The Rutgers Health Chancellor Awards Committee has named Distinguished Professor of Communication Brent Ruben the recipient of the inaugural Strategic Leadership Partnership Award. The award honors Ruben for "his exceptional partnership and visionary leadership in advancing strategic priorities across Rutgers Health."

"Through a deep commitment to collaboration and leadership development, Dr. Ruben has catalyzed transformative progress, strengthening institutional capacity and fostering a culture of innovation and excellence in academic health," the award committee wrote.

Brian L. Strom, chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS)—now named Rutgers Health—and the executive vice president for health affairs at Rutgers University, presented the award to Ruben at the 2025 Rutgers Health Awards Reception on Thursday, October 30th.

“I am very pleased by this honor and the sentiments it conveys," said Ruben, the founder and senior university fellow at the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership and advisor for strategy and planning in the Rutgers Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. "Working with our RBHS/Rutgers Health leadership and colleagues over has been one of highlights of my time at Rutgers. I have deep respect for the dedication and expertise of the many amazing administrators, faculty, and staff members of Rutgers Health, its schools, departments, institutes, and centers. I consider myself to be very fortunate to have been able to contribute to their important work."

Introduced in 2020, the Rutgers Health Chancellor Awards were established to recognize and highlight the extraordinary work of faculty and staff. Nominated by their peers, recipients of the awards are selected by the Chancellor Awards Committee, which reviews the contributions of the nominees. 

As he presented the award to Ruben, Strom said, "Dr. Ruben is someone whose insight, collaboration, and leadership have profoundly shaped our path forward. Dr. Ruben played a vital role in creating the Rutgers Health Strategic Plan, a roadmap that now guides our shared vision for academic excellence, innovation, and service. His thoughtful approach helped bring together diverse perspectives from across our schools and clinical partners, aligning our collective strengths around a common purpose. With a career defined by collaboration, innovation, and the development of leadership capacity, Dr. Ruben has helped strengthen the very foundation of our institution. His guidance and insight have enabled Rutgers Health to think boldly and act strategically, fostering a culture of excellence that empowers our people and advances our mission. For his exceptional partnership and visionary leadership in advancing our strategic priorities—and for the clarity, compassion, and commitment he brings to everything he does—it is my honor to recognize Dr. Brent Ruben with the Strategic Leadership Partnership Award."

Ruben’s scholarly work focuses on communication systems theory, and its applications in interpersonal, intercultural, organizational, health, educational, and leadership contexts.

 Ruben was one of the founding faculty members of the SC&I Communication Department and he served as chair of the department for a number of years. He was also the first director of the integrated communication, information, and library science Ph.D. Program at SC&I.

Ruben is the author of more than 50 books and 200 journal articles and book chapters, and he is the founding editor of the “Communication Yearbook.” His most recent books include "What Leaders Need to Know and Do" (2024), "Implementing Sustainable Change in Higher Education: Principles and Practices in Collaborative Leadership" (2022), "Leadership, Communication, and Social Influence: A Theory of Resonance, Activation, and Cultivation" (2019) co-authored with SC&I Lecturer and alumnus Ralph Gigliotti Ph.D.’17and "Communication and Human Behavior, Seventh Edition" (2020), co-authored with SC&I Professor Emerita of Communication Lea Stewart.

Discover more about the Communication Department and the Communication major at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.