College of Education
Dr. Karyn Allee, associate professor of elementary education, and Ph.D. graduate Stephanie Moore, co-presented the session “Play as a bridge: Supporting multilingual learners through inquiry-driven, play-based learning” at the 2025 Georgia Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Conference in Athens on Oct. 30. Dr. Allee, with colleagues Dr. Nance Wilson from SUNY Cortland and Dr. Brittany Adams from the University of Alabama, presented the session “The Climb Model of Reading: Augmenting skill and strategy instruction beyond the rope” at the 2025 Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Conference on Nov. 7 in Oklahoma City. Additionally, Dr. Allee and University of Memphis Ph.D. candidate Taylor Mule had their paper, “University students’ beliefs about gendered play: Implications for teacher education,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education.
Dr. Robert J. Helfenbein, professor of curriculum studies, published the edited volume Critical Geographies in/of Education: Revisiting Discursive and Spatial Reckonings, with co-editor Hill Taylor.
Dr. Annemarie Kaczmarczyk, assistant professor of elementary education, and Dr. Karyn Allee, associate professor of elementary education, co-presented the session “Active and joyful: Designing classrooms that center equity, play, and curiosity” at the 2025 National Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on Nov. 19.
Dr. Katherine Perrotta, associate professor of middle grades and secondary education, and Student Leadership NORTH youth researchers Ralle Han, Prinsha Chanda, Anvitha Battu and Shaurya Attal published the article “History in our Backyard: Youth Podcasting about Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s Georgia” in Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dr. Andy Digh, professor of computer science and co-chair of the computer science department, served as the invited keynote speaker at the 39th annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Southeastern Regional Conference, held Nov. 7-8 on Mercer’s Macon campus for the first time. His talk, “From Problems to Performance: Two Decades of Programming Contests in the CCSC Southeast,” was based on a research paper of the same name that appeared in the November 2025 issue of the Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges.
Dr. Rachael Goodman, assistant professor of global development studies, published the article “A Different Difference: Nationality, Class, and the Complexities of Localisation at an Indian NGO” in the Journal of Development Studies.
Dr. Cameron Kunzelman, assistant professor of communication studies and theater, published the book Everything Is Permitted On Assassin’s Creed. The book is described as an entertaining deep dive into the world, gameplay and evolution of the hugely successful Assassin’s Creed video game franchise.
Dr. Tyler B. Parker, assistant professor of political science, delivered the presentation “Explaining the United Arab Emirates’ Strategic Autonomy from the U.S.,” and chaired the panel “U.S. Foreign Policy Toward the Middle East and Central Asia,” at the Middle East Studies Association annual meeting held in Washington, D.C., Nov. 22-25.
Dr. Katherine Roseau, associate professor of French, and Libertad Aranza, senior lecturer of Spanish, presented “Oral History with Local Migrant Communities to Build Programs” at the 2025 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in New Orleans on Nov. 22.
Dr. Creighton Rosental, professor of philosophy, organized, led the discussion and presented on Ovid’s Metamorphoses at the Association for Core Texts and Courses Lectio conference, held at Concordia University on Nov. 8.
Dr. Vasile T. Stănescu, associate professor of communication studies and director of speech and debate, gave an invited talk on greenwashing at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law; was quoted in a Bloomberg article on greenwashing by animal agriculture; and had a research article on greenwashing, funded by a recent external grant, accepted for publication by Oxford University Press, with publication scheduled for March.
Dr. Johnathan Yerby, associate professor of cybersecurity, co-published the paper “Cyber Risk, Privacy, and the Legal Complexities of Age Verification for Adult Content Platforms” with students Alana Murray and Huma Chhipa at the 65th Annual International Association for Computer Information Systems Conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida, Oct. 1-4. The paper, published in Issues in Information Systems, analyzes the cybersecurity and privacy implications of emerging age-verification laws and offers policy and technical recommendations for safer compliance. Dr. Yerby also delivered the keynote address, “Deliberately Confusing Language in Contracts,” at the Property & Casualty Insurance Industry Day Conference 2025 on Oct. 17. Additionally, Dr. Yerby, with cybersecurity undergraduate student Matthew Coburn, presented the co-authored paper “Cybersecurity Club and Team Practices: A Qualitative Multisite Study of Engagement and Success Strategies” at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Cyber Awareness and Research symposium on Oct. 29. The study identifies organizational practices that strengthen engagement and performance in cybersecurity clubs across high school and university settings. Dr. Yerby and Mehakpreet Kaur, lecturer of computer science, presented the paper “Advanced Computing Through Short-Format Immersive Camps: Cyberforensics, AI, and Python for Novice Learners” at the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges: Southeastern Regional Conference on Nov. 7. The paper, which will be published in the CCSC-SE Journal, evaluates a university-led outreach model delivering intensive computing camps and its impact on student confidence and interest in computing careers. Dr. Yerby and Jesse Sowell, lecturer of cybersecurity, co-coached two Mercer CyBears cybersecurity teams, with one team competing in the National Cyber League Team Challenge and the other traveling with Sowell to the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta to compete in the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition. Dr. Yerby, with Dr. Donald Ekong, associate professor of computer engineering in the School of Engineering, as part of a Mercer Undergraduate Research Scholar summer program, mentored undergraduate student Kusum Neupane who presented the project “Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Education for Global Contexts” at the 2025 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference, hosted by Oxford College of Emory University on Nov. 7-8. The presentation reported findings from curriculum development and pilot testing in service-learning programs and summer outreach initiatives.
College of Pharmacy
Dr. Jenna Bloemer, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, co-authored the book chapter “Current perspectives on the safety profile of Alzheimer’s disease pharmacotherapy,” published in the Side Effects of Drugs Annual series.
Dr. Nader Moniri, professor and associate dean for research, co-authored the article “Drugs used to induce/support sedation or anesthesia” published in Foye’s Principles of Medicinal Chemistry.
Dr. Leisa Marshall, clinical professor; Dr. Susan W. Miller, professor; Dr. Lydia Newsom, clinical associate professor; and Dr. Kenric Ware, clinical associate professor, presented “Medications and Brain Health” as part of the Senior University of Greater Atlanta Topics in Health Aging Course Series Fall 2025 in Atlanta on Oct. 29.
College of Professional Advancement
Dr. Wesley Barker, associate professor of religious studies, presented her research as part of a panel discussion and roundtable titled “Feminist Imagination and Creative Resistance in a Global Context” at the National Women’s Studies Association meeting, held Nov. 13-16.
Dr. Arla G. Bernstein, associate professor of strategic communication, had her article, “Integrating Urban Health Communication Research with Service Learning,” accepted for presentation at the 96th annual convention of the Southern States Communication Association, April 9-12, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. Hollis Phelps, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies, published the article “Dualism by design: Metaphysics in psychedelic research on the therapeutic effects of mystical experiences” in the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology.
Dr. Cristian J. Padilla Romero, assistant professor of world Atlantic history, published the article “The Life and Times of Santos Centeno García: A Black and Indigenous Communist Confronts U.S. Imperialism in Caribbean Honduras (1933–1963)” in Radical History Review.
Dr. Karen D. Rowland, professor of counseling, presented the paper “Trauma-Informed Counseling for Student Success: What Every School Counselor and Mental Health Facilitator Should Know!” at the Henry County Schools Professional Learning Day for school counselors, college and career readiness coaches, and mental health and wellness facilitators, on Nov. 4. She also co-presented the paper “School Counselors — Helping Students Rule Their Experiences: Supporting Neurodivergent P-12 Students” with DeeAnn Clarington, a school counselor with Henry County Schools, at the Georgia School Counselor Association 2025 conference, on Nov. 12 in Macon. Additionally, Dr. Rowland published the book Green Pastures in a Pink World: Finding Grace, Strength, and Stillness Through Breast Cancer, released on Amazon on Oct. 21.
School of Business
Dr. Astrid Ayala, associate professor of management science and analytics, mentored students Dylan James Mitchell, Tory L. Hopper and Yianni Pothoulakis for the 2025 Middle Georgia State University School of Business Stock Pitch Competition, held Oct. 24. Participants from invited universities delivered research-driven stock analyses and investment recommendations to a panel of industry experts, and Dr. Ayala’s students won first place, beating nine other teams.
Jody Blanke, the Ernest L. Baskin, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Law, attended the Southeastern Academy of Legal Studies in Business annual conference in Asheville, North Carolina, where he presented the paper “Copyright Law and AI: The Building Blocks” and was a panelist at the session “AI Research from A to Z.”
Dr. Szabolcs Blazsek, professor of economics, co-published the article “Fractionally Integrated Multivariate Score-Driven Location Models with an Application to Climate Data” with Alvaro Escribano, professor of economics at the University Carlos III of Madrid in Spain and Adrian Licht, professor of economics at Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala, in Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics & Econometrics.
Dr. James Hunt, professor of law and business, will be a visiting professor of law at Penn State Dickinson Law School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, during spring semester 2026.
Dr. Myriam Quispe-Agnoli, associate professor of economics and business analytics, published the article “The family firm advantage? Assessing performance differences among women- and spousal-owned firms from U.S. Annual Business Survey” in the Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research. The article, co-authored with Dr. Eric Kushins, associate professor of management at Berry College, examines whether family firms provide performance advantages for women entrepreneurs compared to nonfamily firms and explores how familiness — the unique resources and support from family involvement — affects women’s business success. The analysis concludes that women-owned family firms outperform women-owned nonfamily firms, suggesting that familiness helps women overcome barriers like limited capital and work-life balance challenges. In terms of policy and practice implications, leveraging family resources can strengthen women’s entrepreneurial success.
Dr. Carol Springer Sargent, associate professor of accounting, served as faculty advisor for students Alecio Salas-Suzarte, Matthew Brooks and Blake Adams, whose team won second place in the 15th annual Bill Mulcahy III Atlanta Auditing and Advisory Case Competition for their recommendations to solve supply chain challenges for an automotive manufacturer. The undergraduate students competed against both undergraduate and graduate students at flagship schools from across the Southeast.
School of Engineering
Dr. Sarah Bauer, assistant professor of environmental and civil engineering, and Dr. Adaline Buerck, assistant professor of environmental and civil engineering, were awarded a $5,000 grant from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Foundation for their outreach project “Harvesting Potential: Empowering Dyslexic Elementary Learners Through Sustainable Agriculture,” where they will be working with the students at Roberts Academy at Mercer University.
Dr. Dorina Mihut, professor of mechanical engineering; Dr. Arash Afshar, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Dr. Stephen Hill, associate professor of mechanical engineering; and Dr. Lianjun Wu, associate professor of mechanical engineering, mentored students Caleb Luo-Gardner, Alex Patrick, Zachary Rehg, Ronald White III, Jin Choi and Michael Norenberg for their poster presentation, “Mechanical and Tribological Properties of 3D Printed and Molded Polymers under Accelerated Environmental Degradation,” at the 2025 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exhibition — American Society of Mechanical Engineers, held in Memphis, Tennessee, Nov. 16-20.
School of Law
Kaleb Byars, assistant professor, co-published the casebook Contracts: Transactions and Litigation (6th ed. 2025) with George W. Kuney and Robert M. Lloyd.
Gary Simson, Macon Chair in Law and former dean, organized and moderated the national webinar “The First Amendment Under Siege — Echoes of McCarthyism” on Nov. 4. The webinar featured three leading First Amendment scholars and was sponsored by Lawyers Defending American Democracy, on whose board Simson serves.
School of Medicine
Dr. Elena Bozhikova, associate professor in anatomy, histology and cell biology, published the articles “A Cadaveric Study on the Variations in the Infraclavicular Part of Brachial Plexus in Axillary Region and Upper Arm” in BioMed Research International and “Bilateral septa in sphenoid and maxillary sinuses: a cadaveric case report and literature review” in Folia Morphologica. Both articles describe anatomical variations that have not been previously reported in the literature and include contributions from students.
Dr. Raghavan Chinnadurai, associate professor in the department of biomedical sciences, published the article “Opportunities with artificial intelligence in assessing the potency of mesenchymal stromal cells” in Stem Cells.
Dr. Lora Denton, Board of Governors, received the Mark Silverman Award during the American College of Physicians — Georgia Chapter Awards. The award serves to recognize the nurturing attitude of a physician who has not only demonstrated excellence in bedside skills and teaching but has served as an inspiration for younger physicians to advance their knowledge and training in medicine as well as their involvement in the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Ahmed Eltokhi, assistant professor in the department of biomedical sciences, with five second-year medical students from the Columbus campus, published the review “Gut microbiota dysbiosis at the interface of neuropsychiatric disorders and their dermatological comorbidities” in Gut Microbes.
Dr. Abraham M. Enyeji, assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine, was invited to serve as a peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Heart Association, a leading journal in cardiovascular research. This opportunity reflects Dr. Enyeji’s growing involvement in scholarly work and his commitment to contributing to the scientific community.
Dr. Joseph Hayes, associate campus dean of the Valdosta campus, received the Early Career Physician Award during the American College of Physicians — Georgia Chapter Awards. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by a physician member who is within 16 years of graduating medical school and who is not an American College of Physicians medical student member or resident/fellow member. Areas of achievement may include leadership; academics, publishing, teaching and mentoring; and/or volunteerism.
Dr. Chefetz Menaker, associate professor of pharmacology in the department of biomedical sciences, joined the editorial board of Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment (Sage) as an associate editor.
Dr. Anne Montgomery, associate professor of community medicine, with first author Dr. Cory Nonnemacher, department of surgery, and his colleagues Dr. Eric Long, Dr. Dennis Ashley and Dr. Benjamin Christie, published the article “Can Thromboelastography be Predictive of Venous Thromboembolism After Trauma: A Longitudinal, Prospective, Multi-Institution Study” in The American Surgeon. In her position as biostatistician at the School of Medicine’s Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, Dr. Montgomery also received a $50,000 grant from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education to improve resilience in rural Georgia farmers. The study is in collaboration with Fort Valley State University.
Dr. Jean Sumner, dean and professor of internal medicine, received the Commitment to Rural Care Award during the American College of Physicians – Georgia Chapter Awards. Dr. Sumner was the inaugural recipient of the award established by the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians to recognize physicians who have shown outstanding dedication to improving health care in rural Georgia through innovation, leadership and compassionate care.
Dr. Rafael Ponce Terashima, associate professor of internal medicine, received the J. Willis Hurst Outstanding Bedside Teacher Award during the American College of Physicians — Georgia Chapter Awards. The award was established in 1991 to honor a Georgia member or Fellow in the College for his or her outstanding teaching activities, especially related to medical students and house staff. The award is named after J. Willis Hurst, M.D., MACP, and former chair of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, whose dedication to instilling principles of lifelong learning brought him worldwide recognition as a gifted and influential teacher.
School of Music
Dr. Marcus Reddick, associate professor of music and director of percussion studies, was a featured drum set artist at the 2025 Elko Music Festival, featuring musical artists from across the Southeastern U.S. He was also a featured drum set artist with the Kenny Ray Williams Band at the 2025 Skydog Music Festival, held Nov. 23 at Carolyn Crayton Park in downtown Macon, where he performed the commissioned work “Sweet Refrain” written by Williams specifically for the event. The Skydog Music Festival celebrates the life and music of Duane Allman. Additionally, Dr. Reddick will be a featured artist for The GOATS Live @ Capricorn at Capricorn Sound Studios on Dec. 7, featuring new recordings from artists across the South.
Staff and Administration
Bryan Johnson, Office of Global Engagement global education program coordinator, was a panelist on a presentation titled “Strengthening Global Perspectives in Faculty-Led Programs” at the 2025 NAFSA Region VII conference in Jackson, Mississippi, held Nov. 3-6. His remarks highlighted the important work of Mercer’s Integrative Studies program and Mercer’s faculty-led study abroad programs in contributing to students’ development of intercultural competency. Johnson also served as a volunteer at the conference.
