October 10, 2025 | Mike Enright '88 (CLAS), University Communications

UConn People – October 15, 2025

If you would like to submit a passing, retirement, notable birthday, achievement or a family event of a UConn employee or retiree for consideration, please email to work@uconn.edu.

Achievement

Dr.  Jaime Imitola of the School of Medicine and UConn Health has been appointed chair of the International Society of Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) Education Committee for the next three years. He previously graciously served as the Committee’s vice chair. As the world’s leading society for stem cell research, ISSCR  prioritize efforts to ensure that discoveries in the field of stem cells are responsibly and safely translated into therapies.  Imitola is a professor of neurology and vice chair of research in the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Translational Neuroimmunology at UConn Health.

Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L, has been elected International Fellow of Chinese Society for Biomaterials. The Chinese Society for Biomaterials established the title of “Fellow of the Chinese Society for Biomaterials” bestowed on individuals who have made important and internationally recognized scientific or professional contributions to biomaterials science and engineering, including groundbreaking research, clinical translation, and leadership that advances the entire field.

Xueju “Sophie” Wang, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been selected to receive the 2026 James W. Dally Young Investigator Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM), an honor that recognizes rising leaders in experimental mechanics who combine excellence in research with meaningful contributions to education. The award recognizes Wang “for pioneering contributions to experimental mechanics of soft matter, including stimuli-responsive polymers and pressure-tolerant electronics for extreme environments.” Wang’s research spans soft, stimuli‑responsive materials and multifunctional structures, with applications that include flexible and bio‑integrated electronics and soft robotics.

Retirement

Deborah Shelby, assistant dean and chief operating officer of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, retired on Oct. 1. Since joining the College in 1998, she has been a key member of the Dean’s Office, providing steady leadership and deep institutional knowledge that have helped guide CLAS through nearly three decades of growth and change.

In Memoriam

Dr. Arthur DeGraff, Jr., 96, of West Hartford, Conn., a former clinical professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, on Oct. 3.

Alice Rose Noheimer, 99, of Willington, Conn., a retired assistant direct of career planning and placement, on Sept. 19.

Dr. Jonelle Carey Rowe, 85, former chief of the Division of Neonatology at UConn Health, of Cherry Hill, N.J., on Oct. 1.

Diane Sauer, 94, of Willington, Conn., a former secretary in the School of Nursing and CAHNR, on Oct 4.

William Stwalley, 83, of Robbinsdale, Minn., former head of the Department of Physics, on Oct. 7.