Brandeis Magazine

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Helene Hill, GSAS PhD’64, professor emerita at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, is working on a memoir slated for publication this year. She writes, “I retired in 2016 after 52 years on the academic ladder — some good, some not so good. Life was not easy for a woman in academia before and during the early years of the women’s movement. But my education in biology at Brandeis gave me the strength and the know-how to stand up for what was right.”

Rabbi Israel Hirsch, GSAS MA’67, who turned 90 in October 2023, serves as chaplain for the Los Angeles Police Department. A Holocaust survivor and Korean War veteran, Israel and his wife, Phyllis, live in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles, and have two sons, two daughters, 27 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

In 1986, Judith Wharton, GSAS MFA’70, opened a not-for-profit music school, the Suburban Community Music Center, in a YMCA in Madison, New Jersey. The school initially enrolled 13 students, who were taught by members of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Now known as Wharton Arts, the school enrolls 2,000 students at three locations, making it the largest independent not-for-profit music school in New Jersey. “I am grateful and proud, too,” Judith says.

Fred Chasalow, GSAS PhD’71, is a member of the medical advisory board of RetinalGeniX DNA/GPS.

King Davis, Heller PhD’72, works to preserve and gain information from historic psychiatric records, clinical documents, and photographs. He recently completed two major projects: digitizing the vast archives of the Austin (Texas) State Mental Hospital, including all psychiatric admissions from 1857-2020, and digitizing and analyzing data on the 54,000 African Americans admitted to Virginia’s Central State Hospital during its 100 years (1870-1970) of segregated admissions and treatment.

Ian McElhinney, GSAS MFA’74, was one of the stars of the hit Northern Irish comedy TV show “Derry Girls,” which aired from 2018-22.

C. Otis Sweezey, GSAS MFA’74, designed the set for a December 2023 production of “Into the Woods” at New Jewish Theatre, in St. Louis. Reviews of the play noted his scenic design, calling it “exceptional” and “atmospheric and impressive in its concept.”

Timothy Kendall, GSAS PhD’75, an archaeologist and historian of ancient Egypt and Sudan, worked on the curatorial staff at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for 25 years and is now a member of the collections committee at the Custom House Maritime Museum, in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Janet Rodgers, GSAS MFA’75, performs a 50-minute poetry-and-prose piece she wrote titled “Gut,” which tells the true story of Irena Gut, a Polish girl who saved many Jewish lives during World War II. Earlier this year, Janet’s solo performance was featured at the Whitefire Solo Fest, in Los Angeles, and at the Jewish Community and Cultural Center in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Marshall Kupchan, GSAS MA’76, and wife Judy, GSAS MA’77, both P’09, made aliyah (from Chicago to Jerusalem) in 2018. Before their retirement, Marshall worked in the field of congregational Jewish education, and Judy served as CEO of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Studies.

David Troyansky, GSAS MA’78, PhD’83, a history professor at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, is the author of “Entitlement and Complaint: Ending Careers and Reviewing Lives in Post-Revolutionary France” (Oxford University Press, 2023).

Howard Tinberg, GSAS PhD’82, is professor emeritus of English at Bristol Community College, in Fall River, Massachusetts, and a former chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. In 2004, he was recognized as the U.S. Community Colleges Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education. In 2015, he was a museum teaching fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Beverly Lynn Wolgast, GSAS MA’84, PhD’86, is executive director of quality and cGMP programs at Applied DNA Sciences, which focuses on PCR-based DNA technology. She has more than three decades of pharmaceutical and biotech experience at commercial and clinical-stage companies.

In November 2023, Sara Horowitz, GSAS PhD’85, was inducted as a fellow in the Royal Society of Canada, in recognition of her scholarship on Holocaust literature, women survivors, Jewish American fiction, and Israeli cinema. She is a professor in the languages, literatures, and linguistics department at Toronto’s York University.

Albert Collinson, GSAS PhD’87, is an independent non-executive director at biopharmaceutical company Harbour BioMed, serving on its board of directors. He is also on the board of directors of Privo Technologies.

Two research articles by Sheila Brownlow, GSAS PhD’90, were accepted for publication by the Psychology Journal. Sheila is a social psychologist at North Carolina’s Catawba College.

Gregory Bruce Sephton, GSAS PhD’90, is co-head and senior partner in law firm Sterlington’s intellectual property practice.

Steve Anderson, GSAS MFA’91, co-directed a short film titled “Room 107,” which premiered at Dances With Films: New York City in December 2023. The film raises awareness of how young women can be ensnared by the sex-trafficking industry.

A book of poetry by Jesse Mavro Diamond, GSAS MFA’91, “American Queers,” was published by Cervena Barva Press in June 2023. The poems celebrate midcentury gay activists.

Stephen Rockwell, GSAS MA’91, PhD’01, is a professor of political science at St. Joseph’s University, New York. His book “The Presidency and the American State: Leadership and Decision Making in the Adams, Grant, and Taft Administrations” was published in October 2023 by the University of Virginia Press.

A book by Rabbi Shaul Magid, GSAS MA’92, PhD’94, “The Necessity of Exile: Essays From a Distance,” was published last November by Ayin Press.

Johnathan Brownlee, GSAS MFA’93, was executive producer of the TV movie “Navigating Christmas.” When it premiered on the Hallmark Channel in November 2023, it was the most-watched TV program in the U.S. among key demographics, including households, total viewers, and women.

Jennifer Travis, GSAS MA’94, PhD’96, is chair of the English department at St. John’s University, in Queens, New York.

Neurologist Julian Ungar-Sargon, GSAS MA’94, PhD’00, division command surgeon in the U.S. Volunteer Reserve Corps, has launched the Dr. Julian Ungar-Sargon Scholarship for Medical Students, open to both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a medical degree.

This summer, Andrew DeGuire, IBS MA’95, becomes the James H. Keyes Dean of Business at Marquette University. Previously, he served as vice president of corporate strategy at Northwestern Mutual, a financial services company.

Luisa Deprez, Heller PhD’95, was awarded the David Brian Robertson Excellence in Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual’s contributions to the development of the Scholars Strategy Network, an association of academics and researchers. Luisa led the Maine chapter of SSN from 2012-17 and again from 2019-21. She is professor emerita of sociology, and women and gender studies at the University of Southern Maine.

Last fall, Laura Latreille, GSAS MFA’95, appeared in a production of the political comedy “POTUS” at the SpeakEasy Stage, in Boston.

Bridget Cole, GSAS PhD’96, is chief scientific officer at 1910 Genetics, a Boston-based biotech company that uses AI for drug discovery.

Pamerson Ifill, Heller MMHS’97, is commissioner of probation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving a five-year term. He is the first Black person to hold this position in the state’s history.

Seraphine Wakana, Heller MA’97, was appointed by the United Nations secretary-general to serve as the U.N. resident coordinator in Sierra Leone. She previously served as the U.N. resident coordinator in Gambia.

Kathy Weiler, IBS MA’97, is a member of the board of directors of Axogen, a biotech company that develops solutions for treating nerve damage.

Kuleni Berhanu, Heller MA’98, who lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is partnership adviser at the United Nations Office for Project Services. Kuleni has been married for 23 years and has eight children.

Mary Blanusa, Heller MA’98, is a member of the board of trustees of the nonprofit Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.

Inci Kaya, IBS MBA’01, lives in Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood with her spouse and two kids, one of whom is considering attending Brandeis. Inci says she would love to catch up with Brandeis friends.

Michael Doonan, GSAS PhD’02, P’17, P’26, is a faculty member at Heller and the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum.

Aarathi Shenoy, IBS MA’02, writes she reunited with Shahbaz Sheikh, IBS MS’99, PhD’04, after 20 years.

Ojingwa Gutierrez, GSAS MS’04, is associate director of quality systems at Waltham biotechnology company Viridian Therapeutics.

Mary Brolin, Heller PhD’05, is a senior scientist in Heller’s Institute for Behavioral Health. Her research interests lie at the intersection between behavioral health services and other service systems, including the criminal justice system.

Izzy Einsidler, GSAS MFA’05, is a lighting director at WETA, a public broadcasting station in Washington, D.C.

Samina Khan, Heller MBA’05, is chief medical officer at Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, which focuses on treatment for degenerative eye diseases. Previously, she was chief medical officer at Reata Pharmaceuticals.

Steven Ridge, IBS MA’05, is executive vice president and chief financial officer at Dominion Energy, an electric utility that operates in 16 states across the U.S.

Frank Holt, Heller MA’06, PhD’11, writes, “A practical application of my Heller education resulted in major changes in the use of mechanical restraints of psychiatric inpatients in two hospitals. It made both patients and staff safer. I didn’t learn just facts and research techniques at Heller. I learned how to think differently.” Now retired, Frank writes the “Guardians of Brooklyn” novel series, based on his experience as an FDNY dispatcher in Brooklyn in the 1970s.

A 2021 book by Olajide Olagunju, Heller MA’06, GSAS MA’08, “How To Resolve a Conflict,” is on the Best Mediation eBooks of All Time list compiled by BookAuthority.com.

John Rieffel, GSAS PhD’06, a professor of computer science at Union College in Schenectady, New York, was awarded a Mercator Fellowship by the German Research Foundation. John is studying how to use advanced AI techniques to discover new types of structures for use in soft robotics.

Diana M. Shaw, Heller PhD’06, has retired as executive director at the Lanai Community Health Center. She holds a part-time position as a rural health adviser and consultant at the University of Hawai‘i’s Rural Health Research and Policy Center.

Mareshia Donald, GSAS MS’09, PhD’14, was honored by the Women’s Edge, a Boston-based nonprofit, as a 2023 Extraordinary Woman Advancing Healthcare. She is director and chief of staff to the chief human resources officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Ziva Hassenfeld, GSAS MAT’09, the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Assistant Professor in Jewish Education at Brandeis, talked to more than 40 teachers in Israel during the first weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks to document their experiences. As she wrote in an opinion piece in the Jewish Insider, “Studying educators in a crisis helps us to understand the fundamental role of education and teachers as part of the fabric of society.”

JC Makolo, IBS MA’10, MS’14, PhD’16, is a senior lecturer in finance at Brandeis. He previously taught finance courses at Northeastern University.

Hassan Mughnee, IBS MBA’11, is a member of the Maldives’ privatization and corporatization board. He was appointed to this role by the country’s president.

Adam Rosenberg, Heller MA’11, MA’11, of USAID Indonesia, and Darni Fawan, Heller MA’11, of P&G, bumped into each other — after nearly 13 years — at the annual American Chamber of Commerce Indonesia Thanksgiving Networking Evening, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Daniel Osborn, GSAS MA’12, is director of educational partnerships at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, where his responsibilities include connecting school districts with resources for combating antisemitism.

Rachel Fish, GSAS PhD’13, special adviser to Brandeis president Ron Liebowitz, co-wrote an article, “Rebuilding Black-Jewish Ties Through Education,” that appeared on NOLA.com.

Vivekanand Vimal, GSAS MS’13, PhD’17, was interviewed by The Herald (Scotland) about his research related to Brandeis’ Multi-Axis Rotation System chair. He is a research scientist at the university.

Michael F. Crones, Rabb MS’14, is chief information officer at FedPoint, a federal insurance and benefits administrator based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Jason Pressberg, GSAS MA’14, Heller MBA’14, is director of development at Americans for Ben-Gurion University.

Salvador Ramirez, Heller MPP’14, is executive director of Yolo Farm to Fork, which promotes healthy eating habits in California’s Greater Sacramento area. Michael Dale, GSAS MA’16, is an assistant professor of philosophy at Hampden-Sydney College, in Virginia.

Ryan LaRochelle, GSAS PhD’16, is a senior lecturer at the University of Maine’s Cohen Institute for Leadership and Public Service.

Robyn Powell, Heller MA’16, PhD’20, associate professor of law at the University of Oklahoma, received the Association of American Law Schools’ Chai Feldblum Award, which recognizes the work of law faculty in the field of disability rights.

Nic Burton, Rabb MS’17, MS’23, is a systems project manager at online pet-products retailer Chewy. He’s planning to enroll in studies leading to a PhD in ISE at an R1 university.

In August 2023, Mika Hackner, GSAS MA’17, PhD’23, wrote an op-ed in The Jerusalem Post arguing that Israel’s law to cancel the Reasonableness Standard will make it easier for the government to ban political parties.

Tyler Miller, Heller MA/MBA’17, and Lika Gamgebeli, Heller MS’15, have launched 34 GiGs, which aims to increase personal and professional life satisfaction through an innovative Friend(e) program.

William Michael Callif, GSAS MA’18, is on the board of directors of the Steven W. Crowe Foundation, a nonprofit that supports local organizations in Hancock, New Hampshire, and surrounding towns. He is an associate attorney at law firm Devine Millimet in Manchester.

Amos Izerimana, Heller MA’19, a Burundi native who immigrated to the U.S. from a refugee camp in Tanzania as a 12-year-old, is the inaugural director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Raul Arturo Ramos-Garcia, GSAS MS’19, PhD’22, is investigating the neural mechanisms that underlie distortions of touch perception, including persistent alterations seen in sensory processing disorder. In September 2023, he was awarded a Hanna H. Gray Fellowship by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Raul is a postdoc in UC Berkeley’s Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Esther Brownsmith, GSAS PhD’20, is an assistant professor in the religious studies department at the University of Dayton.

Carlos Garcia, Rabb MS’20, is an analytics engineer at imre, a marketing and communications agency.

Susan Szulewski, Heller MBA’20, is the chief medical officer at McLean Hospital, in Belmont, Massachusetts, and vice president of medical affairs at Mass General Brigham Behavioral and Mental Health. She previously served as associate chief medical officer at McLean.

Natalie Cornett, GSAS PhD’21, was awarded the First Book Subvention Prize by the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies in support of the forthcoming publication of her monograph “The Politics of Love: Gender and Nation in 19th-Century Poland” (Cornell University Press).

James John Praznik, GSAS PhD’22, is an assistant professor of the practice and the inaugural technical director in Wesleyan University’s music department.