SRPH Dr. Ory named newest HSC Regents Professor

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) — Marcia G. Ory, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of social and behavioral health at the School of Rural Public Health, is the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s latest recipient of the prestigious Regents Professor Award.

Marcia G. Ory
Dr. Ory received the award at the Dec. 6 meeting of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. In all, seven A&M System faculty members were designated Regents Professors for 2006-07.

“I knew early on when recruiting Dr. Ory from the National Institute on Aging to the School of Rural Public Health that we were gaining a faculty member with a strong drive toward educational and scholarly excellence, as well as having a direct impact on the community,” said Ciro Sumaya, M.D., M.P.H.T.M., Dean and Cox Endowed Chair of the HSC-SRPH.

Established in 1996, the Regents Professor Award is bestowed annually by the Board of Regents in recognition of awardees’ exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people of Texas. Since its adoption, 106 faculty members from universities, agencies and the HSC across the A&M System have been recognized with the award.

Dr. Ory is a national leader in the aging and health promotion field. She has made substantial contributions to identifying factors associated with healthy aging, as well as implementing and disseminating evidence-based programs for improving the health and functioning of older adults. Working collaboratively with a variety of community, state and national partners, she has advanced the science of public health translational research. She also is known for her excellence in mentoring the next generation of scholars and practitioners.

“It is indeed an honor to be recognized by the Board of Regents for work that not only advances science but also has the potential to benefit the lives of older Texans,” Dr. Ory said. “This recognition emphasizes the critical need for the systematic study of public health programs and policies that can help maximize the health and independence of the rapidly growing older population in our state and underscores the importance of ongoing research at the Texas A&M System.”

Award recipients are designated as Regents Professors for the duration of their service or employment within the A&M System, provided a $9,000 stipend payable in $3,000 increments over three consecutive years, and receive a special medallion bearing the seal of the A&M System and a framed certificate signed by the Chancellor and the Chairman of the Board of Regents.

The designation as Regents Professor places Dr. Ory on a growing list of HSC faculty members to receive this distinction. Second only to Texas A&M University in total recipients, the HSC is now home to 19 Regents Professors or Regents Professor Service Award holders, whose excellence in a variety of fields of expertise has earned them this recognition.

HSC faculty Catherine Hawes, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the HSC-SRPH; and William W. Hallmon, D.M.D., M.S., chair and professor of the Department of Periodontics at HSC-Baylor College of Dentistry, were named Regents Professors last year.