Four Endowed Faculty Recognized at Investiture

September 14, 2022

Four newly-endowed Michigan State University College of Human Medicine faculty were recognized today at a special university-wide investiture ceremony in East Lansing, Mich., at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. These distinguished faculty included:

 

Irving E. Vega

Red Cedar Professor

Irving Vega is an associate professor of translational neuroscience. His research focuses on molecular and biochemical mechanisms that modulate the accumulation of pathological tau proteins in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. He is also working on ethnic disparities and the influence of ethnoracial factors on blood biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease.

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Caryl E. Sortwell

Edwin A Brophy Endowed Chair in Central Nervous System Disorders 

Caryl Sortwell is a professor of translational neuroscience, whose research focuses on therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease. Her method enables her to study not only the impact of alpha-synuclein pathology, but the potential of novel disease-modifying treatment strategies. Her research program also focuses on improving the efficacy of existing anti-parkinsonian treatments (pharmacotherapies, deep brain simulation) using precision medicine approaches.

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Teresa Kaye Woodruff

MSU Foundation Professor

Teresa Woodruff is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and an internationally recognized biologist specializing in reproductive science. She is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology and the Department of Biomedical Engineering and, as a researcher, coined the term “oncofertility” to describe the merging of two fields: oncology and fertility preservation. As a university leader, she oversees the quality of instruction, scholarship and leadership development through collaborative work with deans, faculty and student leaders.

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Thomas O'Halloran 

MSU Foundation Professor

Thomas O’Halloran is a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics whose research program focuses on how the discovery of soluble metal receptor proteins, the pathways they participate in, and the mechanisms by which they regulate cellular events and the physiology of the organism.

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Read more about endowed faculty at MSU.