Suffolk Reporter

Michelle Ballan, a professor and associate dean for research at the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare, was awarded The HERALD 2024 Excellence in Healthcare Award on September 18. This award recognizes individuals whose dedication and commitment have significantly impacted the health and well-being of others.

Honorees for the HERALD Excellence in Healthcare Award are selected by a committee based on their ability to champion and lead both their organization and community. Ballan’s work in research, teaching, and service is focused on individuals with disabilities and their families.

In addition to her role at the School of Social Welfare, Ballan serves as a professor in the Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine within the Renaissance School of Medicine. She also directs the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) Program at Stony Brook University.

Ballan's research addresses intimate partner violence, bioethics, medical education, and sexual health prevention and treatment interventions for adults with disabilities. She is the Principal Investigator on several grants. These include a 2020 grant funded by the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry to incorporate disability content into medical school curricula, as well as a Pfizer Foundation grant aimed at reducing health disparities among patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who present COVID-19 symptoms.

During the 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Ballan received the Building Knowledge through Research Award from the Office for Victims of Crime, part of the U.S. Department of Justice. This recognition was for her research on crime victims with disabilities. Additionally, she has received numerous teaching and research awards such as the 2020 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2020 Switzer Distinguished Level Research Fellowship from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

Earlier this year, Ballan was honored with the Loreen Arbus Champion for Disabilities Award by Women’s eNews as one of their “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” for 2024.