June 2026 Faculty Promotions – Chobanian & Avedisian SOM
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their June 2026 appointment or promotion.
Professor
Colin Duckett, PhD, Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, is a scholar, immunologist and molecular biologist who joins the BU community as the University Provost and Chief Academic Officer. He previously served as executive vice dean for basic and preclinical science at Duke University School of Medicine. His research focuses on apoptosis and cancer biology. He is a leader in understanding inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), regulatory proteins that serve to prevent programmed cell death and maintain cell survival, which play key roles in innate immunity and cancer. Duckett’s group published landmark papers describing the role of IAP in copper homeostasis and apoptosis, and his scholarly work has highlighted their importance in cellular signaling and development. These accomplishments were recognized with an appointment as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lori Lerner, MD, Urology, specializes in Holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP), a surgery for men with symptomatic benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). She was one of the first urologists to perform HoLEP in the United States after learning the technique during her clinical fellowship in New Zealand and has since taught and presented this technique around the world. Lerner serves as chief of the section of urology and associate chief of surgical service at VA Boston Healthcare System. She also is chief surgical consultant of VISN 1 (New England region) of the national VA Healthcare System.
Jose Rafael Romero, MD, Neurology, is a vascular neurologist with clinical and research interests in cerebrovascular disease from subclinical to clinical stages. He has invested his career in the prevention of stroke, vascular cognitive impairment and dementia, and promotion of recovery after stroke. Through his ongoing funded research for over 15 years, he has advanced understanding of cerebral small vessel disease using neuroimaging in the epidemiological study of cerebrovascular disease and its consequences, including as leading investigator in the Stroke program in the Framingham Heart Study. He has served in various roles for advancement of cerebrovascular research and clinical care, including as chair of committees at the American Stroke Association and American Heart Association and as a member of NIH study sections. Dr. Romero is an attending neurologist in the stroke unit at Boston Medical Center, where he also directs a stroke prevention clinic, and is site principal investigator for stroke prevention clinical trials.
Clinical Professor
Steve Feske, MD, Neurology, is a clinician-scientist with specific expertise in stroke and cerebrovascular disease and critical care neurology. He is a clinical researcher in stroke pathophysiology and epidemiology and therapeutic trials relevant to stroke. The vice chair of education for the department, he is widely known for one of the most utilized textbooks in neurology, Samuel and Feske’s Office Practice of Neurology. He also serves as the leader of the department’s vascular neurology division and Boston Medical Center’s Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center.
Associate Professor
Sona Chikarmane, MD, Radiology, is a diagnostic radiologist who serves as section chief of breast imaging at Boston Medical Center (BMC). She oversees clinical operations and leads efforts to deliver high-quality, patient-centered breast imaging services across the BMC Health System and its affiliated health centers. Prior to joining BU and BMC, Chikarmane was on the faculty at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where she served as division chief of breast imaging and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. During her time at Brigham and Women’s Hospital she held several leadership roles, including associate director for the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program and associate chair of professional development for the department of radiology.
Anica Law, MD, MS, Medicine/Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care, is a pulmonary and critical care physician, clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher with a focus on understanding determinants of outcomes after critical illness. The goal of her research is to better inform decision-making during critical illness and the optimal delivery of care after acute critical illness. She is PI on the R01, “Quantifying Uncertainty to Inform Time-Limited Trials of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation” (scored in the 1st percentile at NIH/NHLBI), which seeks to improve patient and family engagement in early prognostication for mechanically ventilated patients. An attending pulmonologist at Boston Medical Center, Law also serves as deputy editor at CHEST Critical Care and on the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Project Review Committee. She previously served as chair of the ATS Critical Care Assembly Planning Committee, and has received ATS Fellow designation as a mark of distinction.
Maureen K. O’Connor, PsyD, Neurology, is a neuropsychologist whose foundation-, NIH- and VA ORD-funded research focuses on developing and implementing interventions designed to improve patient functioning and reduce caregiver burden for aging adults and those with neurodegenerative diseases. O’Connor leads the research education component of the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, focused on training next generation dementia researchers. She serves as director of neuropsychology and director of the neuropsychology training program at the Bedford VA. She has mentored more than 100 trainees. She also provides patient care through the Bedford VA memory diagnostic clinic, dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of older veterans with suspected neurodegenerative disease, which also serves as a training site for BU medical students. In addition, O’Connor is an active research investigator within the VA New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center.
Beth Cohen, MD, Medicine/Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, is an endocrinologist who specializes in gender-affirming hormone therapy and care for transgender and gender diverse individuals. Her additional areas of interest include the evaluation and treatment of hypogonadism (estrogen or testosterone deficiency) and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome or PMOS (previously polycystic ovarian syndrome/PCOS). She serves as medical director of the GenderCare Center and ambulatory co-medical director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management Clinic at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Cohen developed the PISCES curriculum on gender-affirming care for first-year medical students, directs the fourth-year medical student Gender Care elective, and contributes as a lecturer and subject-matter expert for the school’s Student Gender and Sexual Diversity Track. Cohen also provides education and clinical support on gender-affirming hormone therapy to clinicians at Boston University’s Student Health Services and mentors medical students and trainees across BMC.
Hanni Menn-Josephy, MD, Medicine/Nephrology, specializes in themanagement of complex autoimmune renal diseases. Since 2017, she has served as director the Lupus and Autoimmune Multidisciplinary Clinic at Boston Medical Center, bridging the gap between nephrology and rheumatology to ensure patients receive coordinated, high-level care. As a site PI, she leads cutting-edge clinical trials including a Phase 1 study of CRISPR-Cas9-engineered T cells and a Phase 2 trial of CAR-T therapy for refractory lupus nephritis. Notably, her site recruited the first patient globally for the rapcabtagene autoleucel (CAR-T) study in January 2025. In addition, she serves as associate program director for the nephrology fellowship at BMC.
Umit Tapan, MD, Medicine/Hematology & Medical Oncology, is physician-scientist who is an attending thoracic oncologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC) whose clinical interests are non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, immunotherapy and targeted therapy/precision medicine. His research interests center on reducing disparities in lung cancer treatment, improving access to new treatments. He has served as site PI at BMC for 16 therapeutic trials and currently manages seven active protocols funded by the National Cancer Institute and industry partners. Since 2019, he has served as co-director of the Thoracic Oncology Program within the BU-BMC Cancer Center, and in 2020 he was appointed director of inpatient medical operations for the section of hematology and medical oncology.