Noteworthy Achievements

Noteworthy April 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.

Mohammad Abedin Nasab, Biomedical Engineering, received $443,700 (total funded to date: $1,433,145) from National Institutes of Health to support the study “Image-guided surgical robotic system for femur fracture reduction.”

Garrett Broad, Humanities & Social Sciences, received $25,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (prime sponsor: Rowan University-Rutgers Camden Joint Board) to support Salem City Healthy Food Market Project.

Abigail Finley, School of Veterinary Medicine, received $17,127 (total funding to date: $50,001) from Kansas State University (prime sponsor: Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research) to support the study “Decreasing pulmonary-associated mortality in feedlot cattle using refined case definitions and predictive analytics: emphasizing acute interstitial pneumonia and late day BRD.”

John Hasse (Co-PI: Katrina McCarthy), Geography, Planning, and Sustainability, received $84,504 (total funded to date: $158,504) from NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) (prime sponsor: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) to support the Habitat Change Analysis Project. 

Daniel Hurst, Medical Education & Scholarship, received $10,000 from Interfaith America (prime sponsor: The John Templeton Foundation) to support A Nation-Wide Assessment of Religion / Spirituality Curriculum at Medical Schools in the United States.

Zeynep Isik-Ercan, Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Critical Foundations, received $105,100 from NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development to support the NJ DOL Worker's Voice Council Creation and Facilitation and $125,000 (total funding to date: $2,090,802) from NJ Department of Human Services to support the Early Childhood Leadership Institute.

Christopher Knapp, Neuroscience, received $307,080 from New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research to support the study “Effects of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury on cognitive decline, markers of degenerative pathology, and catecholamine availability in a rodent model of Alzheimer's disease.”

Yupeng Li, Political Science & Economics, received $75,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (prime sponsor: Rowan University Rutgers Camden Board of Governors) to support the study “Empowering communities through self-monitoring of blood pressure: A scalable model for hypertension management.”

Diana Martinez, CMSRU Biomedical Science, received $161,000 (total funding to date: $498,036) from National Institutes of Health to support the study “The role of astrocytes in Circadian control of blood pressure in the nucleus of the solitary tract.”

Ellen Miller, Philosophy and World Religions, presented "Love and Freedom in Octavia Butler's Bloodchild" at the Geo-Aesthetics 19th Annual International Conference, Towson University, March 28, 2026.  

Rachel Navarra, Neuroscience, received $540,000 from New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research to support the study “A non-stimulant based approach to restore executive dysfunction and catecholamine imbalance following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury.”

Manoj Pandey, CMSRU Biomedical Science, received $161,000 (total funded to date: $483,000) from National Institutes of Health to support the study “Novel targeted therapy for refractory multiple myeloma.” 

Charles Schutte, Environmental Science, received $500,000 from NJ Department of Environmental Protection to support the study “Assessment of change in carbon flux after vegetation reestablishment in New Jersey tidal marshes.”

Nicole Vaughn, Health & Exercise Science, received $84,900 from Rowan University - Rutgers University Joint Board of Governors to support the South Jersey Institute for Population Health Cycle 5 Research Engagement.

Sarah Wilson, ExEEd, received  $32,768 from National Science Foundation to support the study “Building a chemical engineering inter-institutional consortium to support talented, low-income students.”

Cheng Zhang, Civil/Environmental Engineering, received $25,000 from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick (prime sponsor: U.S. Department of the Interior / United States Geological Survey) to support the study “Assessing compound flooding risks on southern New Jersey coastal wastewater treatment plants under projected climatic conditions.”