Dr. Mariana Morris and Dr. Tracey Sutton Receive Prestigious Provost’s Research and Scholarship Award from NSU

For the second time in NSU history, there were two Provost’s Research and Scholarship Award winners.  Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Executive Vice President and Interim Provost Ron Chenail, Ph.D., presented Mariana Morris, Ph.D., and Tracey Sutton, Ph.D each with the 9th Annual Provost’s Research and Scholarship Award.

The purpose of the award is to recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated significant achievement in support of NSU’s mission to foster scholarship, intellectual inquiry, and academic excellence. Research and scholarship are two of NSU’s eight core values, and excellence in these areas enhances education, patient care, and public service, and develops superior scholarship.

The announcement was made at the External Funding Recognition Reception, hosted by Gary S. Margules, Sc.D., vice president of NSU’s Office of Research and Technology Transfer. At this event, faculty members from all disciplines across the university are recognized for their commitment to advancing their fields of study.

“Today, as shared, I am extremely proud to honor two faculty members whose extraordinary accomplishments distinguish them in a community of bright, thoughtful, and engaged people.” said Dr. Chenail.

Dr. Mariana Morris from the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine is known as an outstanding academic leader and well recognized in the field of Gulf War Illness. She has a strong record in biomedical research and minority training, as well as a strong record in administrative experience and program direction.   Dr. Morris’s critical focus for the last 10 years has been on cardiovascular toxicology, specifically the effects of cholinergic antagonists and nerve agent (sarin) including interest in exercise modulation.

Dr. Tracey Sutton from the Halmos College of Natural Sciences & Oceanography is not only considered one of the world’s foremost authorities in pelagic ecosystem dynamics, he is also an internationally recognized leader in the larger field of deep-sea research.  To date, Tracey has garnered over $24 million in extramural research funding in 6 years at NSU.   He currently serves as Director and Principal Investigator of, the DEEPEND Consortium, a 5.5-year, $10 million research program with 80 participants from 22 institutions.

Previous Provosts Research and Scholarship Award winners include*:

2018: Linda Sobell, Ph.D., NSU College of Psychology

2017: Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography

2016: Robert Speth, Ph.D., NSU College of Pharmacy

2015: Nancy Klimas, M.D., NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine

2014: Sam Purkis, Ph.D., M.B.A, NSU Oceanographic Center

2013: Raymond Ownby, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine

2012: Bernard Riegl, Ph.D., NSU Oceanographic Center

2012: Steven Kurtz, Ph.D., NSU’s Division of Applied Interdisciplinary Studies

2011: Mark B. Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP, NSU Center for Psychological Studies

*Denotes college names at the time the award was presented