The Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics is proud to share that the following seven faculty members received promotions and/or were granted tenure:
Jason DeFreitas, Exercise Science
Awarded Tenure
Jason DeFreitas, Ph.D., joined Falk College in the Department of Exercise Science as a professor and department chair in 2024. He earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, where he later became a faculty member, spending 11 years teaching classes primarily focused on neuroanatomy and neuromuscular physiology.
His research focuses on how the brain controls movement and how aging and training change that control system. While at Oklahoma State, he won several university-wide awards for his research.
DeFreitas was among the second cohort of the Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research, a grant program that enables early career investigators with labs in the United States and Canada to advance research projects in basic biology of aging and geroscience projects that pave the way for healthspan-expanding therapeutics and treatments.
“Dr. DeFreitas has established himself as a highly productive scholar in neuromuscular physiology and exercise neuroscience,” says Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan. “His publication record demonstrates both quantity and quality, with 91 peer-reviewed articles that have garnered over 2,500 citations. Of his total publications, he has maintained first or senior author position on 54 percent of papers, demonstrating his leadership role in research collaborations.”
Ignatius Ijere, Public Health
Promoted to Teaching Professor
His expertise is in the areas of mental illness and addiction with professional experience as a mental health and addiction counselor with the Gateway Foundation and Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers. He previously served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Public Health at the College of DuPage, Waubonsee Community College, and St. Augustine Community College.
“Peer and student evaluations of Dr. Ijere’s teaching performance are consistently positive and describe a deeply respectful professor who cares about student well-being,” Department of Public Health Chair David Larsen says. “They also a describe an approach to teaching which is skillful, particularly when it comes to organizing complex and/or difficult material in ways that students can understand. Dr Ijere has taught an incredibly diverse menu of courses, and I laud his willingness to step in and teach courses on overload that are critical to department success.”
Jeremy Losak, Sport Analytics
Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
He is one of the faculty members who organizes and runs the Berlin Sports Analytics Academy, a program that brings high school students from across the country to Syracuse University over the summer to provide them with an immersive, hands-on college preview.
“Jeremy is an outstanding teacher and mentor, known for his dedication to student success both inside and outside the classroom,” says Sport Management Professor Rodney Paul, Ph.D., director of the Sport Analytics program. “His engaging teaching style and accessibility have made a lasting impact on the Sport Analytics program.
“Jeremy’s research spans sport economics, sports betting, and fantasy sports, with work published in leading journals such as the Journal of Sport Economics and the International Journal of Sport Finance,” Paul adds. “This is a well-earned recognition of his contributions across teaching, mentoring, and scholarship. Congratulations, Jeremy!”
Miriam Mutambudzi, Public Health
Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Mutambudzi served as a research associate in the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and a guest epidemiology professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, including the European Journal of Ageing, Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science, and the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
“Dr. Mutambudzi has established herself as a leading scholar in life-course epidemiology, with expertise in examining how socially patterned exposures and cumulative biological burden influence disease risk and health outcomes in older adults,” says Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan. “Her research portfolio demonstrates both impressive productivity and significant impact on the field.”
Lisa Olson-Gugerty, Public Health
Promoted to Teaching Professor
Olson-Gugerty is a nurse practitioner who maintains an outside practice as an emergency healthcare provider at a regional community healthcare center. She earned her Doctor of Health Science (D.HSc.) from Nova Southeastern University, and she also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida, a master’s degree in Nursing, Family Primary Care, from SUNY Upstate Medical University, and a bachelor’s degree in health science from SUNY Cortland.
Olson-Gugerty has served as a faculty thought leader by granting interviews to several top media outlets, including most recently ABC News, Yahoo Life, and Parade.
“Professor Olson-Gugerty has a background as both a practicing clinician and an academic,” says Department of Public Health Chair David Larsen. “This has informed her teaching philosophy, which emphasizes real word applications and the development of student critical thinking skills. She is dedicated to the student experience and works to create an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment.”
Stefanie Pilkay, Social Work
Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Pilkay’s scholarship addresses longstanding needs to better understand the relationships between adversity, epigenetic changes, and developmental outcomes including health and behavior to improve treatment and prevention outcomes for children and adolescents with health and behavioral issues exposed to poverty, stress, and environmental toxicants. Dr. Pilkay’s pioneering studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and her work has been supported by external grants. She has investigated particularly important questions of relevance to social work and genetics, especially in her pioneering work on trauma and its impact on gene expression.
“Dr. Pilkay is an exceptional addition to our faculty, and we are thrilled to welcome our newest colleague to our ranks!” says School of Social Work Chair Carrie Jefferson Smith.
Xiafei Wang, Social Work
Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Wang’s scholarship addresses childhood trauma, intergenerational transmission of trauma, resilience, and the roles of race, gender, rural culture, and military experiences. Her work provides direct implications for designing programs and policies for diverse people experiencing trauma.
Awarded the Falk College Faculty of the Year Award for Excellence in Research in 2021, Wang has published extensively in high-impact journals and in chapters of peer-reviewed books. She has established a robust record of external funding from notable sources, including the Health Resources Services Administration and National Institute of Health.
“Dr. Wang has contributed substantially to the teaching and service environments of our program,” School of Social Work Chair Carrie Jefferson Smith says. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Wang as a fully tenured colleague, and we anticipate a bright future as she continues to influence future directions in our understanding of trauma.”
As part of Syracuse University’s go-forward plan announced this past fall for the Falk College human dynamics programs, the Department of Public Health will join the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the School of Social Work will be housed in the School of Education starting July 1, 2025.