UConn Research is pleased to announce that Dr. Lindsay DiStefano will join our team as the Associate Vice President for Research Development.
In this role, Dr. DiStefano will advance research development efforts at UConn and UConn Health and lead the Research Development Services unit. She will oversee research development staff, which includes internal funding, research support, and communications. She will continue to promote growth, seek opportunities for training and education, and provide oversight for large, complex, and multi-institutionalproposals.
Dr. DiStefano has been a UConn faculty member since 2009, most currently as Department Head of Kinesiology where, she shepherded the growth of both the Korey Stringer Institute and the Institute for Sports Medicine.In addition to her role in Kinesiology, Dr. DiStefanohas affiliate appointments in the Department of Public Health Sciences and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in the UConn School of Medicine.
Her leadership roles at UConn have included Clinical Education Coordinator and Director of the Professional Athletic Training Program, Associate Department Head, Department Head, andsteering committee member of the UConn Institute for Sports Medicine and the Collaboratory for School and Child Health. Dr. DiStefano is an alum of Lead21, which is an 18-month leadership and professional development program for faculty in land-grant institutions. Dr. DiStefano is also a Fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Her research is focused on determining the best strategies to promote physical literacy and reduce the risk of sports-related injuries in children. She is an active member of Husky Sport and Nutrition, funded by the Department of Social Services, which is a community-campus partnership to deliver physical activity and nutrition programming to low-resourced populations within the state of Connecticut. Dr. DiStefano has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, United States Department of Agriculture, and several foundations.
Dr. DiStefano completed her undergraduate degree at Boston University and her graduate and doctoral degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She will begin her new role on Friday, March 24 and will remain Department Head of Kinesiology within the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources through the end of the academic semester.
For more information, contact: Matt Engelhardt at matthew.engelhardt@uconn.edu