The Dickson Emeritus Professorship Award is funded from a gift endowment established by the late Edward A. Dickson, Regent of the University of California, to honor outstanding research, scholarly work, teaching, and service performed by an Emeritus or Emerita Professor since retirement.
Four UCLA emeriti professors have been selected to receive the 2023 – 2024 Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship Award, which includes a prize of $5,000: Professor Emeritus Alan J. Ardell, Distinguished Research Professor Thomas Coates, Distinguished Research Professor Robert Ettenger, and Distinguished Research Professor Teofilo Ruiz.
Alan J. Ardell, Professor Emeritus of Material Sciences and Engineering, retired in 2006. Since retirement, Professor Ardell has continued to be extremel
productive both in terms of service and research. He is widely recognized as a world leader in the field of microstructural evolution in alloys and one of his
notable strengths lies in his ability to bridge theory and experiment. Shortly after retiring, he became the Program Director for Metals and Metallic
Nanostructures at the National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research and he has also served on numerous committees and review panels for the
NSF, Department of Defense and the US Department of Energy to name a few. He has continued his research agenda and publishes actively, with 23 papers
published in first-rate peer-reviewed journals, a number of which have received significant attention. Of particular note, one of his theories was proven in NASA
microgravity experiments on the International Space Station. Professor Ardell’s high standing among his colleagues is indicated by the significant number of
invited presentations that he has given at national and international conferences since his retirement. And, in recognition of his contributions to his field he was
awarded the prestigious Oleg Sherby Award from The Metallurgical Society.
Thomas J. Coates, Distinguished Research Professor of Medicine, retired in 2018. Dr. Coates is known for his global efforts for HIV prevention research and
his body of work in HIV has led to important benefits for many people around the world. Since retirement, he has continued to display an unparalleled
commitment to the University, to mentorship and the transmission of knowledge, and in the field of global health. His distinguished post‐retirement service
includes a leadership role as the Director of the University of California Global Health Institute for the UC Office of the President, which he held until 2022.
Additionally, he has continued to serve as the Chair of the South General Institutional Review Board (IRB), where he helps investigators navigate all the
regulatory requirements for conducting patient-oriented research. Dr. Coates continued his transformative impact by delivering cutting‐edge research and
providing unwavering guidance to medical students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. He served as principal investigator on an R01 award from NIMH and
three separate awards from the Hilton Foundation, in addition to his ongoing participation in research as a co-investigator on grants led by his mentees -
displaying his commitment to fostering the next generation of scholars. Since retirement, he has authored seventy-five peer‐reviewed publications and has
made incredible scientific contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention.
Robert Ettenger, Distinguished Research Professor in Pediatrics, retired in 2014. Dr. Ettenger is recognized as a long-standing leader in the field of pediatric
renal transplantation and his research contributions have fundamentally changed the practice of transplantation medicine. Since retirement, he continues
groundbreaking research focusing on improved drug developments and long-term renal transplants for children. In this period, he has produced 22 original
research publications and a review article in esteemed journals, has had innovative research in transplant diagnostics supported by several clinical trials, and
served as a principal investigator on a Bristol Meyers Squibb sponsored Clinical Trial, as well as served as Co-PI on several investigations. He serves on safety
monitoring boards for two studies and currently leads a North American multicenter research team investigating novel molecular and gene expression profiles to
diagnose and treat otherwise undiagnosed rejection. Dr. Ettenger has received numerous awards and named lectures, notably receiving the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the American Society of Transplantation, the highest honor bestowed on a member for significant contributions to the society and to
transplantation. He continues scientific mentoring of residents and fellows, continues clinical input at weekly patient care and biopsy review conferences, as well
as serving on department committees and in the UCLA ACE Mentoring Program for UCLA Staff. He remains the beacon of wisdom for the division for
essentially all patient care, transplant policy, and research-related questions.
Teofilo Ruiz, Distinguished Research Professor of History and Spanish and Portuguese retired in 2019. Professor Ruiz is among a handful of distinguished
medieval historians and has continued with an exceptional rate of scholarly activity. He has published at least 13 articles and essays in various international
journals and books, with an additional three papers in press and another book in preparation. Professor Ruiz demonstrates his strong commitment to the
academic mission by continuing to teach undergraduate lecture classes such as his extremely popular History 2C Religion, Occult, and Science: Mystics,
Heretics, and Witches in Western Tradition, 1000-1600 course that garners enrollments of over 360 students, Fiat Lux seminars, and has been invited to teach
advanced international courses in Rome, Budapest, and Paris, to mention just a few. He has also led educational UCLA Alumni Travel Tours to varied locales,
such as the Amalfi Coast, Provence, Iceland, Cuba and Morocco. Professor Ruiz has received numerous honors during this period, including having the
International Jornadas Historicas in Najera, Spain dedicated to him for his contribution to the history of Medieval Iberia (2023), was the Lester Little Resident
Fellow at the American Academy in Rome (2019) and received the 2022 Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association which is the
highest honor accorded a historian in this country for their scholarly work.
Please join me in wishing them all well-deserved congratulations for outstanding contributions to their respective fields since retirement and for serving as powerful examples of intellectual and professional achievement.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Levine
Chair, Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship Award Selection Committee
Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs & Personnel
