School of Education and Human Development Scholars Honored with Annual UVA Research Awards
Assistant professor Kazlin Mason and associate professor Ben Castleman were among this year's featured awardees, alongside 15 other School of Education and Human Development researchers.
Photo: UVA Vice President for Research Lori McMahon speaks during the awards ceremony. Photo by Sarah Cramer Shields.
Seventeen scholars from the UVA School of Education and Human Development were among the nearly 200 University of Virginia researchers who were honored for their outstanding research and scholarship during the 2023-2024 academic year.
“Your work enriches and improves lives in countless ways,” said UVA President Jim Ryan, at an event honoring the award recipients. “Each year, I am astounded by the amount of research talent we have here at UVA. Focused on everything from vascular diseases to how oceans impact the environment, UVA’s faculty has a strong focus on creating a brighter future.”
Research Excellence Award
Kazlin Mason, assistant professor at the UVA School of Education and Human Development was one of three recipients of the Research Excellence Award.
Mason’s research is focused on pediatric speech disorders, specifically those that arise from conditions that affect the face and skull, such as cleft palate. As the director of the Imaging and Communication Outcomes Lab, a multidisciplinary research group, Mason focuses on finding ways to improve clinical and surgical outcomes for patients with speech disorders by evaluating them through MRI imaging. She won the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the American Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Association, was the 2023 chair for the American Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Association Speech Pathology Discipline Discussion Forums and has been the editor of the Perspectives of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association Journal since 2024.
“Mason has established an early record of research excellence characterized by a high and accelerating volume of publications appearing in top journals and success in securing highly competitive external funding from NIH and other sources,” said Catherine Bradshaw, senior association dean for research and professor, School of Education and Human Development.
Public Impact Focused Research Award
Ben Castleman, associate professor of public policy and education at the School of Education and Human Development and Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, was the recipient of the Public Impact Focused Research Award.
Castleman focuses on researching ways to improve outcomes for low-income individuals through higher education and participation in training programs. His non-profit partners have been able to use the results from his research to improve outcomes. The college success organization Bottom Line was able to use results from his research to expand to several cities in Ohio and secure $15 million in funding. Castleman continues to advocate for research driven policy change, having presented at multiple White House convenings, before Congress, to the National Academy of Sciences, and at multiple Institute for Education Sciences meetings.
“His groundbreaking work has not only expanded academic understanding but also yielded tangible improvements in educational outcomes for underrepresented students across Virginia and beyond,” said Catherine L. Finnegan, assistant vice chancellor for research and reporting, Virginia’s Community Colleges.
Top Sponsored Funding
Among the 25 researchers who received the highest amount of funding at UVA for the fiscal year 2024 were five from the School of Education.
- Patricia Jennings, professor
- Stephanie Rowley, dean and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Education
- Emily Solari, Edmund H. Henderson Professor of Education
- Jessica Whittaker, research associate professor
- Amanda Williford, Batten Bicentennial Professor of Early Childhood Education
Nationally Recognized Award Winners & Members of Academies
The following researchers from the School of Education were among those invited to the research awards event for achieving notable recognition and acclaim in their respective fields at a national level. The criteria for inclusion in this category typically involve either winning a prestigious national award, being elected or named to a distinguished academy, receiving an award from a society/academy, or receiving recognition for excellence from sources external to the University.
- Nancy L. Deutsch, associate dean for faculty affairs and Linda K. Bunker Professor of Education
- Wintre Foxworth Johnson, assistant professor
- Christopher M. Kuenze, associate professor
- Beth Schueler, associate professor
- LaRon A. Scott, associate professor
Recognized by Deans and Schools
The following EHD researchers were among those nominated by UVA school deans for having gone above and beyond in their research endeavors. This could involve making substantial contributions to their field of study, influencing the academic community, or having a positive impact on society through their work.
- Daphna Bassok, professor of education and public policy
- Chris S. Hulleman, research professor of education and public policy
- Michael Kennedy, professor
- Michael Lyons, associate professor
- Jonee Wilson, associate professor
To learn more about the awards and to see the full list of winners from across the University, visit the full article on the research awards.
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