2025 SUNY Chancellor’s Award Recipients

by UB LIBRARIES

The University Libraries are proud to share that Deborah Chiarella and Ophelia Morey have received the 2025 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence—one of the highest recognitions in the State University of New York system.

Deborah Chiarella

Deborah Chiarella is an associate librarian in University Libraries and liaison to both the Departments of Music and Theatre and Dance. Her experience and subject-matter expertise have proven invaluable to students and researchers.

Chiarella, who graduated with a degree in music from York University and a master’s in library science from UB, started her professional career at UB in 2007, serving as the liaison to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPPS). In her role, she served on the curriculum committee for SPPS. She held various service roles, including Chair of the Upstate New York and Ontario chapter of the Medical Library Association, as well as co-authoring several peer-reviewed articles in the field of Health Sciences Librarianship.In 2018, her responsibilities shifted to serving as a liaison to the Departments of Music and Theatre and Dance while overseeing the operations of the Music Library, including collections, music archives, and reference and instruction services. One of her most significant projects was facilitating last year’s successful relocation of UB’s music collection from a stand-alone library in Baird Hall to the 5th floor of Lockwood Memorial Library. “Ms. Chiarella is a librarian of outstanding innovativeness, patience and generosity whose experience and pedagogical acumen directly benefit my students’ long-term academic and artistic success,” wrote Meredith Conti, associate professor of theatre.

Chiarella’s commitment to librarianship goes well beyond the typical responsibilities. Whether it’s serving as an academic success coach for theatre and dance students, mentoring junior faculty members, engaging in collection development and maintenance,  or helping researchers navigate copyright law, Chiarella demonstrates how seriously she takes her role. She has been involved in all levels of faculty governance for the libraries, including Faculty Executive Committee and Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure, and has recently been elected as the incoming chair of the New York and Ontario Chapter of the Music Library Association, demonstrating an ongoing career commitment to service.

Ophelia Morey

Ophelia Morey, an associate librarian in University Libraries, who joined the Health Sciences Library in 2001, assumed the role of coordinator of community outreach services in 2008, is responsible for cultivating community relationships and developing innovative ways to make medical information readily accessible with a focus on health literacy and health equity.

A colleague noted that Morey “recognizes the barriers that many face when attempting to access quality health information and has dedicated her career to bridging this gap.”  That included receiving a $30,000 award from the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) All of Us Program Center in 2022 to organize a series of community events with the Erie Niagara Health Education Center that connected women to health care resources and increased awareness about the health disparities Black women face in receiving maternal health care.

Morey has received other awards from NNLM, including one to partner with Durham’s Baby Café to support Black mothers, to educate the community about reliable health information resources in collaboration with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and to train Buffalo Public High School students to act as community health advocates.

In 2024, Morey collaborated with the National Institutes of Health to host a week-long event on the South Campus, continuing the conversation about health disparities in medical research and connecting individuals with local resources.

A graduate of Canisius College who earned her master’s in information and library studies from UB, Morey also completed the Buffalo Community Health Worker Training Program, a Health Literacy Leadership Institute program, and educated herself on trauma-informed practices to assist in the aftermath of the Tops supermarket mass shooting in 2022.

Morey is an active member of national and regional library associations. She is also an experienced researcher who has authored contributions to books, peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.

Please join us in congratulating Deborah and Ophelia on this well-deserved honor. Their work continues to elevate the mission of the University Libraries and the broader UB community.