Celebrating the College of Medicine’s 2026 UF Research Foundation Professors
Five of the college’s faculty members were included among the 34 named universitywide
May 6, 2026 — The University of Florida Research Foundation, or UFRF, has recognized 34 faculty members as UFRF Professors for 2026, including five from the College of Medicine. Honorees are selected in recognition of a strong track record of research excellence and their work to advance discovery, creativity and innovation across the university. View the list of College of Medicine’s 2026 honorees below.
Paramita Chakrabarty, Ph.D.
An associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Paramita Chakrabarty, Ph.D., investigates how neuroinflammation influences onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her work seeks to understand how peripheral inflammation impacts brain health, a research question that arose from an interest in discovering whether sepsis-induced inflammation can accelerate cognitive decline in those at higher risk of developing dementia.
Through collaborations with colleagues in neuroscience, surgery, pharmacology and psychiatry, she and her team found that brain cells react rapidly to sepsis, with some effects lingering. Her goal is to help guide personalized treatments and to understand whether inflammatory episodes occurring over a lifetime make the brain more vulnerable to dementias.
In addition to her research, she supports the next generation of scientists by mentoring pre-doctoral trainees through a National Institutes of Health T32 training program in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Phyllis Hendry, M.D.
A tenured professor and associate chair of research in the Department of Emergency Medicine – Jacksonville, Phyllis Hendry, M.D., focuses her research on pediatric readiness of emergency medical services agencies and emergency departments in Florida and on integrative pain management and education of children and adults. Her research portfolio has secured millions in funding.
She and her team founded the Pain Assessment and Management Initiative, which aims to improve pain outcomes for patients through non-opioid and multidisciplinary approaches. A pediatric emergency physician, she also launched the Pediatric Emergency Care Safety Initiative and the Florida PEDReady program, which both focus on enhancing the skillsets of medical professionals to identify and properly treat high-risk pediatric patients who present in emergent situations.
As medical director of the Florida Emergency Medical Services for Children State Partnership Program, a statewide initiative focused on improving emergency care systems for pediatric patients, she ensures children have access to high-quality care.
Brian Hoh, M.D., M.B.A.
The James and Brigitte Marino Family Professor and chair of the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, Brian Hoh, M.D., M.B.A., is an expert in the treatment of brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, cavernous malformations, carotid stenosis, moyamoya disease, hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, brain cysts and brain tumors, including meningiomas, glioblastoma and astrocytomas.
In his NIH-funded lab, he investigates the mechanisms for the development and formation of cerebral aneurysms, why they rupture and the acute and delayed neural injury that occurs after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Hoh, who also serves as chief of medical staff for UF Health Shands, leads clinical trials studying the best treatment to prevent stroke for patients with intracranial atherosclerosis and has been consistently named a top-funded investigator nationally in neurosurgery, based on Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings.
He has been a faculty member at UF since 2006 and previously received the 2024 UF College of Medicine Outstanding Research Scientist Award in Clinical, Data or Artificial Intelligence Sciences.
Todd Manini, Ph.D.
A professor in the Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics and chief of the Division of Clinical and Population Health Integration, Todd Manini, Ph.D., is known for his contributions and expertise in the gerontological understanding of mobility deficits during the aging process and the impacts of health events in late life.
Interim director of the UF Institute on Aging and co-director of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Manini has conducted both observational studies and clinical trials in populations of frail and low-functioning older adults, with a focus on expanding interdisciplinary aging research and education to improve the field’s understanding of healthy aging across the lifespan and provide real-world solutions that improve function, support independence and enhance quality of life for older adults.
In addition to his internationally recognized contributions, Manini directs the NIH/NIA-sponsored T32 Translational Research on Aging and Mobility Program, which provides interdisciplinary training for future leaders in aging research, and serves as the associate editor of the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
Robert McKenna, Ph.D.
A professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and director of the Center for Structural Biology, Robert McKenna, Ph.D., studies adeno-associated virus, or AAV, to understand its molecular mechanisms, modulate the virus and improve targeted gene therapy treatments.
His research focuses on interpreting how the structure of a biological molecule plays a role in its function. His lab uses the techniques of X-ray and neutron crystallography and in-silico modeling to obtain 3D structural information and correlate this to mutational, kinetic and biochemical data. This leads to a structural map of the biological molecule in the context of its function. By understanding the mechanisms of how the system works, McKenna aims to develop therapeutic strategies to treat diseases attributed to these targeted biological molecules.
McKenna has been a faculty member at UF since 1999 and previously received the 2025 UF College of Medicine Outstanding Research Scientist Award in Basic or Translational Sciences.
