Noteworthy Achievements

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.

Danielle Arigo, Psychology, received $25,000 from Mental Research Institute to support the study “More than menopause: Fostering healthcare relationships that empower women in midlife.”

Angela Beale-Tawfeeq, Content Area Teacher Education, received $25,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (PTE: Rowan University-Rutgers Camden Board of Governors / Prime Sponsor: New Jersey Department of State) to support the study “Tidewater people & Lenapehoking water keepers: Restoring equitable access to water as a public health resource: Diversity in aquatics.”

Nidhal Bouaynaya, Engineering, received $82,574 (total funding to date: $354,184) from Princeton University (prime sponsor: NSF) to support NSF I Corps Hub: Northeast Region.

Elena Contreras, Veterinary Medicine, received $5,500 from Morris Animal Foundation to support the study “Lead exposure in wild raptors of the northeastern United States: A focus on bald eagles in New Jersey (veterinary student scholar).

Xiao Hu, Physics & Astronomy, received $20,000 from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden (prime sponsor: New Jersey Health Foundation - NJHF) to support the study “Large-scale, self-healing bio-skin for prosthetics, wound care, and healthcare robotics.”

Patrick Hwang, Biomedical Engineering, received $561,681 from National Institutes of Health to support the study “A multi-targeted approach for the impaired healing of diabetic foot ulcers through combined electric field stimulation and nitric oxide therapy.”

Mohammad Jalayer, CREATES, received $25,028 (total funded to date: $50,038) from Rutgers, the State University (prime sponsor: Federal Highway Administration, passed through the New Jersey Department of Transportation) to support NJDOT Safe Routes to School Support Program CY 2025-2026 and $20,039 (total funded to date: $40,516) from Rutgers, the State University (prime sponsor: Federal Highway Administration, passed through the New Jersey Department of Transportation to support the NJDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center.

Atasha Jordan, CMSRU Clinical Faculty, received $25,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (PTE: Rowan University - Rutgers Camden Board of Governors/prime sponsor: New Jersey Department of State) to support the study “Church-led mental health support: A pilot evaluation of GriefShare's impact on coping, grief impairment, and depression in Camden, New Jersey.”

Thomas Keck, Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, received $101,624 (total funded to date: $371,076) from High Point University (prime sponsor: National Institutes of Health) to support the study “Development of high-affinity and selective ligands as pharmacological tools to explore dopamine D4 receptor (D4R) subtype variants.” 

Jennifer LeComte, Rowan Integrated Special Needs Center, received $400,000 (funded to date: $1,609,037) from Health Resources and Services Administration to support Primary Care Training and Enhancement ‐ Language and Disability Access.

David Libon, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging received $39,745 from University of Florida (prime sponsor: National Institutes of Health) to support the study “PRECEDE II: Preoperative Cognitive Evaluation Via Digital Clockface Drawing Focusing on Disparities.”

Dara LoBuono, Health & Exercise Science, received $25,000 from South Jersey Institute of Population Health (Rowan University/Rutgers–Camden Board of Governors) to support Nourishing Change: Assessing the Benefits of Fresh, Wholesome Meals for Homebound Seniors.

James Martin, Medical Education & Scholarship, received $4,896 from American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to support the study “Optimizing AI-enhanced learning in osteopathic Medical education: a Kirkpatrick-evaluated framework to preserve critical thinking while scaling access.”

Yusuf Mehta, CREATES, received $1,999,998 (total funded to date: $10,264,979) from NJ Department of Transportation (prime sponsor: Federal Highway Administration) to support the NJDOT Pavement Support Program. 

Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, CMSRU Multicultural Affairs, received $49,524 from The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to support Rowan University - Cooper PULSE 2026. 

Brett Pulliam, Student Access and Pathway Programs, received FY 2026/2027 - Summer 2026 Article III – Program support and cost of education for initials and renewals - $464,935; FY 2027 Article IV – Academic year support - $386,799 from The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to support the Educational Opportunity Fund - Glassboro Campus and FY 2026/2027 - Summer 2026 Article III – Program support and cost of education for initials and renewals - $85,688; FY 2027 Article IV – Academic Year Support - $224,263 from The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to support the Educational Opportunity Fund - Camden Campus.

Bethany Raiff, Psychology, received year 4: $17,307 (total funded to date: $66,262) from University of Pennsylvania (prime sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) to support the study “Randomized trial of text-messaging facilitated telehealth and contingency management to engage patients with opioid use disorder after emergency department or hospital discharge.” 

Benjamin Rood, Neuroscience, received $402,500 (total funded to date: $1,610,000) from National Institutes of Health to support the study "Role of brain Avpr1a-expressing neurons in modulation of social behavior."

Rowan University’s Police Department was recognized at the CUPSA Annual Awards Luncheon. 

The following employees were recognized: 

Lieutenant William Boyer (Meritorious Service Award)

Lieutenant Kevin Fennal (Retirement Certificate)

Lieutenant Phillip Powers (Retirement Certificate)

Sergeant Theodore Allen (Meritorious Service Award)

Sergeant James Deschler (Meritorious Service Award)

Detective Laura Gage (Meritorious Service Award)

Investigator Austin Ramos (Meritorious Service Award)

Police Officer Ray Padilla (3 Meritorious Service Awards)

Police Officer Dominic DiVentura (2 Meritorious Service Awards)

Police Officer Christopher McCaughan (Meritorious Service Award)

Police Officer Meghan Coggan (Meritorious Service Award)

Sr. Public Safety Telecommunicator Kimberly Clayborn-Davis (Campus Career Award)

Sr. Public Safety Telecommunicator Nicholas DeStefano (Campus Career Award)

John Shjarback, Law/Justice, received $18,000 from Vanderbilt University (prime sponsor: Fund for a Safer Future, a project of Global Impact Ventures) to support the study “Investigating community-engaged, trauma-informed policy levers to reduce injurious shootings by police in the United States.”

Joseph Stanzione, AMMI, received $372,957 from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to support the study “Recycling Enhancement Act Recycling Research: Re-igniting South Jersey glass: Investigating and implementing improved glass recirculation in high-density regions of NJ and more” and $98,805 (total funding to date:$9,303,805) from the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground – Research Triangle Park Division (ACC-APG-RTP Division) to support the study “Convergent manufacturing platforms: Fundamental research guided by operational utility.” 

Dat Tran, Mathematics, received $7,000 from Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (prime sponsor: National Science Foundation) to support the study “Data science applications in economic and biological systems.”

Sebastian Vega, Biomedical Engineering, received $75,209 from The Cooper Foundation to support Rowan - CBJI: Orthopaedic Regeneration Program. 

Sarah Wilson, ExEEd, received $12,815 from University of California - Davis (prime sponsor: National Science Foundation) to support the study “Research initiation: Evaluating the impact of a wellness program on emotional intelligence and psychological capital of engineering students.” 

Zhiming Zhang, Civil/Env Engineering, received $61,120 (total amount funded to date: $78,458) from Stevens Institute of Technology (prime sponsor: US Department of Housing and Urban Development) to support the study “Lowering lead bioavailability in residential soils of variable physico-chemical properties using sustainable in-situ treatment methods. Phase-II: Validating under scaled-up field conditions and $138,862 from NJ Sea Grant Consortium (prime sponsor: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support the study “Modeling non-point source pollution control through stormwater BMPs optimization for a resilient New Jersey coast.”