Brandeis Magazine

No Class Notes submissions this issue.

Grant Ujifusa, GSAS MA’67, is an author and historian widely recognized for his role in the Japanese American redress movement of the 1980s. He is the founding editor of “The Almanac of American Politics,” first published in 1972 and still published today.

A paper by Peter Mansbach, GSAS PhD’71, and two co-authors was published in the journal Sleep Medicine. Based on a survey of more than 1,600 patients, the findings question common beliefs regarding delayed sleep-wake phase disorder and non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder.

Lynda Ellis, GSAS PhD’72, is a master gardener in Anoka County, Minnesota.

David Chanoff, GSAS MA’73, PhD’74, is the author of “Anthony Benezet: America’s First Anti-Racist.” The book, a biography of an 18th-century Philadelphia Quaker who became a key figure in ending the Atlantic slave trade, will be published by the University of Georgia Press in 2025.

In February 2024, Ivy Schweitzer, GSAS MA’76, PhD’83, celebrated the publication of her first collection of poetry, “Within Flesh: Poems in Conversation With Ourselves and Emily Dickinson” (Transcendent Zero Press), co-written with Al Salehi. Her first solo collection, “Tumult, Whitewash, and Stretch Marks,” will be published by Finishing Line Press in 2025.

Elliot Karp, GSAS MJC’80, is director of philanthropy at Temple Emanu-El of Westfield, New Jersey, the area’s largest Reform congregation. Elliot and wife Sharon, who moved to New Jersey to be close to their children and five grandchildren, enjoy being a short train ride from theater, museums, food, and friends in Manhattan.

Harry Mazurek, GSAS PhD’80, retired as associate dean for research at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

Merrill Joan Gerber, GSAS MA’81, is the author of “Revelation at the Food Bank,” a collection of essays published by Sagging Meniscus Press in 2023. The title essay was selected for inclusion in the book “The Best American Essays 2023,” published by Mariner Books.

Daniel Morris, GSAS MA’88, PhD’92, an English professor at Purdue University, is the author of “Essays and Interviews on Contemporary American Poets, Poetry, and Pedagogy: A 30-Year Creative Writing Workshop” (Anthem Press, 2024).

Brett Keiper, GSAS PhD’91, is a professor in the biochemistry and molecular biology department at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. He’s also a graduate director for the biomedical sciences PhD and a member of the graduate council executive committee at ECU, and a summer visiting scientist at MDI Biological Laboratory, in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Seungsook Moon, GSAS PhD’94, is a sociology professor at Vassar College. Her book “Civic Activism in South Korea: The Intertwining of Democracy and Neoliberalism” was published by Columbia University Press in July 2024.

George Franklin, GSAS PhD’98, is the author of seven poetry collections. The latest is “What the Angel Saw, What the Saint Refused” (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2024).

Last spring, Scott Lasensky, GSAS PhD’01, was named a senior adviser to Deborah E. Lipstadt, GSAS MA’72, PhD’76, H’19, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the U.S. State Department. Scott held a similar role in the State Department under President Barack Obama, serving as an adviser on Israel, the Middle East, and Jewish affairs for U.N. ambassadors Susan Rice and Samantha Power, and in Israel for Ambassador Daniel Shapiro ’91.

Jackie Horne, GSAS PhD’06, who writes historical romances under the pen name Bliss Bennet, celebrated the publication of her latest book, “Not Quite a Scandal,” in March 2024.

Rafael Semansky, Heller MA’08, PhD’10, is a freelance consultant living in Washington, D.C. His nephew Dylan Labbe ’26 is a chemistry major at Brandeis.

Gregory Rossano, Rabb MSE’12, received his 35th granted U.S. patent, his latest contribution to the field of robotics and automation.

Masachs Boungou, Heller MA’16, MA’16, is the author of “Shared Prosperity: A Path Forward for Sub-Saharan Africa” and “Personal Crisis: Building a Leadership Story and Shaping Business Success,” both independently published in August 2024. He earned a PhD in global studies from UMass Lowell in 2022.

Gabriel Redner, GSAS PhD’16, and Amber Sommer ’03 were married at Boston’s Allandale Farm in November 2023, with many Brandeis friends attending.

Kayla Reisman, GSAS MA’18/Heller MBA’18, moved to Chicago with her husband, Andrew Brandel, and 2-year-old daughter Ruthie, then welcomed the newest addition to the family, Dov Ber (named for the late Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program founding director Bernie Reisman, Heller PhD’70). Kayla works at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation alongside Herschel Singer, GSAS MA’18/Heller MBA’18, and Dalia Krusner, GSAS MA’18/Heller MBA’18.

Iyad Qaaqah, Rabb MS’19, a clinical informaticist at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, in Houston, welcomed a baby boy in 2023.

Ginelle Testa, Rabb MS’22, is the author of “Make a Home Out of You,” a memoir published by She Writes Press in September 2024.

Abbie Auster Stowell, Rabb MS’23, is an assistant instructional technologist at Lincoln Memorial University, in Tennessee, and also runs her own LXD business, Stowell Learning Solutions.