Four Faculty Named 2025 Outstanding Mentors

Four faculty members have been awarded this year’s Provost’s Outstanding Mentor Award. 

They are:

• Suparna Rajaram, SUNY distinguished professor of cognitive science in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
• Sierra Washington, clinical associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of global health in the Center for Global Health Equity in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM)
• Ken Weitzman, associate professor in the Department of English in CAS
• Lonnie Wollmuth, professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in CAS and RSOM

“In recognition of their long service as exemplary mentors and their exceptional commitment to mentoring and supporting the intellectual, creative, scholarly, and professional growth of their faculty mentees, each of these faculty has been nominated and awarded the 2025 Provost’s Outstanding Mentor Award,” said Mónica Bugallo, vice provost for faculty and academic staff development, and professor of electrical and computer engineering. 

The award, given annually by the Provost’s Office, acknowledges senior faculty for their exceptional dedication to mentoring non-tenure track, pre-tenure and mid-career faculty. It celebrates mentors who provide guidance, foster professional growth and support a healthy work-life balance for their colleagues.

“Congratulations to Drs. Rajaram, Washington, Weitzman and Wollmuth on being named this year’s Outstanding Mentors by the Office of the Provost. We are truly grateful for their dedication and leadership in supporting their colleagues at Stony Brook and in their respective fields of study,” said David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Institutional excellence and community strength rest on a foundation of exemplary mentorship. Each of our awardees are role models for all of us as we work to build a community that nurtures, encourages, and guides the success of every member. We owe them a great debt of gratitude and can be inspired in our own work by their dedication to the intellectual and professional growth of others.”

Suparna Rajaram

Rajaram is a renowned scholar in the experimental study of social transmission of memory and emergence of collective memory. She is a previous president of the Association for Psychological Science and author of more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. To her colleagues, she is an incredible mentor, known for going out of her way and offering line edits to draft papers and reaching out proactively to check on her mentees. 

“Dr. Rajaram’s dedication to mentoring is unparalleled in its depth, breadth, warmth, shared vulnerability, experience and expertise,” said Nicholas Eaton, professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, who nominated Rajaram. “A rare combination of intellectual brilliance, tireless investment, and deep humanity defines her mentorship. Through direct support, active opportunity creation, emotional care, and institutional leadership, she has shaped careers — including my own — far beyond what is typical or expected. She mentors not only to help others succeed, but to ensure they feel seen, valued, and sustained as they do.” 

Sierra Washington

As founder of the Center for Global Health Equity, Washington leads Stony Brook Medicine’s global health program in Mozambique, which has one of the planet’s highest maternal mortality rates. Through that program, Stony Brook clinicians and faculty travel to the south African nation to offer care and training to healthcare professionals at Maputo Central Hospital. Through the partnership and its resident exchange program, Washington helps her colleagues build their own skills and learn to support and mentor others.

“Dr. Washington embodies many of the qualities of an outstanding mentor: dedication, expertise, and an ability to inspire growth in others,” said William M. Burke, professor and interim chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stony Brook’s Renaissance School of Medicine. “She has guided faculty members both at Stony Brook and in Mozambique in learning new skills. Her mentorship has helped enhance their teaching abilities, and she has inspired many in advancing their careers in reproductive and global women’s health.”

Ken Weitzman

In addition to his role in the Department of English, Weitzman is affiliated with the Alda Center for Communicating Science. A playwright, he is the founder of Science on Stage, an initiative that connects professional playwrights and actors to innovative scientists and researchers to collaborate on one-act plays. Weitzman is an active mentor to early-career faculty, even those whose expertise is in disciplines unrelated to his own. He was recognized in 2016 as a recipient of the CAS Godfrey Excellence in Teaching Awards, a student-nominated award that recognizes excellence in classroom teaching as well as dedication to the mentorship of students. 

“Through every stage of my promotion process, Ken has been a patient and reassuring presence — regularly meeting with me to review my CV and career goals, convening tenure committee meetings, and advocating on my behalf,” said Matthew Salzano, IDEA fellow in the School of Communication and Journalism and CAS Department of Writing and Rhetoric. “Beyond his formal responsibilities, Ken has been a trusted confidant who has provided a safe and supportive space for me to discuss challenges, weigh my options, and strategize my next steps. His guidance has been transformative for me, and I know that his mentorship has positively shaped the careers of many others.”

Lonnie Wollmuth

Wollmuth is an international leader in research on the biophysics of glutamate receptors, part of neurons that are instrumental in learning, memory and other brain functions. He has received more than $11 million in NIH funding over the course of his career, and is the director of the Center for Nervous System Disorders, part of Stony Brook’s Center for Molecular Medicine. An active and engaged mentor to his colleagues in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Wollmuth is also a former recipient of the CAS Godfrey Excellence in Teaching Awards, in 2017.

“As an example of a high achieving faculty member and engaged citizen, he has helped his mentees benchmark their performance toward promotion and more broadly toward excellence,” said Alfredo Fontanini, professor and chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. “He sets ambitious but realistic goals and he helps his mentees achieve these goals. Lonnie is generous with his time and devotes significant effort to help his mentees, often meticulously reviewing grant proposals and manuscripts. In cases in which faculty members were having difficulties with funding, Lonnie teamed up with them to successfully write collaborative grants.”