College of Education
Dr. Karyn A. Allee, assistant professor of elementary education, with co-authors Erica DeCuir, Albany State University, and Dawn Robinson, University of South Carolina-Beaufort, presented a paper titled “The state of elementary school recess in Georgia: Policy, the pandemic and patterns of play” in Educational Policy. She also co-authored a paper titled “Teaching — It’s a no brainer, right? Using an assessment course to bust educators’ neuromyths” with Amanda Seccia, University of Chicago.
Dr. Jaclyn K. Murray, assistant professor of science education, led the revision of the rubric and scoring for the second free response question (LR circuit) on the 2024 College Board AP Physics C: Electromagnetism exam. Additionally, she successfully transferred her National Science Foundation grant titled “Modeling for Understanding Physical Phenomena and Engaging Preservice Teachers in Science” from her previous institution to Mercer University.
Dr. Leah Panther, associate professor of literacy education, with colleagues Elizabeth Burbridge and Roberta Barber, and Mercer doctoral student Rosi Sanchez, published an article titled “Archiving living historical narratives with youth participatory action research” in Georgia Library Quarterly.
Dr. Katherine Perrotta, assistant professor of middle grades and secondary education, presented “Making Cents! Using the American Women’s Quarters Program to Teach Elementary Social Studies” at the National Council for the Social Studies Summer Virtual Conference.
Dr. Jim Vander Putten, associate professor of higher education, co-presented a research study with Georgia Tech’s Dr. Amanda L. Nolen and Tift College of Education Ph.D. student W. Drew Smith titled “A Systematic Review of Literature on Faculty Governance Using Artificial Intelligence 2012-2024” at the European Association for Institutional Research annual conference at the University College Cork, Ireland.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dr. James Eric (Jay) Black, Schumann Endowed Professor and chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, published an article titled “Innovative workforce vital for future reform” in China Daily. Dr. Black wrote the article with Harley Seyeden, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.
Dr. Heather Bowman Cutway, professor of biology, was featured in a Georgia Public Broadcasting segment about her efforts to conserve the endangered fringed campion flowering plant species in urban habitats.
Dr. David A. Davis, professor of English, gave a keynote address titled “Hale County, Alabama, and the Afterlife of Sharecropping” at the Memory and Trauma in American Studies Symposium at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, in June. He also delivered a talk titled “Feeding the Freedmen: Food in Reconstruction Novels” at the Society for the Study of Southern Literature conference in Gulfport, Mississippi, in July.
Dr. Andy Digh, professor of computer science, served as an online reader and grader for the AP Computer Science A Exam from June 2-8. Dr. Digh was among teachers from universities and high schools across America selected by the College Board to help grade exams taken by about 98,000 students worldwide.
Dr. Abby Dowling, associate professor of history, will be a Garden and Landscape Studies fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., for 2024-25.
Dr. Marc Jolley, senior lecturer of philosophy and Great Books and director of Mercer University Press, read a paper titled “Thoreau and the Resilience of the Transparent ‘I’: A Brief Comparison of Thoreau and Kierkegaard” at the Thoreau Society Annual Gathering in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12.
Dr. Paul Lewis, chair and professor of religion, presented a paper titled “Mapping the Territories for a Polanyian Ethic” at a June meeting of the Polanyi Society, where he also participated in a board meeting as vice president.
Dr. Maggie Meadows, assistant professor of chemistry, published an article titled “Recognize Me?: Evaluation of an Inquiry-Based, Unknown Identification Laboratory Using Student-Synthesized Compounds” in the Journal of Chemical Education in June. She also presented the paper at the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education held at the University of Kentucky in July. Dr. Meadows and Dr. Kathryn Kloepper, professor of chemistry and vice provost of engaged learning, co-organized and co-facilitated a symposium at the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education at the University of Kentucky in July. The symposium, titled “Activation Barriers to Well-being: Challenges and Approaches to Promoting Well-being for Students, Faculty and Staff,” included presentations from across the country on the topics of faculty and student well-being. As part of the symposium, Dr. Kloepper and Dr. Meadows also presented “Ten Minutes a Semester: Updates on a Wellness Intervention” on their own scholarship of teaching and learning.
Dr. Clara Mengolini, associate professor of Spanish, authored Infancias, aprendiendo español a través de la literatura y el cine infantil, a textbook that includes more than 20 stories, short films and Latin American children’s poems. The purpose of the textbook is to teach conversation, grammar and writing in advanced Spanish courses offered by Mercer’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, associate professor of global health studies and Africana studies, published a review in the Journal of Global South Studies of the book titled Memories of Africa: Home and Abroad in the United States by Toyin Falola. Dr. Obidoa also received a faculty seed grant for her Teen Pregnancy Prevention Curriculum Project for Teens in Middle Georgia and co-developed and facilitated the Lilly Network-Funded Faculty Forum “From Vocational Burnout to Recovery to Re-inspiration” at Mercer Aug. 4-8.
Dr. Adrian Vasquez, assistant professor of biology, completed a summer internship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases. Due to a paucity of data on tick abundance and diversity in Middle Georgia, Dr. Vasquez’s lab collected ticks during the summer of 2024 in and around Bibb County to be studied and analyzed for pathogens by Dr. Vasquez and his students.
Dr. Bryan J. Whitfield, Howard Giddens Chair in University Ministries and professor of religion, published “The Columbus Roberts Department of Religion at Mercer, 1939-2002” in Perspectives in Religious Studies. The issue of the journal consisted of essays in honor of Dr. Richard F. Wilson, professor emeritus of religion, from his former colleagues and students.
Dr. Fletcher Winston, professor of sociology, presented a paper titled “I Hate Group Projects!: Exploring Strategies to Improve the Process and Outcomes of Collaborative Learning” at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting in Montreal on Aug. 11.
Dr. Carolyn Yackel, professor of mathematics, gave an invited paper presentation titled “Using a Polyhedral Canvas” at the Mathematical Association of America’s annual national meeting, Mathfest. At this same meeting, she provided activities for the Association for Women in Mathematics session “Mathematical Games and Puzzles: Fun for All!” where she designed an activity based on her research on the mathematics of shibori dyeing and presented another classic activity (flexagons). For this same meeting, she also chaired the committee that provided the programming for the poster sessions, panels and workshops. At the international Bridges Conference focused on connections between mathematics and art, Dr. Yackel co-presented a workshop with Stratford Academy teacher Bobby Stecher titled “Dyeing to Make an Orbifold.” She also co-organized the conference’s Family Day of activities about mathematics and art presented by conference attendees at the local science museum.
College of Nursing
Dr. Andra Opalinski, associate professor of nursing, published an article titled “A qualitative Unitary Caring Theory perspective of adolescent and young adult experiences of resilience” in Nursing Science Quarterly.
College of Pharmacy
Dr. Candace Barnett, professor and executive associate dean; Jordana Berry, director of admissions; and Dr. C. Lea Bonner Winkles, clinical associate professor and associate dean for student affairs, co-authored an article titled “Building the Pharm.D. Pipeline with a Pre-pharmacy Track for Working Adults Marketed to Pharmacy Technicians” published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.
Dr. Tyler Boyd, clinical assistant professor, co-authored an article titled “A call to action: Studying the shortened duration of ceftriaxone for inpatient management of acute uncomplicated cystitis” published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
Dr. Clinton Canal, associate professor, co-authored an article titled “The Mitragyna speciosa (kratom) alkaloid mitragynine: Analysis of adrenergic α2 receptor activity in vitro and in vivo” published in the European Journal of Pharmacology.
Dr. Lori Dupree, clinical associate professor; Dr. Jill Augustine, associate professor and director of assessment; and Dr. Susan Miller, clinical professor, co-authored an article titled “How Did We Get Here? Evolution of Specifications Grading in a Required Skills-Based Course Series” published in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning.
Dr. Martin D’Souza, professor and director of Ph.D. programs, with graduate students Sarthak Shah, Parth Patel, Amarae Ferguson, Priyal Bagwe, Akanksha Kale, Emmanuel Adediran, Revanth Singh, Tanisha Arte and Dedeepya Pasupuleti co-authored an article titled “Buccal Administration of a Zika Virus Vaccine Utilizing 3D-Printed Oral Dissolving Films in a Mouse Model” published in Vaccines.
Dr. Raquibul Hasan, associate professor, received $37,973 in funding from the Fulbright Scholarship Board-Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of State for research titled “Investigation of Novel Fungal-Derived Secondary Metabolites as Potential Therapies for Vascular Dysfunction, Atherosclerosis and High Blood Pressure.” Dr. Hasan and Dr. Nader Moniri, professor and associate dean for research, received $300,000 in funding from the American Heart Association for research titled “Novel mechanism of blood pressure regulation by statins and its pathophysiological significance.”
Dr. Christine Klein, clinical associate professor, received the Faculty Member of the Year Award from the Georgia Pharmacy Association.
Dr. Nicole Metzger, clinical professor, received the Outstanding Preceptor Award from the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Dr. Susan Miller, clinical professor, co-authored an article titled “Accreditation Standards and Health Professions Education Programs’ Development of Providers Prepared to Care for Older Adults: A Content Analysis” published in the Journal of Health Science & Education.
Dr. Nader H. Moniri, professor and associate dean for research, with graduate students Razan L. Teyani and Farnoosh Moghaddam, co-authored an article titled “ROS-mediated regulation of β2AR function: Does oxidation play a meaningful role towards β2-agonist tachyphylaxis in airway obstructive diseases?” published in Biochemical Pharmacology. Dr. Moniri and Teyani also published “Gut feelings in the islets: The role of the gut microbiome and the FFA2 and FFA3 receptors for short chain fatty acids on β-cell function and metabolic regulation” in The British Journal of Pharmacology.
Dr. Lydia Newsom, clinical associate professor, was selected as the Emerging Teaching Scholar by the Council of Faculties in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
College of Professional Advancement
Dr. Vikraman Baskaran, associate professor of health informatics, and Pooja Vikraman, alumna, volunteered at the Atlanta Charity Medical Clinic Health Fair on Aug. 3. The highly successful health fair continued the clinic’s mission to provide essential health care to uninsured and underinsured members of the community. The event drew more than 50 patients, all of whom received comprehensive medical attention from a dedicated team of physicians from various specialties.
Dr. Arla G. Bernstein, associate professor and communication program coordinator, presented “Global Research Symposium: Immigration and Multiculturalism” at the 2024 American Association of Colleges and Universities Conference on Global Learning in October 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hani Q. Khoury, professor and coordinator of mathematics, was featured in an Engineers Without Borders USA article titled “Celebrating Disability Pride: Striving for Inclusivity and Innovation at EWB-USA,” highlighting resources and celebrations of people with disabilities in the community and the larger STEM field.
Dr. Brittany L. Prioleau, assistant professor of counseling, and Dr. Nadia Barnett, associate professor of human services and psychology, successfully led and completed the first Mercer study abroad program to Bali, Indonesia, partnering with the School for International Training. The program focused on themes of wellness, culture, community and spirituality. Dr. Prioleau also hosted a webinar in August sponsored by the National Board of Certified Counselors titled “Cultivating Awareness: Exploring Multicultural Perspectives in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.”
Dr. Colleen Stapleton, professor of science, was invited to serve as archaeological scientist on the technology of Late Bronze Age and Iron Age glass objects from Hasanlu, Iran, excavated and stored at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Hasanlu, an ancient city in northwestern Iran situated at the crossroads of the empires of Urartu and Assyria, was destroyed in an attack around 800 B.C. that left hundreds of victims and thousands of artifacts buried in place and mostly undisturbed until excavation. The Hasanlu project outcomes are shedding light on the cultural, religious and human migration connections of the people of Hasanlu and their neighbors on the Iranian plateau.
Dr. Sabrina Walthall, professor of science, conducted a workshop titled “Decoding Blood Types: An Interactive Blood Typing Lab Experience” at the 38th annual Human Anatomy and Physiology Society Conference held in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and St. Louis on May 25-29.
Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC)
Brian Harper, chief engineer; Marina Van Sickle, industrial engineer; and Skylar Wadas, mechanical engineer, attended the 2024 Aircraft Airworthiness and Sustainment Conference in San Antonio. Van Sickle gave a presentation titled “Armament Digital Twin,” and Wadas presented on the topic “Using Empirical Loads Regression to Support Damage Tolerance Analysis.” Their presentations will be published in the conference proceedings.
School of Business
Jody Blanke, the Ernest L. Baskin Jr. Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Law, led a panel discussion titled “The Future of Tenure,” presented a paper titled “The American Privacy Rights Act: Is It Enough?” and was honored as a past president at the Centennial Conference of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business in Washington, D.C., in August.
John Wilson Gordon, lecturer of finance, was featured in a WalletHub piece about the Best Credit Cards to Build Credit.
Dr. Brett Matherne, senior associate dean and associate professor of management, with colleagues from around the globe presented “Sixth Annual Teaching Bootcamp, A MED Interactive Workshop” at the 84th Academy of Management Annual Meeting, and he was awarded the Management Education and Development Division’s Best Junior Faculty and Doctoral Student Consortium-Related Professional Development workshop. Dr. Matherne also published with colleagues an article titled “The business school as a professional school: What might have been … and still might be possible” in World Journal of Business Research; and he published, with Dr. Wendy Swenson-Roth, an article titled “Using organizational theory components to improve the structure of blended/flipped classes: Understanding the impact of design choices” in Active Learning in Higher Education.
Stephanie Morris, senior lecturer of accounting, was awarded the 2023-2024 Distinguished Faculty Award for the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business.
Dr. Carol Springer Sargent, associate professor of accounting, was selected for the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists 2024 Computer Educator of the Year for her contributions to the Information Systems profession, her commitment to students, her community service and her scholarship.
Dr. Briana Stenard, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship; Dr. Faye Sisk, professor of management; Dr. Linda Brennan, adjunct faculty; and recent MBA graduate Gregory Williams published an article titled “Teaching AI Skills Through Capstone Simulations” in AACSB Insights in June. The article highlights Mercer’s focus on hands-on learning that will help students prepare for business world application. Dr. Stenard was also honored as one of Georgia Tech’s “40 under 40” alumni class for 2024 and the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 Under 40” for 2024.
Dr. Vijaya Subrahmanyam, associate dean and C. Ben Harnsberger Professor of Finance, was featured in a WalletHub piece about student checking accounts.
Dr. Nik Volkov, associate professor of finance, was named the executive editor of the Journal of Forensic Economics in July. He also published a paper titled “Corporate Governance, Firm Strategy Disclosure and Executive Compensation” in Accounting and Business Research, and he testified as an expert witness in a number of litigation cases on the topic of economic damages. Dr. Volkov serves as a vice president of the National Association of Forensic Economics.
School of Engineering
Dr. Pam Estes Brewer, chair of the Department of Technical Communication, was awarded the 2024 Emily K. Schlesinger Award for Outstanding Service by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Professional Communication Society. Dr. Brewer also serves on the Board of Governors for the Society.
Dr. Hunmin Kim, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, published an article titled “Perception Simplex: Verifiable Collision Avoidance in Autonomous Vehicles Amidst Obstacle Detection Faults” in Software Testing, Verification and Reliability. Dr. Kim also published an article titled “Resilient and Adaptive Control Barrier Function for Autonomous Systems With Faults and Noises” for the AIAA AVIATION Forum conference.
Dr. Dorina Marta Mihut, associate professor of mechanical engineering, working in collaboration with Dr. Arash Afshar, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Dr. Stephen Hill, associate professor of mechanical engineering; and Dr. Ha Van Vo, professor of biomedical engineering, received the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant titled “Acquisition of an Ultra-High Accuracy Digital Microscope for Advancing Research and Educational Projects.” The digital microscope will promote multidisciplinary research, faculty and students’ experimental participation in multiple research projects, and training for mechanical, biomedical, environmental and civil engineering students. It will serve educational purposes and will have a strengthening effect on several courses and labs that are currently taught, enabling education and research integration.
Hannah Nabi, lecturer of technical communication, served as a facilitator in the Civic Engagement and Voting Rights Teacher Scholars program for the 2023-2024 academic year. At the conclusion of this cohort experience, Nabi published a collection of peer-reviewed teaching and learning materials for information design courses that are included in the Open Educational Resources to Supporting a Thriving Democracy collection.
Dr. Alireza Sarvestani, associate professor of mechanical engineering, published a paper titled “Rapid Photothermal Healing of Vitrimer Nanocomposites Activated by Gold-Nanoparticle-Coated Graphene Nanoplatelets” in ACS Applied Nano Materials.
School of Law
Margie Alsbrook, assistant professor, presented “Navigating the Controversy Around ‘Cleaned Up’ Citations” at the Legal Writing Institute’s Biennial Conference in Indianapolis on July 19. She also served as a panelist for five different discussion panels at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with topics ranging from teaching in the age of generative artificial intelligence to assisting future lawyers who wish to return to rural areas to practice after graduation. At the same conference, Alsbrook and Kaleb Byars, assistant professor, served as panelists/discussants at the “Issues Affecting Lawyers in Rural Communities” session.
Kaleb Byars, assistant professor, published an article titled “Recidivist Organizational Offenders and the Organizational Sentencing Guidelines” in the Boston College Law Review, Volume 66, Issue 3. He also attended the 2024 Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference where he organized and moderated a discussion group titled “Developments in White-Collar Crime,” which featured experts on white-collar crime from around the nation; presented an article titled “Recidivist Organizational Offenders and the Organizational Sentencing Guidelines;” and participated in a discussion group related to lawyering in rural communities.
Ismael Gullon, associate law librarian for collections and technical services, was the 2023 recipient of the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries Service Award. The honor is in recognition of his substantial special service to the chapter during the organization’s annual meeting held in Lexington, Kentucky, May 16-18.
Jessica Herndon, assistant director of career services, co-authored an article titled “The Newcomer’s Guide to Supporting First-Gen Law Students” for the July 2024 National Association for Law Placement Bulletin as part of the organization’s First-Gen Work Group.
Meagan Hurley, assistant professor, and Bonnie Carlson, associate professor, presented at the Association for American Law Schools’ Conference on Clinical Legal Education in St. Louis on May 3. The presentation, titled “Building a Unified Clinical Program,” explored innovative methods of collaboration across clinical programs in individual law schools. At the same conference, Hurley also served as a working group facilitator on criminal law and juvenile delinquency topics. On May 22, Mercer Law’s Habeas Project Clinic, taught by Hurley, along with co-counsel from the Georgia Innocence Project and Jones Day, including Jones Day partner and former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice David Nahmias, achieved post-conviction relief on behalf of a client after more than 25 years of wrongful conviction and incarceration.
Stephen M. Johnson, professor, had two books published: Statutory Law: A Course Source and a revised version of Wetlands Law: A Course Source. He also published an article titled “Reconciling Riverside Bayview Homes, Sackett and County of Maui” in Texas Tech Law Review and presented a lecture on The Clean Water Act in the Supreme Court as part of Mercer Law School’s Environmental Law Virtual Guest Speaker Program in spring 2024.
Ishaq Kundawala, professor and Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute and W. Homer Drake Jr. Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy Law, and Margie Alsbrook, assistant professor, served as panelists/discussants at the “Crafting Your Scholarship Goals” session for prospective law professors during the 2024 Southeastern Association of Law Schools Conference on July 23, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kundawala also published an article titled “Access to Justice: A Roadmap to Creating and Launching Consumer Bankruptcy Experiential Programs in Law Schools” in the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal.
Gary J. Simson, Macon Chair in Law and former dean of the School of Law, published a short essay titled “The Supreme Hubris of John Roberts” in The Fulcrum.
Karen Sneddon, dean and professor, was featured as an expert in two articles on the MoneyGeek website: “How to Draft a Will” and “Navigating Your Mortgage During a Divorce.” Sneddon also published an article titled “Raising the Bar: The NextGen Bar Exam and Contract Drafting” in the Gilbert Law Summaries on Wills (13th ed.). She also presented “What Every Law Student (and Professor) Needs to Know About Transactional Lawyering” at the Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute in Indianapolis on July 17 with Professor Susan M. Chesler.
Najiva V. Timothee, administrative associate, received a proclamation from Macon Mayor Lester Miller declaring July 15-19 Girls Dig Deeper Initiative Summer Learning Week. Timothee is the founder and executive director of Girls Dig Deeper Initiative, a group mentoring and youth development program serving middle and high school girls ages 13 to 17 in Macon-Bibb County. Under Timothee’s leadership, the organization provides year-round and summer programming through school-based and community-based mentoring, as well as providing mentorship to incarcerated or justice-involved youth girls in correctional facilities and detention centers.
Scott Titshaw, professor of law, participated in a roundtable on “Nonmarriage and the Law” and presented a paper titled “How Time Makes Family: Legal Recognition of Family Relationship Performance Over Time” at the University of Virginia School of Law.
School of Medicine
Dr. Mohammed Abdelsaid, assistant professor of biomedical sciences on the Savannah campus, published a manuscript titled “Timing matters in the use of renin-angiotensin system modulators and COVID-related cognitive and cerebrovascular dysfunction” in PLoS One journal. The study investigates using an antihypertensive medication to protect from COVID-19-induced cerebrovascular complications.
Dr. Jennifer Barkin, professor of community medicine and OBGYN, was interviewed by the Association of American Medical Colleges on the topic of perinatal mental health and climate change for an article titled “Climate change hurts women more.” In addition, Dr. Barkin is the project director for a documentary on South Georgia Healthy Start being filmed by the American Public Health Association’s media partner APHA TV. South Georgia Healthy Start is a federally funded program serving families in 10 rural Georgia counties. The film will air at the APHA annual conference in Minneapolis in October. About 12,000 people are expected to attend, and the documentary will have 400-500 unique viewing opportunities.
Dr. Raghavan Chinnadurai, assistant professor, and three School of Medicine students in collaboration with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta published a study titled “Vascular endothelial growth factor secretion and immunosuppression are distinct potency mechanisms of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells” in Stem Cells.
Dr. Benjamin Christie, professor of surgery and program director of the residency in surgery at Atrium Health Navicent in Macon, was elected president of the Georgia Society of the American College of Surgeons at its annual meeting on St. Simons Island in August. The organization is the largest professional association of surgeons in the state.
Dr. Abraham M. Enyeji, assistant professor of community medicine on the Columbus campus, published an article titled “Effective Treatment of COVID-19 Infection with Repurposed Drugs: Case Reports” in Viral Immunology that highlights innovative COVID-19 treatments.
Dr. Henna Iqbal, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, co-authored an article with adjunct faculty member Dr. Kenneth Onyedibe titled “The utilization of an unconventional approach to introduce basic bacteriology in a medical school bridge program” that was published in the American Society of Microbiology.
Dr. Francis Kirera, associate professor of anatomy, presented two papers titled “New fossiliferous and archaeological sites in central highlands of Kenya” and “Geodiversity and hominin evolution in the central highlands of Kenya: a knowledge co-production research approach” at the Eastern African Association of Palaeoanthropologists and Palaeontologists Biennial Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 27-Aug. 2. The conference was celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lucy’s (Australopithecus afarencis) discovery.
Dr. Edward C. Klatt, professor in the department of biomedical sciences on the Savannah campus, was nominated for and received full membership in Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, and is a member of the Mercer University chapter. Dr. Klatt also served as a reviewer for abstract submissions to the American Educational Research Association for the annual meeting. Dr. Klatt, with Kim Meeks, associate professor, and Carolyn Klatt, professor, served as sponsoring faculty for a student in the School of Medicine Summer Scholars Research Program for a project involving electronic resource usage.
Dr. Anthony J. Kondracki, assistant professor of community medicine, presented a research poster titled “Pregnancy-Related Maternal Deaths in the State of Georgia According to Timing and Causes of Death” at the Georgia Public Health Association’s 94th Annual Meeting and Conference on Jekyll Island on May 1. Dr. Kondracki also made an oral presentation titled “Pregnancy-Related Maternal Mortality in the State of Georgia: Timing and Causes of Death/Improving the Health of Women in Georgia” at the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center 2024 Maternal Health Symposium in Macon on June 20. He also published a research article in the journal Women’s Health based on his Provost Office Seed Grant titled “Pregnancy-related maternal mortality in the state of Georgia: Timing and causes of death” on July 25.
Dr. Kimberly McElveen, associate dean for faculty affairs and associate professor, published an article titled “Optimal self-care for surgeons: Sleep, diet and exercise” in The American Surgeon and was invited to present “Physician resilience and mental health” to the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians’ Conclave in Young Harris.
Dr. Ilana Chefetz Menaker, associate professor of pharmacology, presented a poster titled “Optimization of Lysosome Extraction for Future Downstream Applications in Cell Therapy” during the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual meeting in Baltimore. Additional authors included Research Associate Dr. Olga Uchakina and Carolyn Gilbert.
Dr. Krista Mincey, associate professor of community medicine; a current M.D. student; 12 M.D. graduates; and two Ph.D. in rural health sciences graduates published an article titled “Mental Health and Black Male Graduate Students” in a special issue titled “Re-Imaging Health Promotion Among Black Men” in the Journal of Social Work in Public Health on July 5.
School of Music
Dr. R. Timothy McReynolds, associate professor of collaborative piano, was a pianist and singer for two cabaret programs in the Baltimore area in April and May. The first was a show based on the life of George Gershwin with Metropolitan Opera star Kevin Short and a cast of singers and performers at the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts in Owings Mills, Maryland. The second was a Stephen Sondheim cabaret titled “A Woman is a Sondheim Thing,” as part of Towson University’s Summer at the Center in Towson, Maryland. He was also a pianist and music director for Atlanta Opera’s 96-hour Opera Project at Morehouse College in June. Dr. McReynolds and his Trio Montage performed a concert of new music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One of the compositions, “Quatre Croquis,” is by Townsend School of Music’s own Dr. Valencio Jackson. This music was then premiered in Europe at International ClarinetFest in Dublin, Ireland.
Dr. Jack Mitchener, professor of organ and director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute of Church Music, performed in a concert featuring Atlanta-area organists at the famed Spivey Hall in Clayton. Dr. Mitchener was also invited to serve as an adjudicator for the 2024 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Playing held at the national convention of the American Guild of Organists in San Francisco, June 26-July 3.
Dr. Katie Rios, associate professor, designed program notes for the Atlanta Chamber Players for their upcoming performance season.
Staff and Administration
Michael Junod, director of the University Center, was appointed to serve on the International Association of Venue Managers board of directors in July. With the appointment, he will serve a two-year term as the University Sector Representative and serve on the Industry Affairs Committee.
Dr. Stefanie Swanger, director of the Center for Career and Professional Development, was selected as a program presenter for the 2024 Annual Georgia Association of Colleges and Employers Board of Directors Meeting and Conference held in May at Sea Palms Resort on St. Simons Island. The program titled “Numbers Talk: Using Data to Tell your Story and Connect with Your Stakeholders” was offered in collaboration with co-presenter Caitlyn Cofer, director of operations from the Georgia Southern University Office of Career and Professional Development.
