Faculty Spotlights

White House Welcomes LIU Faculty for Equity Presentation

Professor Philip Wong, director of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, spoke in front of more than 100 White House and government staff members about the psychology of equity. The Office of Management and Budget organized his presentation after President Joe Biden’s January 2021 executive order to advance racial equity and support for underserved communities.

Professor Marshall is Keynote Speaker at International Education Tech Conference

Dr. Helaine W. Marshall, professor of education, presented a keynote address about her innovative Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach at the DisCo 2021 educational technology conference in Prague. Dr. Marshall joined educators from 16 nations to discuss how instructional technology will shape the future of education.

Pharmacy Faculty Ranked Among Top Experts in the World

Dr. Jeffrey R. Idle and Dr. Diren Beyoglu are ranked in the top 0.21% of published authors worldwide on the topic of metabolomics, according to Expertscape. Their most recently published research focuses on the metabolomic insights related to premalignant liver disease diagnosis and therapy, and the effect of natural products in the treatment of liver disease.

Hope for Alzheimer’s Patients and Families With NIH Grant

LIU professor of pharmaceutical sciences Dr. Bhaskar Das and his team are conducting groundbreaking research that could lead to an eventual treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. His findings thus far earned him a federal grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue testing his hypothesis.

Professor Serves as Lead Advocate for Cyberbullying Legislation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation designed to eradicate cyberbullying thanks to lead advocacy from Lisa-Michelle Kucharz, professor of communications. Kucharz’s efforts inspired numerous elected officials to sponsor the legislation creating a nine-member task force that will study the impact of cyberbullying and identify actions to address the problem.

Researchers Develop Virtual Reality Training Tools for Counselors

Assistant Professor Dogukan Ulupinar and his graduate school colleagues developed an immersive and interactive video series called “Moments of Excellence in Counseling” for Mindscape Commons, the world’s first and the largest database of virtual reality content for teaching and learning in the field of mental health.

College of Veterinary Medicine Professor Awarded Prestigious National Recognition

For his more than three decades of groundbreaking research, Dr. Thomas J. Inzana, a nationally-recognized leader in the field of veterinary medicine, has been awarded the 2021 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence from the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Inzana is the chief of research at Long Island University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, which welcomed its first class in 2020 as one of just four veterinary colleges in the Northeast. Dr. Inzana is a clinical biologist passionate about making discoveries that lead to improved vaccines and diagnostic tests for infectious agents. But his appreciation for the essential steps in the scientific process has allowed him to make so many vital breakthroughs during his award-winning career. “Basic research is often overlooked but is essential to future work leading to products that improve human, animal, and environmental health,” said Dr. Inzana. “My group spent over 10 years in basic research on molecular bacterial pathogenesis and host immunity before developing a successful, commercialized vaccine.” Dr. Inzana has earned three U.S. patents for vaccines he developed to fight swine pleuropneumonia and encapsulated toxigenic bacteria. In addition, he was awarded more than $10 million in industry grants and competitive federal grant funding from agencies including the USDA, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. Inzana is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology, and an honorary diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiology. He has received the Pfizer and Beecham Awards for research excellence and has served as a reviewer for multiple USDA and NIH grant review proposals. On his long list of achievements, Dr. Inzana is most proud of his published work that serves to advance the field of veterinary medicine. He has authored 126 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 28 book chapters and edited three books. His current research focuses on biofilm formation by bovine respiratory disease pathogens, including the study of exopolysaccharide production, polymicrobial infections in bovine respiratory disease, and regulation of genes responsible for bacterial virulence factors.

Including his students and faculty in his ongoing studies at the College of Veterinary Medicine allows them to join him in impacting the future of the field through hands-on laboratory research under his leadership. “I share my relevant research results with my students, and I think showing them actual data improves their concept and understanding of disease pathogenesis and how to prevent and treat an infectious disease,” said Dr. Inzana. “As a research administrator, I am more capable of addressing the problems and needs of the research faculty because my research group is facing the same issues, and I am fully engaged in the laboratory.”