The holders of endowed professorships in departments throughout the university are distinguished leaders in reseach, teaching, and service. Twelve of Tufts endowed professorships include a significant public service dimension. The Provost and Tisch College support the active citizenship of these endowed chairs by bringing them together to discuss the civic engagement elements that connect their work across disciplines.
Below are the current appointees to Tufts University endowed professorships that include a significant public service dimension.
Jeffrey M. Berry
John Richard Skuse, Class of 1941, Professor of Political ScienceSchool of Arts & Sciences
Professor Berry's research focuses on policymaking in Washington, interest groups, Massachusetts politics, nonprofits, and urban government. Recent books include Lobbying and Policy Change and A Voice for Nonprofits.
Read more: Professor Jeff Berry Discusses Student Commitment to Civic Engagement
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Christina D. Economos
New Balance Chair in Childhood NutritionGerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Dr. Economos' research efforts have addressed the interaction between exercise, diet, and body composition aimed at preventing osteoporosis and obesity, starting in early childhood. She is the principal investigator of multiple large-scale studies examining childhood nutrition and physical activity with the goal of inspiring behavior, policy, and environmental change to improve the health of America's children. She has worked effectively with diverse communities and has crafted, implemented, and evaluated physical activity and nutrition education curriculum. Dr. Economos' work engages theory and scientific evidence as vehicles to spark systemic, community-based change.
Read more: Professor Christina Economos Engaging the Community in Research
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Catherine Hayes
Delta Dental of Massachusetts Professorship in Public Health and Community ServiceSchool of Dental Medicine
Professor Hayes' research examines health disparities and the epidemiology of craniofacial anomalies. She is co-investigator of a study entitled Hemifacial Microsomia: Psychosocial and Medical Sequelae. She is also studying the effect of oral diseases in young children on growth and nutrition.
Read more: Professor Catherine Hayes Leads Dental School Community Service
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Robert Hollister
Pierre and Pamela Omidyar ProfessorTisch College of Citizenship and Public Service
Professor Hollister is dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service and the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Chair of Citizenship and Public Service. A specialist in citizen participation in public affairs, he has been engaged in teaching graduate and undergraduate students, practicing professionals, and citizens for over 30 years, and has led planning and development of Tufts uniquely comprehensive approach to education for active citizenship. Rob previously served as dean of the Tufts Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, director of the Lincoln Filene Center for Citizenship and Public Affairs, and chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.
Read more about Dean Hollister
Richard M. Lerner
Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental ScienceSchool of Arts & Sciences
Professor Lerner studies the factors that influence the development of children and that enable them to have a positive impact on their communities. His work is highlighted in two ongoing studies, the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, supported by the National 4-H Council, and The Role of Spiritual Development in Growth of Purpose, Generosity, and Psychological Health in Adolescents, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
Read more: Professor Richard Lerner Researches How Children Contribute to Their Communities
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Alice H. Lichtenstein
Stanley N. Gershoff Chair in Nutrition Science and PolicyGerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Professor Lichtenstein is an expert in nutrition policy. She helped redesign the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid, specifically tailoring a version for older adults. As a former chair of the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association, Lichtenstein led an effort to update the association’s dietary guidelines. She also worked with the American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association on similar guidelines to avoid inconsistencies among the dietary recommendations of the organizations.
Read more: Professor Alice Lichtenstein Applies Nutrition Research to Public Policy
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Aviva Must
Morton A. Madoff, M.D., M.P.H., Chair in Community HealthSchool of Medicine
Professor Must's research focuses on the epidemiology of obesity across the lifespan with a particular interest in physical and psychosocial health consequences during adolescence. Current projects explore bidirectional associations of child mental health with obesity, and effects of early obesity on tooth eruption. Additional research foci include the development of valid survey measures and surveillance systems for pediatric obesity and proximal modifiable behaviors (nutrition, physical activity, sedentary behavior). Recent efforts have been directed towards developing the descriptive epidemiology and health promotion for children with special health care needs, a population of youth who have been underserved by preventive health efforts due to their complex medical needs.
Visit Professor Must's faculty page
George Norman
Cummings Family Chair in Entrepreneurship and Business EconomicsSchool of Arts & Sciences
Professor Norman's current interests lie in the general field of modern industrial organization. Specific interests are in mergers and merger policy, technology choice and the structural effects of market deregulation. He is currently an Associate Editor of Regional Science and Urban Economics and Bulletin of Economic Research. He has authored and edited numerous books including, Economies of Scale, Transport Costs, and Location and Spatial Pricing and Differentiated Markets. He is also the author (with D. Richards and L. Pepall) of Industrial Organization: Contemporary Theory and Practice.
Read more: Professor George Norman Guides New Leadership Minor
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Saul Tzipori
Agnes Varis University Chair in Science and SocietyCummings School of Veterinary Medicine
A pioneer the field of comparative medicine in infectious diseases, Professor Tzipori researches infectious diseases in humans by studying similar or identical diseases in animals. This topic is of growing concern as over the last half century 70% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originated in animals, including AIDS, SARS, avian flu, West Nile virus, east and west equine encephalitis and Lime disease.
Read more: Professor Saul Tzipori Applies Veterinary Skills to Improve Human Public Health
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Peter Uvin
Henry J. Leir Chair in Humanitarian StudiesFletcher School
Professor Uvin, who also serves as Director of Institute for Human Security, is one of the foremost figures in the field of research on development practices. His work centers around concerns that traditional methods of development actively contributed to the dynamics of social polarization and social exclusion that, in some cases, led to structural violence. Uvin has written extensively on the topic including two books, Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda (Kumarian Press, 1998), and Human Rights and Development (Kumarian Press, 2004).
Read more: Professor Peter Uvin Continues to Transform International Development
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Peter John Charles Walker
Irwin H. Rosenberg Professorship in Nutrition and Human SecurityGerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Professor Walker, who also serves as the director of the Alan Shawn Feinstein International Center, studies humanitarian crises, researching how oganizations adapt and developing models for responding to future global stress. His work centers on creating detailed, evidence-based research that can be used to develop lasting solutions to humanitarian conflicts.
Read more: Professor Peter Walker: Effective global citizenship uses skills and discipline to harness ideals
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Maryanne Wolf
John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public ServiceSchool of Arts & Sciences
Professor Wolf's research incorporates cognitive and neural sciences, linguistics and child development theory to understand the variations in the 'reading brain.' Her work also applies those understandings to the classroom, defining the range of dyslexia and developing appropriate interventions.
Read more: Fellowship supports Maryanne Wolf to apply her research
