Fralin Biomedical Research Institute faculty members earn promotions, tenure

Five Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC faculty were awarded tenure during a Virginia Tech Board of Visitors meeting in June. Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, William “Matt” Howe, Yassine Sassi, and Jeffrey Stein were promoted to associate professors with tenure and Sarah Parker was tenured at her current rank of associate professor.

 “They each have made a significant and distinctive impact in their respective fields, and their tenure reflects the depth and breadth of scholarship that has come to define the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and for which they have achieved national recognition and acclaim as leaders,” said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the institute and vice president for health sciences and technology at Virginia Tech.

“In addition to their research contributions, each of these faculty members has offered outstanding mentorship to students and trainees at every level. We are fortunate to have them as members of our community,” Friedlander said.

DiFeliceantonio’s lab studies motivation and food selection through brain imaging, metabolomics, and behavioral methods. Much of her work focuses on ultra-processed foods.

“Dr. DiFeliceantonio is among a select group of researchers who integrate the neuroscience of the food--reward system with rigorous metabolic and behavioral studies in human subjects,” Friedlander said.  “This is an important area of science and medicine for which she is at the absolute forefront,” he added.

DiFeliceantonio is interim co-director of the institute’s Center for Health Behaviors Research. She was also promoted to associate professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise.

Howe’s research in collaboration with scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute has helped identify distinct neurochemical signatures that differentiate Parkinson's disease from essential tremor, two of the most common neurological movement disorders. A faculty member of the School of Neuroscience in the College of Science, he will become a primary faculty member of the research institute in August.

 “Dr. Howe’s lab has developed an extraordinary capacity to measure and manipulate neurotransmitter systems in the living brain with a precision that was not possible even a few years ago,” Friedlander said.  “The fact that he is able to precisely make these measurements in the brain of living humans is nothing short of extraordinary.  It is opening up opportunities to advance human brain health and understand and better treat disease that would not have even been thought to be possible even a decade ago.”

Howe was also promoted to associate professor in the School of Neuroscience.

Sassi focuses his research on exploring the roles of coding and non-coding RNAs and cyclic nucleotide pathways in pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis, two progressive heart conditions.

“Dr. Sassi’s approach to studying pulmonary disease has generated mechanistic insights into coding and non-coding RNAs and cyclic nucleotide pathways,” Friedlander said. “His team’s innovations in identifying complex molecular targets to potentially treat a devastating disease such as pulmonary fibrosis, which currently has no effective treatment, are not only examples of great science but also give a chance for hope and life to many who otherwise face dire prognoses.”

Sassi was also promoted to associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Stein draws on behavioral economics, cognitive psychology, medicine, and biostatistics to understand how delay, uncertainty, and effort shape decisions.

“Through behavioral economics approaches, Dr. Stein studies interventions that support decision-making around smoking, overeating, and other behaviors that account for a large share of preventable disease in the United States,” Friedlander said. “His work using approaches such as episodic future thinking to help people overcome the powerful maladaptive compulsions that can occur in addictions is revolutionizing opportunities for new treatments.”

With DiFeliceantonio, Stein is interim co-director of the institute’s Center for Health Behaviors Research. He was also promoted to associate professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise.

Parker is chair of Health Systems and Implementation Science at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where she was also tenured as an associate professor. She is also a research associate professor of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.

Parker’s research program brings together human factors engineering, computational modeling, and organizational psychology to study clinical teams across inpatient and outpatient settings.

“Dr. Parker’s research scientifically addresses the realities of how care is actually delivered,” Friedlander said. “Her expertise in implementation science has positioned her as an excellent mentor, training the next generation of physicians to help close the translational gap between laboratory research and patient care.  In many ways, her work is among the most challenging while also being potentially the most impactful to improve lives as she addresses the real-world delivery of healthcare at the level of the patient-health care provider nexus.”