White House awards UB professor the nation’s highest honor in STEM mentoring

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).

The award is the nation’s highest honor for science, mathematics and engineering mentors. On Jan. 13, President Joe Biden honored 25 Americans receiving the prestigious PAESMEM award, in addition to more than 300 receiving the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAESMT).

The PAESMEM awards are presented to those who’ve demonstrated excellence in mentoring individuals from groups underrepresented in STEM education and the workforce. It recognizes outstanding efforts to encourage and mentor the next generation of STEM innovators.

A National Science Foundation selection committee assesses nominations before recommending awardees to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Power of mentoring

“Dr. Margarita Dubocovich has demonstrated constant innovation and unwavering commitment to mentoring future generations of biomedical, behavioral and STEM scientists,” says Allison Brashear, MD, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School. “This award is a well-deserved recognition for her transformational and far-reaching efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion in STEM and for the lasting impression she’s made on the research community at UB and beyond.”

Dubocovich says the award reflects the power of mentoring and honors the many successful mentees whom she’s guided.

“Receiving the Presidential Award is an incredible honor and affirmation of my passion for mentoring the next generation of STEM scientists,” she says. “I know firsthand the power of mentoring that shaped my own journey from humble beginnings to a successful scientific career. This award is a tribute to my own mentors and the dedication and success of the many mentees I have advised and guided on my own research team, in the institutional programs I developed and in professional societies.”

Raised in rural Argentina, Dubocovich says exceptional teachers and mentors stimulated her interest in science from an early age and shaped her career and devotion to mentoring.

“As a doctoral student and junior scientist, I experienced one-on-one mentoring that helped shape my career,” she says. “This experience promoted a strong interest in mentoring students and junior scientists, particularly women and individuals from underserved backgrounds, and a strong desire to have everyone experience personal and professional success.”

Each PAESMEM awardee will receive a citation signed by the president and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. Awardees will also travel to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony at a future date.

Dubocovich served as chair of the Jacobs School’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology from 2008 to 2016, following 26 years on the faculty at Northwestern University, where she remains professor emerita of pharmacology at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

As chair at UB, she worked to expand and restructure the department, increase the faculty and enhance research programs, as well as undergraduate and graduate teaching.

Her continuous efforts to support diversity and inclusion in STEM led to her establishing and directing the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement at the Jacobs School.

Inaugural dean for diversity and inclusion

In 2012, she was named the school’s inaugural senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion. In this role, Dubocovich developed guidelines and boosted resources to attract diverse faculty and implemented programs to enhance diversity and inclusion among educational programs while continuing to mentor junior faculty.

An internationally renowned researcher, Dubocovich has long studied the brain hormone melatonin and its impact on sleep disorders, circadian rhythms, depression, reproduction and body weight.

Her work has led to the discovery of key molecules that either mimic effects of melatonin to signal darkness or counteract its effects to mimic light. One such molecule is luzindole, a competitive melatonin receptor antagonist with antidepressant-like activity in mouse models. 

While active as a scholar, Dubocovich has continually mentored students, faculty and junior scientists, helping them pursue career goals across academia, industry and government sectors.

While at Northwestern, Dubocovich launched the Collaborative Learning and Integrated Mentoring in the Biosciences (CLIMB) Program focused on doctoral students’ advancement and creating an inclusive environment to share challenges and successes with peers.

At UB, the CLIMB program grew to include four divisions, creating a pipeline from undergraduate student to faculty, and the program was expanded across campus to serve all UB schools that provide degrees in STEM disciplines.

Dubocovich also co-founded and co-directed UB’s Institute for Strategic Enhancement of Educational Diversity (iSEED), which promotes diverse scholar communities, from undergraduates to faculty, across the university.

At UB, she continues to secure external funding and serve as principal investigator and director on national awards and grants aimed at recruitment, retention, and career and professional development of undergraduates, doctoral students and other scholars.

Dubocovich has been the principal investigator and lead of UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Award-linked mentor career development award for the past 10 years and director of the CTSA K Scholar Program, which supports recruitment, training and mentoring for junior faculty and senior fellows becoming independent investigators.

Dubocovich is also principal investigator and director of the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (2012-present). IMSD funds doctoral students engaged in biomedical and behavioral science.

“Dr. Dubocovich’ s extraordinary mentorship and unwavering dedication to her students have profoundly shaped my scientific journey and continue to inspire me as I progress in my career,” says Chongyang Zhang, PhD, a former UB undergraduate research assistant, master’s student and Dubocovich mentee.

“Dr. Dubocovich’s ability to inspire, guide and nurture her trainees is unparalleled, and I am privileged to count myself among the many students whose lives she has transformed,” says Zhang, now a pediatrics postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University.

As the recipient of numerous awards from UB and many different prestigious organizations, Dubocovich has been well recognized for her dedication to mentorship, promotion of diversity, research achievements and support for scholars across all levels.

Her numerous awards for scientific achievement include the ASPET Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology, the Aaron B. Lerner Award for Outstanding Contributions to Melatonin Research and the PhRMA Foundation Award in Excellence in Pharmacology and Toxicology.