Chemistry department chair honored for commitment to students with American Chemical Society award

Dana Ferraris, department chair and associate professor of Chemistry, and the John Desmond Kopp Professorship in the Sciences, is the 2021 recipient of the George L. Braude Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS), Maryland section. He is the first McDaniel College professor to receive this honor.

The award, which was established in 2003, recognizes the science faculty member at a Maryland college or university who works closely with students as a mentor and encourages research.

Dana Ferraris began teaching at McDaniel College in 2015 as a visiting professor before joining the faculty as associate professor in 2017. At McDaniel, he teaches organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. Known as a committed professor, he mentors undergraduate students completing student-faculty research and has most recently worked with students on research to discover drugs to fight COVID-19.

A synthetic medicinal chemist, Ferraris spent over 15 years doing drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry and he received FDA approval in 2020 for cedazuridine, a cancer drug he invented more than a decade ago. He has been involved with the ACS since 1994.

Ferraris received a plaque and a monetary award of $3,500 to help support further student research, which was presented during an ACS award ceremony held at McDaniel on Oct. 20. The award is named for George L. Braude, a longtime member of the ACS who served as chair of the Maryland section in 1962 and received the Maryland Chemist Award in 1968.