $50,000 from New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. (NJHF) to support the study “Cellular-resolution LiDAR guided surgery system based on femtosecond laser for intraoperative blood vessel and nerve mapping” and $50,000 from NJHF to support the study “Ultra-fast time-resolved MRI for functional disorder diagnosis enabled by high-sensitivity radio-frequency analyzer.”
Wei Xue, Mechanical Engineering, received $50,000 from New Jersey Health Foundation to support the study “A soft robotic approach to intelligent high-precision hydrogel drug delivery patches.”
Morgan Yacoe, College of the Arts, received $25,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (Rowan University-Rutgers Joint Board) to support the study “Arts prescription in a South Jersey pain management clinic: Pilot study and impact assessment.”