Director of INIP Renewed, Honored With 'Distinguished University Research Professor'

 Sulie L. Chang, Ph.D., director of the Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology (INIP), was reconfirmed as head of the research program, and recently named 'Distinguished University Research Professor.'  This title addition represents an honorable recognition reserved for individuals with exceptional accomplishments in research, long-term external funding, and significant scholarly contributions to the domestic and international research community.  

The Distinguished University Research Professor appointment solidifies Professor Chang’s legacy as a leader in neuroimmune pharmacology and a dedicated mentor to emerging scientists.  As she steps into the new role, Chang will report directly to the Associate Provost for Research and Innovation, under the Director of the Office of Grants & Research Services. “This new title is not my career goal or accomplishment,” says Chang. “Rather, it is a stage on which I am standing to move upward.”

As Professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences and Neuroscience in the School of Graduate Medical Education (now the School of Health and Medical Sciences), Chang has been an academic fixture at Seton Hall for 31 years.  Since joining Seton Hall in 1994, she has garnered more than $17 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding, published over 170 peer-reviewed articles, and led pioneering investigations into the effects of addictive substances on the immune and nervous systems.  Now, she steps away from teaching to focus solely on groundbreaking research and development through INIP and the Academy for Nature and Nurture: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Resilience (ANN) - which Chang also heads.

Chang's leadership at INIP began in 2007 when significant funding she secured from NIH created INIP. Officially organized under the Office of Grants and Research Services in 2011, INIP has grown into an internationally respected research hub. Under Chang’s guidance, the institute has hosted numerous academic conferences and fostered interdisciplinary collaborations. Now, says Jose Lopez Ph.D.,  Professor of Physics and Director, Office of Grants and Research Services (with whom Chang works closely), “Dr. Chang's focus is going to be not only growing the research effort but also growing the research collaborations domestically and internationally, with other universities, researchers, and government facilities.”

She is especially excited about opportunities to continue multidisciplinary studies with collaborators from other Seton Hall departments, schools, and colleges, through ANN.  This initiative represents an exciting opportunity for Chang to combine research, mentoring, community engagement, and service - something she has wanted to create for some time.  “One of my goals in this new role is to reimagine ANN so it has a supportive infrastructure,” said Chang, mirroring the success of INIP.

With Chang at the helm, ANN works to address the nationwide mental health and addiction crisis, which is responsible for more than 100,000 deaths annually due to drug overdose since 2021, 15% higher than those reported even in 2020.  With overdose deaths continuing to rise annually, Chang remains focused on the import of an interdisciplinary approach (combining biomedical science, psychotherapy, Catholic theology and spirituality) to stem this tragic loss of life - an epidemic brought on by triggers like stress, depression, anxiety, and other unmitigated psychiatric issues worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Never far from Chang’s mind in approaching these critical national problems is her Christian faith - which keeps her focused on empowering more students to do fundamentally important research benefiting humanity.  The Prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10) has been hanging in her office since 2007 when she decided to display it prominently as a reminder to stay empowered and determined in her work, she said.

“She's extremely committed to her students,” said Lopez, “She has constant meetings with them, actually, weekly on Saturday mornings, and that's the type of individual she is,” taking little rest, as indicated by the 4 am time stamp on some of her emails about student needs and research. Lopez adds, “Dr. Chang very much represents the ethos of our University - that of a servant leader.”

As such, The INIP mission, says Chang, extends beyond groundbreaking research to include student training.  Here, she is deeply committed to training the next generation of biomedical scientists and has mentored numerous undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, helping them develop research ethics and scientific inquiry skills. Many of her protégés have achieved successful careers in neuroscience, medicine, and related fields.

Of all the awards she has received, Chang seems most proud of her “Student’s Choice Award”, which was awarded in 2000 and highlights her deep commitment to engaging with students, faculty, and the research community in and outside of the lab.

“Moving forward, as Distinguished University Research Professor and Director of INIP, I will engage in research - grant funding, publication, invited research lectures - teaching/training of Early Stage Investigators [an NIH research designation] on research projects,” said Chang. “I will continue to pass on the value of research ethics, responsible conduct of research, and research integrity to the biomedical researchers of the next generation.”

Categories: Health and Medicine