Faculty Promotion & Tenure Books

“A thought-provoking and insightful book by Sir Michael Marmot that continues his legacy and important work as chair of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health set up in 2005. This book and his previous WHO report published in 2008, Closing the Gap in a Generation, had a profound impact on my medical career.”

Camelia Arsene, M.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Medicine
Promoted to Clinical Associate Professor, 2023

"A highly impressive story of a woman scientist, Lise Meitner, who is driven by her passion for research and undeterred by others who undervalue her work."

Ritu Chakravarti, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Physiology & Pharmacology
Promoted to Associate Professor, 2023

"The chapter I wrote about IT [in a recent compilation*] was the best work I have ever done, and it was then that I knew I was ready to be promoted to Professor."

Daniel Compora, Ph.D.
College of Arts & Letters
Department of English Language & Literature
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"Lizzie Stark's work opened my mind to role-playing as an art form, and even more as a tool for making meaning of the world."

Jason Cox, Ph.D.
College of Arts & Letters
Department of Department of Art
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"One of the underlying themes of this book is that, although something may seem strange to you, there is often a logical reason behind it. You just don’t understand it (yet). These are words to live by for a person trying to understand cell biology."

W. Scott Crawley, Ph.D.
College of College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Department of Biological Sciences
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure 2023

"The Energy Bus is a fantastic reminder of the power of mindset. It has application for both work and personal life. Although I read this book many years ago, I often think of The Energy Bus when I am surrounded by negativity. Gordon is a great storyteller who illustrates how to turn negative energy into positive achievement. We make choices everyday; reflecting on how you perceive something can help you be more productive in the future. This book is a quick read and will have you considering where you can make changes to benefit your life and the lives of others."

Lori DeShetler, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Medical Education
Promoted to Associate Professor, 2023

"The first published use of the term 'multitask' was in an IBM paper was in 1965 to describe the capabilities of the IBM System/360. Since then, the term has since been applied to human tasks and became a high-demand skill on CVs. Over the decades, studies have demonstrated that multitasking is a myth and overrated and that deep work is more productive and effective. In this book, Cal Newport states that multitasking doesn't work, and the best work occurs when we're single-minded and in the zone. I recommend this book to my younger self, who struggled in their multitasking cognition test and chose deep work to go onward and upward."

Anju Gupta, Ph.D.
College of Engineering
Department of Department of Mechanical, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"My choice is not so much a book but a philosophical and practical approach to higher education. What is the Bologna Process? In a nutshell, it is a series of agreements among European countries to create a European Higher Education Area by standardizing academic degree structures and quality assurance standards. This work to harmonize higher education across borders and disciplines is powerful both in terms of philosophy and practice, especially in terms of developing curriculum and supporting student learning. The Bologna Agreements articulated many of the philosophies I hold dear as an educator and changed the way I approach curriculum and assessment development. The book I chose is one of several on this topic."

Noela Haughton, Ph.D.
Judith Herb College of Education
Department of Educational Studies
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"This book sparked my interest in the field of comparative religion and the study of philosophy in general."

Jennifer Hill, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Department of Physiology & Pharmacology
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"Watchmen opened my eyes to the many layerings of story, text, illustration, meaning, and allusions that could be brought together in a well-written graphic novel. This text will help illuminate many of the background references and historical context for new readers, giving them some of the joy of understanding the rich tapestry being woven that I felt upon many re-readings of the Watchmen."

Wade Lee-Smith, M.L.S.
University Libraries
Promoted to Professor, 2023

“This book is a memoir written by Dr. Stanley Falkow, who is considered the father of the field of molecular microbial pathogenesis. He offers insights into his 50-year career as a microbiologist, including details about his seminal discoveries, personal challenges, and training the next generation of leaders in the field. His profound fascination with bacteria and the process of scientific discovery is inspirational.”

Jyl Matson, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Granted Tenure, 2023

"This book revealed to me the importance of paradigm shift and character development in life."

Bindu Menon, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Medical Education
Promoted to Associate Professor, 2023

"Now in its hundredth year and still in print, having been translated to over one hundred languages, The Prophet has had its impact on numerous generations all over the world. Of the many chapters in the book, the one on work has been very influential in my life. I have always worked with love and passion, which has allowed me to advance, succeed, and find joy and well-being in my career."

George Moukarbel, M.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Medicine
Promoted to Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"I found my intellectual voice during the summer of 2020 when I was asked to give a sociological perspective on the national protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. The book, Oxygen Mask by Jason Reynolds, is a graphic novel portraying the story of trying to breathe while a deadly virus devastates the world and a man's breath is taken during an arrest. The book memorializes the summer of 2020 in prose and illustrations that reflect our humanity and the emotions we felt: anger, sadness, fear, worry, and even hope. This book is noteworthy for the historic moment that it captures so vividly."

Monita Mungo, Ph.D.
College of Arts & Letters
Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"When choosing my book for this, I was tempted to choose a classic that has been profound in my life for years. But I felt as if I had to choose this book, even though it was released in 2023. It came in to my life at the right moment. I was working on a proposal, and when I came across this book, it turned out to be exactly what I needed to complete the project. Famed music producer, Rick Rubin, encourages the artist (which he loosely defines) to stop trying to make art, and to instead tap in to the creative cosmic energy humming all around us. Creativity is a way of being rather than something to be produced. He says 'the ability to look deeply is the root of creativity. To see past the ordinary and mundane and to access what might otherwise be invisible.' This book helped me think through how all aspects of life-teaching, parenting, partnering, writing, conversing, and just being should be considered as creative process."

W. Benjamin Meyers, Ph.D.
College of Arts & Letters
Department of Communication
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"Since I was a teenager, I have been interested in the history of the American Revolution. As a graduate student I began to wonder what role women played on the politics of the revolution. A number of my professors discouraged me from pursuing this topic for my research because they claimed that women and gender played no role in the politics of the revolution. In this book, Linda Kerber proves them wrong. Here she demonstrates that women were engaged in the politics of the revolution and ideas about citizenship in the early republic. When I read this book, it changed my whole conception of women and gender in the revolutionary era, and it has since sparked a life-long interest in citizenship and the history of women in early American law and political culture."

Ami Pflugrad-Jackisch, Ph.D.
College of Arts & Letters
Department of History
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"My career interests have always been in optimizing the fit of technology in medicine and healthcare. I have been privileged to work closely with physicians of various specialties since I was early in my undergraduate career. I have always been interested in data and how we can simplify the decision-making process and optimize treatment and patient outcomes for healthcare providers. My doctoral research involved using machine learning to predict glucose values in inpatient and outpatient care settings. The foundation for this work began in 2002 when machine learning and artificial intelligence were not commonplace. Today I continue work in this field to not only improve patient care through automation and decision support, but via personalizing training and education of healthcare professionals to ensure they have the knowledge and skills required to function at peak performance in their clinical setting. Machine learning and AI will grow to be commonplace and help in a number of ways, and this book
highlights some of its potential to not only advance patient outcomes but to improve the human aspects of patient care."

Scott Pappada, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Anesthesiology
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"I bought this amazing book when I was a post-doc. It inspired me many times when I was down. It motivates one how to use one's mind to overcome sorrow, sadness and how to create positive vibrations. Additionally, it helps to rein in our mind which jumps off like a monkey from second to second and harness the power of the mind to invite health and wealth into our homes by seeking it the right way from the cosmos."

Dayanidhi Raman, Ph.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Cell & Cancer Biology
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"A book about spirituality and wisdom of sages that amazed me. Started my own pursuit of meditation and serenity."

Puneet Sindhwani, M.D.
College of Medicine & Health Sciences
Department of Urology
Granted Tenure, 2023

“This beautiful book provides very concise and accessible exposition of some fundamental topics which lie in the intersection of several important branches of mathematics.”

Akaki Tikaradze, Ph.D.
College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
Promoted to Professor, 2023

“In this thought-provoking book, Timothy Morton introduces the concept of 'Hyperobjects' -- structures that exist beyond the boundaries of human scale and temporal perception. These structures elude direct observation. Our only detection method is by experiencing local instances of these larger systems or objects. Contemplating the existence of such structures offers an opportunity to reevaluate the significance of our species within the vast expanse of the universe.”

Barry Whittaker, M.F.A.
College of College of Arts & Letters
Department of Art
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"Emotional intelligence (EI) is the foundation of understanding ourselves and others. As a leadership researcher and practitioner, sharing the EI skill set with students and professionals has been the most profound opportunity of my career. Seeing others develop themselves to become more effective, confident, and influential leaders is an incredible gift. Emotional Intelligence is a transformative text that has helped me, as well as countless others, develop their EI and, in turn, develop future generations of leaders."

Jenell Witmer, Ph.D.
John B. & Lillian E. Neff College of Business & Innovation
Department of Management
Promoted to Professor, 2023

"The Three-Body Problem is a science fiction novel written by the Chinese writer Cixin Liu. The story combines elements of hard science, philosophy, and political intrigue as it explores humanity's first contact with an alien civilization. It is a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating read that offers a wide range of insights into science, culture, and human nature. As one of my favorites, this book shapes my worldview and inspires me to engage more deeply with the world."

Yue Zhang, Ph.D.
John B. & Lillian E. Neff College of Business & Innovation
Department of Information Systems & Supply Chain Management
Promoted to Associate Professor & Granted Tenure, 2023

"The Bible was the most influential book in my life and has had a deep imprint on my personality, character, and the way I treat other people. Love your neighbor as yourself, serving others, placing interests of others before your own, and helping those who suffer all stem from its teachings and would be great traits of any person, but especially of a medical doctor. I grew up in the former Soviet Union and being a believer had its implications. I was told by one of my teachers that I wouldn't be able to be a teacher or a doctor because I believed in God. Many years later, I can say that only because of God and his help in my life, I am where I am today, being promoted to associate professor at an American university."

Svitlana Zhukivska, M.D.
College of Medicine & Life Sciences
Department of Family Medicine
Promoted to Associate Professor, 2023