At the Faculty Awards Luncheon on April 25, 13 educators and scholars were recognized with the university’s highest honors for their excellence in creativity, research and teaching. These faculty represent the university’s most distinguished professors, whose achievements include breakthroughs in the study of mood disorders, neurodegenerative processes and neonatal lung support, as well as the inspiration and skilled mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students.

Individuals are selected for the awards by a committee that reviews nominations from students and colleagues at Temple and other institutions.

No matter what their discipline or the nature of the classroom in which they teach, Temple faculty are an outstanding group of scholars, researchers, artists, performers and teachers,” Provost JoAnne Epps said, following the luncheon. “I am very proud of my colleagues across all disciplines, and today was the perfect way to celebrate their achievements with our community.

Below, students and peers share their words of praise for Temple’s 2017 award-winning faculty members, who are listed by the award received.

GREAT TEACHER AWARDS

ALICE G. ABREU, professor of law
Beasley School of Law
“She cares deeply about her students and will take as much time as needed to ensure a student truly understands the material. I never thought my favorite classes in law school would be tax classes, but I was wrong!”
—former student, Temple Law, Class of 2017

ROBIN KOLODNY, professor and chair of political science
College of Liberal Arts
“Dr. Kolodny was instrumental in helping me line up my first internship while still a student at a local social­ justice minded nonprofit. Then, when I graduated and moved to Washington, D.C., she made critical introductions that opened the door for my first full-time job on Capitol Hill.”
—former student, CLA ’98

RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Temple University Faculty Research Awards

LAUREN B. ALLOY, Laura H. Carnell Professor and Joseph Wolpe Distinguished Faculty in Psychology
College of Liberal Arts
“It would be difficult to overstate the impact that Lauren has had on the field. She is one of the preeminent psychopathologists in the area of mood disorders today. Her theoretical contributions have been immense and her empirical tests of theory impeccable.”
—Steven D. Hollon, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology
Vanderbilt University

MARLA WOLFSON, professor and associate chair of physiology
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
“There is no question of her outstanding national and international reputation and of her laboratory as a hothouse for developing new treatments and new investigators. Our scientific and medical communities need more investigators like her—investigators who can link the lab to the clinic.”
—Frederick C. Morin III, dean
University of Vermont College of Medicine

Paul Eberman Faculty Research Award

DOMENICO PRATICÒ, professor of pharmacology
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
“Dr. Pratico’s extensive translational research career has certainly had a significant impact on the progress we have made in understanding some of the fundamental building blocks of the neurodegenerative processes. Challenging problems need creative strategies, and Dr. Pratico has embraced that challenge as a leader and teacher of the next generation of scientists.”
—Giulio Taglialatela, director, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
University of Texas Medical Branch

FACULTY AWARD FOR CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT

ROLLO DILWORTH, chair and professor of music education and music therapy
Boyer College of Music and Dance
“One of Rollo’s unique gifts is that he is equally effective as a conductor, a clinician and a composer. I don’t know of another choral music educator who has contributed as much or in as many ways as Rollo has. His music will continue to be sung by choirs for generations.”
—Sylvia Munsen, assistant professor
The Fred Fox School of Music
The University of Arizona

PROVOST’S AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE IN GENERAL EDUCATION

JOSE GIMÉNEZ, assistant professor of instruction in mathematics
College of Science and Technology
“What I feel that sets Jose apart is his strong desire to bring out the best in his students. If he felt you could be doing better, might be struggling or simply walked past you on campus, he would approach you respectfully, smiling and with your best interest in mind.”
—former student, KLN ’15
 

CHRISTIAN R. AND MARY F. LINDBACK FOUNDATION AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED TEACHING

MARIA LORENZ, professor of instruction in mathematics
College of Science and Technology
“Dr. Lorenz introduced me to a number of mathematics outreach programs that were being organized. Through participating in these programs, I had the opportunity to not only gain valuable teaching experience but also to share my love of mathematics with others. These experiences helped to set me apart from my peers when I was interviewing for teaching positions.”
—former student, EDU ’13  

HEATHER PORTER, associate professor of instruction in rehabilitation sciences
College of Public Health
“Heather served as my faculty mentor for my master’s research project; under her guidance, not only was I able to complete the project successfully, but Heather continued to mentor me after graduation to help get my project published in the American Journal of Recreation Therapy. Since graduating from Temple’s MSRT program, I have been employed full-time. I attribute my success thus far in my career to the solid clinical skills I developed in Heather’s classes.”
—former student, CPH ’09

ALISON REYNOLDS, associate professor of music education and music therapy
Boyer College of Music and Dance
“The energetic, innovative methods and materials for teaching that Dr. Reynolds offers students at Temple University are those she has been sought to share at every level, from internationally to independent studies. One of her most exciting modalities creates early childhood and elementary practical applications that animate theory.”
—Lawrence Indik, associate professor
Department of Vocal Arts
Boyer College of Music and Dance

TAMARA SNIAD, assistant professor of instruction in teaching and learning
College of Education
“Any former student of Dr. Sniad's can tell you that her class is by no means smooth sailing. Dr. Sniad encouraged us to dig deeper into the content and to think critically about the topics. We were pushed to be the best educators we could be.”
—former student, EDU ’13

DAVID WALD, professor of emergency medicine
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
“Dr. Wald inspired me to consistently put forth my best effort, practice and apply new skills, and have confidence in myself when faced with unexpected scenarios.”  
—former student, MED ’13

RALPH YOUNG, professor of instruction in history
College of Liberal Arts
“Professor Young is the most inspiring teacher I have had during my high school and college years. His ability to connect students to the course material, drawing in his personal experiences to illustrate history in the making, was unlike any other experience I have had in the classroom.”
—former student, Class of 2019