Michelle Ballan, professor and associate dean for research in the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare, received the HERALD 2024 Excellence in Healthcare Award at a ceremony on September 18. The award honors individuals whose dedication and commitment has made a difference in the health and well-being of others.
Honorees for the HERALD Excellence in Healthcare Award are chosen by committee based on their strength and passion to champion and lead both their organization and their community. Ballan’s research, teaching and service are dedicated to individuals with disabilities and their families.
Ballan is also a professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine and is director of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) Program at Stony Brook University.
Ballan’s research focuses on intimate partner violence, bioethics, medical education, and sexual health prevention and treatment interventions for adults with disabilities.
She is the principal investigator on several grants, including a 2020 grant to include disability content within medical school curriculum funded by the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry and a Pfizer Foundation grant focused on reducing health disparities for patients with IDD presenting with COVID-19 symptoms.
Ballan was awarded the Building Knowledge through Research Award from the Office for Victims of Crime, a program of the U.S. Department of Justice, during the 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week for her research on crime victims with disabilities. She is also is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards, including the 2020 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2020 Switzer Distinguished Level Research fellowship from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research.
Earlier this year, Ballan received the Loreen Arbus Champion for Disabilities Award, one of the 2024 “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” presented by Women’s eNews.
Ballan was one of three Stony Brook winners at the event. Two members of the Stony Brook University Hospital leadership team — Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer Carol Gomes and Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Regulatory Officer Carolyn Santora — were also honored.
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