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Columba de la Parra Honored with Distinguished Scientist Award
April 29, 2026
Columba de la Parra, assistant professor of chemistry at Lehman, and a faculty member at the CUNY Graduate Center, has been named the 2026 Distinguished Scientist by the Westchester Chemical Society, a chapter of the American Chemical Society.
“I am honored to be recognized by the Westchester Chemical Society with the 2026 Distinguished Scientist Award,” she said about the April 28 ceremony.
De la Parra’s academic journey reflects a wide-ranging commitment to science—geographically and in practice. She trained as an engineer and earned a master’s in biotechnology from ITESM Monterrey Campus in Mexico and Cornell University before pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. She then returned to the mainland U.S. to complete postdoctoral training at the NYU School of Medicine.
Her approach to research is also wide-ranging. With a focus on treating advanced breast cancer, she brings together interests in metabolism, translational control, protein synthesis, and bioactive compounds in natural products, alongside health promotion, disease prevention, and education. At the heart of her work is a commitment to advancing knowledge in cancer research while providing opportunities for the future scientists in her lab. “My research is shaped by broad collaborations and valuable contributions from my students,” she said. What’s more, one of her freshman chemistry students, Anthony Rivera, was honored with a student award at the ceremony.
Her previous achievements include a 2022 Feliks Gross Award, which is given annually to a CUNY assistant professor for outstanding research in the humanities or sciences. In 2021, just two years after arriving at Lehman, she and three Lehman colleagues each won National Institutes of Health (NIH) SCORE grants, which strengthen research capacity at institutions that serve students underrepresented in the biomedical field. He current research is also funded by the NIH.
Reflecting on the ACS award, de la Parra said she is “grateful for the funding from external agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as for the support of my colleagues in the Department of Chemistry and chair, Andrei Jitinuau,” all of which laid the foundation for her success.
Columba de la Parra with her award (center); with (rear) Edward Kennelly, Anthony Rivera, Andrei Jitianu, Blessing Ukandu, Patricia Gonzalez Periche; (front) Martin Castro, Levi Vazquez, Rebecca Abraham, Emilia Carlo. Ukandu, Abraham, and Castro are undergraduate students in de la Parra’s lab.