February 27, 2026 | Mike Enright '88 (CLAS), University Communications

UConn People – March 4, 2026

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.

Honors and Appointments

Dr. Edmund Farris, chief of UConn Health’s Division of Ophthalmology, was named to the executive board of the Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians. He is a longtime member of the organization, an advocacy group representing ophthalmologists, ophthalmologic surgeons, and their patients.

Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L., has been ranked first in the United States in the Orthopaedic Surgery category for 2025 by ScholarGPS over the past five years. ScholarGPS ranks scholars based upon a rigorous quantitative assessment of contributions across multiple scientific layers. He is also ranked eighth in the world. He also received the Blaise Pascal Medal during the European Academy Annual Symposium & Ceremony in December. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to science and technology.

Sarah Reed, associate professor of animal science in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, has been honored for excellence in teaching by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Reed is the northeast regional recipient of the 2026 Excellence in College and University Teaching Award in Food and Agricultural Sciences. The awards celebrate university faculty’s use of innovative teaching methods and service to students.

In Memoriam

Christopher Chiarizio, 81, of Tolland, Conn., a retired employee from Facilities Operations and the paint shop, on Feb 21.

Laura Dennerley, 71, of Union, Conn., a 35-year employee who worked in Extended and Continuing Education and was the business and financial manager in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, on Feb. 22.

Howard Epstein, 84, of Manchester, Conn., a retired professor of engineering, on Feb. 24.

Victor Lavallee, 63, of Coventry, Conn., a former Facilities Operations employee, on Feb. 21.

Alfred Paulekas, 94, former Director of Advancement for UConn Health, on Feb. 15.

Dr. Myron Pisetsky, of West Hartford, Conn., a former associate clinical professor of psychiatry at UConn Health.

Dr. Albert Rothenberg, 95, of Canaan, N.Y., a former faculty member, on Jan. 20.

John Tomich, 68, of Youngstown, Ohio, a former assistant clinical professor at UConn Law, on Feb. 19.