Ono Named Provost at University of Cincinnati

Santa Jeremy Ono PhD, currently senior vice provost for undergraduate education and academic affairs at Emory University, has been named senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Cincinnati.

“Dr. Ono’s impressive record in research, fund raising, the promotion of academic quality and student success position him for immediate engagement with UC’s goals,” said UC President Gregory H. Williams. “Throughout an intensive search, he was able to effectively articulate his commitment to academic priorities in such a way as to assure the university’s status as a world-class research and teaching institution. Most importantly, he was able to communicate his capabilities and vision to a diverse array of audiences, from faculty to donors to students.”

Ono, 47, will replace Anthony J. Perzigian, who has been UC’s provost since December 1998 and who announced his intention to leave that position in January.

“As provost, I will work closely with President Williams and the UC community to make the strategic decisions we need to guide the University of Cincinnati and its colleges from excellence to eminence,” Ono said. “UC is such a remarkable institution, and I am singularly honored to serve as university provost. At the same time, I pledge to remain a teacher and role model to students and a colleague to the faculty, bringing my passion and my love for the life of the mind to the campus, as we work to propel UC to even greater heights.”

Ono was born in Vancouver, Canada, and raised from childhood in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to his administrative post, he is a full professor of ophthalmology, medicine, pediatrics and biology within the Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts at Emory. Ono received his education at the University of Chicago, McGill University and Harvard University. His training in biochemistry & molecular biology at Harvard was supported by a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship. He has subsequently held academic and administrative appointments at Johns Hopkins, Harvard and University College London (UCL). While at UCL, he helped to build strategic linkages with Osaka University, Osaka City University and Columbia University.  

His research has focused on gene regulation in the immune system and its role in inflammation of the eye and in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. He is the author of more than 110 scholarly publications, books and book chapters and has lectured globally. His research has appeared in journals such as the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Science

,

USA

,

Nature Medicine

, and the

Journal of Clinical Investigation

. His research has been continuously funded by the NIH and other foundations since 1985. He has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Academy of Allergy & Immunology, and has served as a consultant for major pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline plc and Johnson & Johnson.  

Ono has served on the Boards of Trustees of University College London, Trent School – Church of England, Intervarsity USA and The Posse Foundation, Atlanta. He has served for over a decade on committees within the National Institutes of Health.

Ono is the recipient of several awards such as the Arthritis Foundation Investigator Award, American Diabetes Association Career Development Award, the Pharmacia International Award in Allergy Research and the Brit Katz Award from Emory University.

The provost is the University of Cincinnati’s Chief Academic Officer and reports directly to the president. The provost provides leadership as UC fulfills its mission as a premier, public, urban research university by promoting academic excellence, innovation, and community service across programs and disciplines.

The University of Cincinnati is one of America's top 20 public research institutions and the region's largest employer, with a student population of more than 39,000.  Its faculty includes members of the National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine and winners of Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer Prizes. Approximately $400 million in sponsored research takes place annually at the university’s 4 campuses each year and the university has an economic impact of $3 billion per annum. U.S. News has described UC as one of 15 “up and coming” universities. The Chronicle of Higher Education calls UC a “research heavyweight.” Forbes Magazine named UC one of the world’s most beautiful campuses. UC is the only public institution in Ohio named a “green university” by Princeton Review.