University News

Accolades: Art Historian Earns Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship

David J. Getsy, the Eleanor Shea Professor of Art History, has been awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, recognizing his groundbreaking research at the intersection of art history, queer studies, trans studies and performance studies. Getsy’s work has significantly contributed to understanding how non-normative genders and sexualities have shaped art and cultural history.

Getsy, who joined the UVA faculty in 2021, has focused his recent research on performance and art in the 1970s and 1980s. His latest book, “Queer Behavior: Scott Burton and Performance Art,” received the 2023 Robert Motherwell Book Award for outstanding publication in the history and criticism of modernism in the arts.

Getsy’s new research delves into the often-overlooked world of street performances in New York City during the 1970s. Marked by the rise of the gay rights movement and clashes between protesters and law enforcement in New York City in 1969 known as the Stonewall Uprising, this period of American history saw a surge in visibility for queer and trans communities. Getsy’s project investigates how performance artists of the time used the streets as a stage to engage with new audiences and assert their presence in public life.

“David Getsy’s bold and innovative research exemplifies the type of interdisciplinary scholarship we value at UVA,” said Christa Acampora, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “His work expands the boundaries of art history, challenging and reshaping the ways we think about identity, culture, and representation in profound and urgent ways.”

Given to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exemplary creative ability in the arts, the Guggenheim Fellowship will provide Getsy with the support needed to complete his current project and dedicate more time to his research, furthering his work to recover histories of public engagement that are in danger of being lost.

Reflecting on the impact of the fellowship, Getsy said, “This award makes a big impact. The Guggenheim Fellowship is particularly significant because it spans the arts, humanities, the sciences and the social sciences – the full range of human inquiry. It is interdisciplinary in the broadest possible sense, and it signals that one’s work is contributing to wider discussions beyond an individual field of study.”

Data Science Professor Selected as a 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellow

Jess Reia, an assistant professor of data science, received a 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. Endowed by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program was established in 2015 to provide philanthropic support to extraordinary scholars and writers for high-caliber research in the humanities and social sciences.

Reia, who also serves as a faculty co-lead at the UVA Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, is one of 26 fellowship winners in the Class of 2025 chosen from more than 300 nominees. Each recipient receives a $200,000 stipend to support research aimed at understanding how and why society has become polarized, and identifying ways to strengthen cohesion and fortify democracy.

Jess Reia, a faculty co-lead at the UVA Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, is one of 26 Carnegie Fellowship winners chosen from more than 300 nominees. (UVA School of Data Science photo)

The award is for a period of up to two years, and the anticipated result is generally a book or major study.

Reia’s project, “Building Bridges and Re-imagining Responses to Fight Anti-Trans Polarization in the U.S.,” will investigate the role of digital technologies – especially those relying on big data and artificial intelligence models – in the growing polarization around gender identity.

They will explore how media, legislation and policy both shape and reflect societal attitudes toward gender identity, while researching how gender minorities tell their stories, preserve their memories and contribute to data collection initiatives that affirm their visibility.

Reia’s studies have revolved around topics of data justice, urban governance and technology policy transnationally. For the past decade, their research and advocacy agenda has focused on fostering dialogues between academia, government and civil society in three countries: Brazil, Canada and the United States.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and so proud of Jess for receiving this incredible honor,” Phil Bourne, Stephenson Dean of the School of Data Science, said. “It’s a testament to the work they’re doing, and brings great credit to the School of Data Science. It is what we aspire to do and be.”

UVA Health University Medical Center Among Nation’s Top Weight-Loss Centers

UVA Health University Medical Center has been named to Newsweek’s inaugural list of the 200 best weight-loss clinics and centers in America.

“I want to share my congratulations to this amazing team. I have the privilege of speaking with many patients in the community, and they frequently mention our weight-loss team as their trusted care providers, walking with them through their entire journey,” said Wendy Horton, chief executive officer of UVA Health University Medical Center. “I greatly appreciate the incredible work they do and the difference they make every day.”

A recent issue of Newsweek names UVA Health University Medical Center as one of the 200 best weight-loss clinics and centers in America. (University Communications photo)

Newsweek partnered with data gathering firm Statista to name America’s Best Weight Loss Clinics & Centers 2025, “recognizing 200 facilities across the country that have helped people achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss,” according to the news publication. The list is based on criteria including a national survey of care professionals with knowledge of weight-loss programs, and accreditation by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

UVA Health’s program includes access to weight-loss medications, comprehensive weight-loss surgery options, nutrition support, exercise plans and mental health support.

School of Medicine Professor Wins Ethics Award

Mary Faith Marshall, who directs the Center for Health Humanities and Ethics at the School of Medicine, received the Society of Critical Care in Medicine’s Grenvik Award for Ethics.

Mary Faith Marshall directs the Center for Health Humanities and Ethics at UVA’s School of Medicine. (University Communications photo)

Marshall has chaired the society’s Ethics Committee and the 19-member panel that recently developed its new clinical practice guideline for adult end-of-life care in the ICU. She was elected as a Fellow of the College of Critical Care Medicine in 1992.

The Grevnik Family Award for Ethics is given each year to recognize a society member who has devoted significant efforts toward ethical problems in critical care. The award recognizes a person who promotes humanistic and ethical values in critical care.

Association Honors UVA Sustainability Leader

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education designated Andrea Trimble, UVA’s sustainability director, as one of 10 recipients of its inaugural Fellows Awards, recognizing mid-career individuals making contributions to the advancement of sustainability in higher education.

UVA Sustainability Director Andrea Trimble is among 10 recipients of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s inaugural Fellows Awards. (University Communications photo)

Trimble has been a leader in sustainability in higher education for more than 19 years. She leads UVA’s Office for Sustainability team, guiding strategic planning and programs that drive engagement, communication, analysis and sustainable operations across the University. Before coming to UVA in 2013, she managed Harvard University’s sustainable building program, taught courses in design and sustainability, and worked in architecture, historic preservation and sustainability consulting.

Two Professors’ Scholarship Among 10 Best Corporate Law Articles of the Year

Papers co-written by School of Law professors Mitu Gulati and Cathy Hwang have been named two of the top 10 corporate and securities law articles of 2024.

In the poll, conducted for Corporate Practice Commentator, academics chose the 10 best articles from a list of more than 300 possibilities.

Hwang’s work has earned recognition from the poll six times, placing her among the top three authors honored over the past five years.

Portraits of Mitu Gulati, left, and Cathy Hwang, right

UVA Law professors Mitu Gulati, left, and Cathy Hwang are the co-writers of two of the top 10 corporate and securities law articles of 2024, according to a poll of academics conducted for Corporate Practice Commentator. (Left photo contributed; right photo by Julia Davis)

Her paper, “The Lost Promise of Private Ordering,” published in the Cornell Law Review, is co-written with professors Jeremy McClane of the University of Illinois College of Law and Yaron Nili of Duke University School of Law. The article discusses the persistent challenge in corporate law of protecting investors when managers misuse or recklessly spend company funds, noting loan covenants have traditionally served as a tool for lenders to mitigate this risk by requiring borrowers to adhere to certain conditions.

Gulati’s paper, “Contract Production in M&A Markets,” published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, is co-written with professors Stephen J. Choi of New York University School of Law, Matthew Jennejohn of Brigham Young University’s Law School and Robert E. Scott of Columbia University Law School. Scott is also a former UVA Law dean and professor.

The paper examines how contract terms are designed to incentivize parties to fulfill their obligations, explaining that while much attention has been paid to this issue, the trade-offs between standard and customized terms remain understudied.

Corporate Practice Commentator is a set of journals featuring articles written on all aspects of corporate law. The articles poll began in 1994. Past polls have also recognized UVA Law professors Michal Barzuza, Quinn Curtis, Kristen Eichensehr, George S. Geis, Edmund W. Kitch and Paul G. Mahoney.