Six Women Appointed Distinguished Professors at the State University of New York

The State University of New York Board of Trustees recently approved the appointments of 15 faculty to the Distinguished Faculty Rank. “The SUNY faculty members receiving these distinguished ranks have achieved immeasurable success within their fields and on their respective campuses,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “These individuals have set the bar for their peers, and work closely with students to help them find their calling inside and outside of the classroom. It is their excellence that drives SUNY forward.”

Of the 15 faculty members appointed to the Distinguished Faculty Rank, six are women.

Bernice Porjesz is a member of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Her research focuses on genetics and alcoholism.

Sharon R. Steadman is a member of the department of sociology and anthropology at SUNY Cortland. She is a recognized authority on the Chalcolithic to Byzantine archaeological periods of the Turkish Anatolian Plateau. Dr. Steadman is the author of The Archaeology of Architecture and the Human Use of Space (Routledge, 2015). She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Zhen Yan serves on the faculty of the department of physiology and biophysics at the University at Buffalo. Her research is focused on schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in China, Professor Yan received a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Tennessee.

Paula M. Trief is a member of the department of psychiatry and behavioral science and medicine and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University. She has made significant contributions in the area of behavioral health and diabetes. Professor Trief earned a Ph.D. at Syracuse University.

Tracey E. Wilson serves on the faculty of the Department of Community Health Sciences at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She has been on the faculty for 18 years. Her work focuses on improving public health and eliminating health inequities in Brooklyn. Dr. Wilson earned her Ph.D. at the University at Albany.

Andrea A. Zevenbergen is a professor of psychology at SUNY Fredonia. She is committed to faculty-student collaborations and has supervised more than 50 independent study students. She joined the faculty at the university in 2001. Dr. Zevenbergen is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Stony Brook University in New York.