Faculty and Staff Notables

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Atlanta Jesse

Dr. Karyn A. Allee-Herndon, assistant professor of early childhood education, co-authored “Putting play in its place: presenting a continuum to decrease mental health referrals and increase purposeful play in classrooms” in the International Journal of Play.

Dr. William Lacefield, professor of mathematics education, presented “Engaging virtual manipulatives for the elementary classroom” at the annual conference of the International Society for Technology in Education June 24-26 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also presented “Love of numbers: Using enjoyment to strengthen number sense and confidence” at the Annual Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching July 10-12 in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Jeannette Anderson, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, and Dr. Jeffrey Ebert, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, served June 9-12 in the American Physical Therapy Association House of Delegates. Dr. David Taylor, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, led the delegation from Georgia by serving as chief delegate.

Dr. Meghan Cody, assistant professor of clinical psychology, received a 2019 American Psychological Association Early Career Achievement Award.

Dr. Daniel Dale, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, co-presented “From clinic to classroom: An authentic discussion on the transition into academia” at the American Physical Therapy Association NEXT Conference and Exposition June 12-16 in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Dale also co-presented, with Fran Kamp, clinical associate professor and learning resource center coordinator, and Suzanne Applegate, clinical assistant professor, “Saving a life together: Practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation as an interprofessional simulation between nursing and physical therapy students” at the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Conference June 19-22 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Jeffrey Ebert, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, and Dr. Ellen Perlow, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, presented “Is it really shoulder pain? A case-based approach to differential diagnosis and medical screening” at the American Physical Therapy Association NEXT Conference and Exposition June 12-16 in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Alyssa Fiss, associate professor of physical therapy, co-presented “Assessment of student performance in pediatric PT: Reliability and feasibility of a new grading rubric” at the American Physical Therapy Association NEXT Conference and Exposition June 12-16 in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Leslie Taylor, professor of physical therapy, Jennifer de la Cruz, clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies, Dr. Susan Miller, professor of pharmacy practice, and Dr. David Taylor, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, were awarded a $475,480 Health Resources and Services Administration Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program five-year subcontract in collaboration with Emory University to develop, implement and assess an age-friendly curriculum for entry-level health professionals.

Dr. Craig D. Byron, associate chair and associate professor of biology, co-authored “Effect of dietary fiber on the composition of the murine dental microbiome” in Dentistry Journal 7(58), doi:10.3390/dj7020058. The lead author on the paper was former Mercer undergraduate and master’s degree student Lea Sedghi.

Dr. David A. Davis, associate professor of English, presented a paper, titled “Have You Heard Their Voices?: Sharecropper Photo Documentaries,” at the American Literature Association convention in Boston. He also consulted with Educational Testing Services on the CLEP test on American literature in Princeton, New Jersey, and led seminars on Southern foodways for the Governor’s Honors Program at Berry College.

Dr. Andy Digh, associate professor of computer science, served as an exam reader and grader for the Advanced Placement Exam in computer science June 1-9 in Kansas City, Missouri. A record 73,000 high school students from all over the world took this year’s exam in May.

Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor emeritus of French and interdisciplinary studies, published a review of Gary W. Moon’s Becoming Dallas Willard (IVP Books, 2018) in Frontlines, April 2019, p. 2. He also directed the Summer Faculty Workshop on Faith, Learning and Vocation July 11-15, which included participants from the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Business and Economics. Dr. Dunaway hosted the film “Beautifully Broken” (2018) as part of Willis-Slater Productions’ Annual Ethnic Awareness Events on May 11. The film discussion afterwards was led by Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, associate professor of global health. Dr. Dunaway also gave an invited lecture via remote video conference to a colloquium in Toulon, France, on the late French-American novelist Julien Green (1900-1998). The title of his talk, delivered May 28, was “Julien Green: Voyageur sur la terre/Pilgrim on the Earth.”

Dr. Sarah E. Gardner, Distinguished University Professor of History, published “Bookless Mississippi” in Faulkner and Money, edited by Jay Watson and James G. Thomas (University Press of Mississippi, 2019). Dr. Gardner completed her term on the Julia Cherry Spruill Prize Committee for the best book in Southern women’s history, awarded by the Southern Association for Women Historians.

Dr. Robert Good, associate professor of history, discussed an 1887 textbook’s depiction of how French settlers were “civilizing” Algeria at the French Colonial History Society’s June conference in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Kathryn Kloepper, associate professor of chemistry and director of Research That Reaches Out, presented “Lecture-lab connections: Development and evaluation of interventions that improve student learning” at the Chemistry Education Research and Practice Gordon Research Conference in Lewiston, Maine, June 16-21. Dr. Garland Crawford, associate professor of chemistry and director of University Honors, is a co-author on this work.

Dr. Achim Kopp, professor of foreign languages and literatures and associate dean, was elected to a two-year term as treasurer of the Society for German-American Studies. He will also serve as a member of the society’s executive committee. This is his fourth term as treasurer of the society since 2011.

Dr. Maggie Meadows, assistant professor of chemistry, published a paper, titled “Mechanistic Studies of a ‘Declick’ Reaction,” in collaboration with researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, Xi’an Jiaotong University in China and Sandia National Laboratories. The article was published in the journal Chemical Science.

Dr. Clara Mengolini, assistant professor of Spanish, and Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor of economics, co-authored “Marxist Indoctrination in Children’s Literature: The Case of Latin America’s 21st Century Socialism,” presented May 20-22 at The Asian Conference on the Social Sciences in Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, associate professor of global health, and Dr. Eimad Houry, professor and chair of international and global studies, along with 10 Mercer students, participated in the AIDS Candle Light Memorial Walk organized by the Women’s Club of Aruba on May 19. Dr. Obidoa was interviewed by the E Arubiano News in Aruba and delivered a short speech on HIV/AIDS in Aruba during the event. Dr. Obidoa directed an HIV Summer Institute in collaboration with the Hope Center in Macon on June 17-28. She conducted focus group interviews and co-authored a research report with HIV Summer Fellows Marcus Strickland and Jasmine Shakir titled “COMPASS: HIV Client Perspectives and Suggestions.” Dr. Obidoa presented the report at the Hope Center Community Advisory Board meeting held July 23. She also participated in the Faculty Fellowship to Israel May 25-June 7 and the Summer Faculty Workshop on Faith, Learning and Vocation July 15-19.

Dr. Bryan J. Whitfield, associate professor of religion and director of the Great Books Program, published his article, titled “Teaching Dante in the History of Christian Theology,” in the journal Religions 10 (2019).

Dr. Carolyn Yackel, professor of mathematics, and Dr. Margaret Symington, professor of mathematics,  published “Teaching Chats: Sharing vs. Instruction” in the August issue of Mathematical Association of America’s FOCUS magazine. Dr. Yackel also read AP calculus exams in June and organized a contributed paper session, titled “Enhance your teaching through best practices that align with the IP Guide,” that occurred at MathFest in Cincinnati in August.

Dr. Tammy Barbé, associate professor and associate dean for graduate programs, presented “Transparent Teaching to Support Student Success” June 9 at the Teaching Professor Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was selected by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to participate in the inaugural cohort of the AACN Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing (ELAN) program. The ELAN fellowship was designed to further develop and enhance leadership skills in emerging executive administrators in nursing programs. The program includes a leadership immersion experience held July 28-Aug. 2 in Chaska, Minnesota.

Dr. Jennifer L. Bartlett, assistant professor, published “Oh, the drama! Misconceptions about nurses on TV” in American Nurse Today 14(7) and served as a subject matter expert for Taylor’s Video Guide to Clinical Nursing Skills (4th ed.), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer. She also co-presented “Improving medication adherence in patients after liver transplantation: Motivational interviewing with nurse practitioners” at the National Nursing Ethics Conference in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Vicki Black, assistant professor, received a seed grant to research “The Lived Experience of Parents Who Have Lost a Child to Suicide.”

Dr. Kathy Davis, clinical assistant professor, completed the University of Arizona’s one-year Integrative Nursing Faculty Fellowship in May.

Nicole Lipscomb-King, instructional designer, presented “Implementing ADA Compliant Design in Your Online Course” at the 2019 Association Supporting Computer Users in Education conference June 9-13 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Dr. Ayman Akil, assistant professor, received $64,561 in funding from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the project titled “Long acting film technology for contraception and HIV prevention (LATCH).”

Dr. Ajay Banga, professor, and Dr. Kevin Murnane, assistant professor, were co-authors, along with graduate students Ying Jiang and Sonalika Bhattaccharjee, of “Skin delivery and irritation potential of phenmetrazine as a candidate transdermal formulation for repurposed indications,” in The AAPS Journal, 21(4), 70. Dr. Banga also received $60,000 from CONRAD via the U.S. Agency for International Development/Eastern Virginia Medical School for the project “Formulation development and preclinical assessment of a transdermal patch containing raloxifene.” Additionally, Dr. Banga received the Award for Excellence in Research from the College of Pharmacy during its hooding ceremony on May 10.

Dr. Clinton Canal, assistant professor, served as a reviewer for the Journal of Psychopharmacology and for ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Dr. Canal also served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health Drug Discovery for the Nervous System Study Section in May and June.

Dr. Martin D’Souza, professor, presented “Exploring needle-free approaches to confer immunity” at the Center for Vaccines and Immunology at the University of Georgia. Dr. D’Souza was also a member of the National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel on Clinical and Translational R21 and Omnibus R03 in June.

Dr. Joshua D. Kinsey, clinical assistant professor and director of the Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program, was awarded the Georgia Pharmacy Association Mal T. Anderson Outstanding Region President Award at this year’s annual meeting in Amelia Island, Florida, in June. Dr. Kinsey was also elected to a one-year term on the board of directors for the Georgia Pharmacy Association Academy of Employee Pharmacists in Atlanta. He was also awarded, along with colleagues Dr. Kathryn Momary, vice chair and associate professor, and Dr. Jennifer Nguyen, assistant professor, a community merit scholarship from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores in March in the amount of $20,000 to conduct the proposed project “Conducting Health Fairs for Refugees to Expand Cultural Competence of Student Pharmacists.”

Dr. Susan Miller, professor, contributed “Clinical Scenario and Case Study” for a chapter on sedative-hypnotics in Foye’s Principles of Medicinal Chemistry (8th ed.), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: LWW; 2019.

Dr. Pamela Moye-Dickerson, clinical associate professor, served June 7-11 as a grant reviewer for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Dr. Kevin Murnane, assistant professor, and Dr. Ayman Akil, assistant professor, co-authored “The cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist, ß-caryophyllene, improves working memory and reduces circulating levels of specific proinflammatory cytokines in aged male mice” in Behavioural Brain Research, 112012. Dr. Murnane, along with Dr. J. Phillip Bowen, professor, and Dr. Nader Moniri, professor, co-authored “The adrenergic receptor antagonist carvedilol interacts with serotonin 2A receptors both in vitro and in vivo” in Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 181, 37-45. Dr. Murnane and Dr. Clinton Canal, assistant professor, co-authored “M100907 and BD 1047 attenuate the acute toxic effects of methamphetamine” in Neurotoxicology, 74, 91-99. Dr. Murnane also co-authored “The sesquiterpene beta-caryophyllene oxide attenuates ethanol drinking and place conditioning in mice” in Heliyon, 5(6), e01915. Dr. Murnane received $227,786 in funding for “Optimization of monoterpene to sesquiterpine ratios in novel sleep enhancing and anxiolytic products” from Surterra Holdings. Dr. Murnane, along with Dr. Martin D’Souza, professor, and Dr. Ajay Banga, professor, received $50,264 for “DD Therapeutics” from the Georgia Research Alliance. Dr. Murnane was an invited member of the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse Special Emphasis Panel on the Development of Medications to Prevent and Treat Opioid Use Disorders and Overdose in May.

Dr. Diane Nykamp, professor, co-authored “Anticoagulation in Pediatrics: DOACs on the Horizon” in U.S. Pharmacist, 2019; 44(5) HS-8-HS-12.  Dr. Nykamp also co-authored “Statin-Associated Bilateral Foot Myopathy” in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice on June 27.

Dr. Gina Ryan, clinical professor, and Dr. Kathryn Momary, associate professor, co-authored “CETP genotype and concentrations of HDL and lipoprotein subclasses in African-American men” in Future Cardiology, 2019;15(3):187-195, doi:10.2217/fca-2018-0058.

Dr. Maria Thurston, clinical associate professor, was named a 2018 Top 25 Reviewer by the American Journal of Pharmacy Education in July. Dr. Thurston also contributed a chapter, titled “Gout and Hyperuricemia,” to Pharmacotherapy Principles and Practice (5th ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill; 2019.

Dr. Arla G. Bernstein, assistant professor of communication, edited the book Gentrification in the South: Struggling for Balance, a collaboration with colleagues from Mercer’s College of Professional Advancement, Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Preliminary conversation with the University of Georgia Press about publishing the book has been held.

Dr. Jared Champion, assistant professor of writing and interdisciplinary studies, completed a certificate program in Online Course Design and Delivery through the Office of Distance Learning in the College of Professional Advancement. The 15-hour certificate program consists of three levels of hands-on instruction in the use of the University’s learning management system, the application of instructional design methodologies to content development and the implementation and delivery of learning through the use of asynchronous and synchronous online tools.

Dr. Suneetha B. Manyam, professor of counseling, served as a primary author for “Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and Rehabilitation Training” (CFDA 84.129B), a grant proposal of $1.8 million that was submitted to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services from the Department of Education on Aug. 2. She also served as a peer reviewer for “Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program Rehabilitation Specialty Areas – Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Mentally Ill” (CFDA 84.129H) from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Education on Aug. 12-16.

Dr. Richard H. Martin, professor of criminal justice and homeland security, authored the following two articles accepted for publication in August: “Characteristics Critical For Recruiting Police Officers For Successful Careers In Texas” in EC Psychology and Psychiatry and “Traits That Make Good Police Leaders: Identify Leadership Potential During Recruit Selection” in Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal. As a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Grooming and Appearance Group, Dr. Martin helped to develop and publish a model policy for police agencies in July. In June and July, he reviewed three articles for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “Evaluation of Occupational Exposure To Perchlorethylene in a Group of Italian Dry-Cleaners Using Non-Invasive Exposure Indices,” “I have to use Krazy Glue on my teeth: Cultural influences on oral health beliefs and experiences of Latinx parents/caregivers with children with Autism and with typically developing children” and “What are the key workplace influences on pathways to work ability: A six year follow up.”

Dr. Peeper McDonald, assistant professor of counseling, became chair of the Diversity Committee of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling, a national counseling organization. She also co-authored “Mental health facilitator service implementation in Mexico: a community mental health strategy” in the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, the journal of international counseling society Chi Sigma Iota.

Dr. David Purnell, adjunct instructor of communication studies, authored Building communities through food: Strengthening communication, families, and social capital, published by Rowman and Littlefield in July. He also authored “I should have been wearing the pink triangle” for Departures in Critical Qualitative Research, with an expected publication date in spring 2020.

Dr. Awatef Ben Ramadan, assistant professor of mathematics, science and informatics, presented a paper, titled ”Enhancing the Learning Process and the Quality of the Students’ Work in Online Courses Using Multiple High Impact Practices and Civic Strategies,” at the Association Supporting Computer Users in Education conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in June. On June 10, Dr. Ben Ramadan submitted a seed grant application to the provost for “Assessment of Health and Digital Literacy Amongst First Generation Immigrants” as a primary investigator with Dr. Dina Schwam, assistant professor of psychology and human services, as a co-author. In July, Dr. Ben Ramadan attended the Writing Institute Workshop at Mercer’s Henry County Regional Academic Center.

Dr. Dina Schwam, assistant professor of psychology and human services, completed a certificate program in Online Course Design and Delivery through the Office of Distance Learning at the College of Professional Advancement. The 15-hour certificate program consists of three levels of hands-on instruction in the use of the University’s learning management system, the application of instructional design methodologies to content development and the implementation and delivery of learning through the use of asynchronous and synchronous online tools. Dr. Schwam also presented her paper “Understanding Self-regulated Learning Profiles of College Students Attending Online Courses” on Aug. 9 at the 2019 American Psychological Association Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois. This presentation focused on a review of her prior research exploring self-regulated learning profiles in traditional students with a preview of some preliminary data comparing post-traditional age students with traditional age students.

Dr. Lynn Tankersley, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Stephen Ruegger, associate professor of criminal justice and public safety leadership, presented a session, titled “Maintaining Civility in Online Debates in an Era of Incivility,” at the Association Supporting Computer Users in Education’s 52nd annual conference June 9-13 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Dr. Tyler Wilkinson, assistant professor of counseling and coordinator of the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, gave two presentations with three doctoral students pursuing Mercer’s Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision – Devon Mills, Austin Shugart and Ashley Williams – at the annual Association for Humanistic Counseling conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The presentations were titled “Authenticity and vulnerability: Creating humanistic counseling relationships” and “Humanism in Supervision.” Dr. Wilkinson also had a book chapter published on an innovative teaching intervention that emphasizes social justice in the classroom. The chapter, titled “Eugenics and Early Assessment,” was published by Routledge in the textbook Experiential Activities for Teaching Social Justice and Advocacy Competence in Counseling.

Jody Blanke, Ernest L. Baskin Jr. Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Law, was the commenter on a paper, titled “A Right to Reasonable Inferences: Re-Thinking Data Protection Law in the Age of Big Data and AI,” at the 12th Annual Privacy Law Scholars Conference at the Berkeley School of Law. Blanke completed his five-year term on the Executive Committee of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) as its past president. He also chaired a panel discussion on cutting edge issues in privacy law at the annual conference of the ALSB in Montreal, Canada. He was the invited discussant on a paper, titled “50 Different Approaches to the Value of Name, Image and Likeness is Too Many! Recommending a Uniform Right of Publicity Statute,” at the American Business Law Journal Invited Scholars Colloquium. Blanke’s most recent article, “Top Ten Reasons to be Optimistic About Privacy,” was published by the Idaho Law Review.

Dr. Andres Marroquin, visiting associate professor, was invited to give lectures on economics to high school students June 20-23 at The Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Dr. Geoffrey Ngene, associate professor of finance, co-authored a paper, titled “Oil and Sovereign Credit Risk: Asymmetric Nonlinear Dynamic Interactions,” which was accepted for publication in the journal Emerging Markets Finance and Trade.

Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor and director of the Center for the Study of Economics and Liberty, was interviewed by CNN three times: on June 24 regarding Facebook’s new currency, on July 22 regarding the debt ceiling discussion in congress and on Aug. 19 regarding the economic effects of immigration. Dr. Saravia was also the keynote speaker at the Financial Literacy Teacher Institute organized by the University of West Georgia on July 17. He presented his paper, “Socialist Indoctrination in Venezuela,” co-authored with Dr. Clara Mengolini, assistant professor of Spanish, May 20 at The Asian Conference on the Social Sciences in Tokyo, Japan.

Therese R. Viscelli, visiting assistant professor of accounting, received the Ernst and Young Foundation-sponsored 2019 Innovation in Accounting Education Award from the American Accounting Association. The award is intended to encourage innovation and improvement in accounting education and recognizes programmatic changes of a significant activity, concept or set of educational materials. She also authored “Analyzing data for decision making: Integrating spreadsheet modeling and database querying” in Issues in Accounting Education, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp: 59-66.

Dr. Arash Afshar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Dr. Dorina Marta Mihut, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Stephen Hill, associate dean and associate professor of mechincal engineering, published “Study of Metallic Thin Films on Epoxy Matrix as Protective Barrier to Ultraviolet Radiation” in Surface and Coatings Technology on June 15. Dr. Mihut, Dr. Hill, Dr. Afshar and Dr. Laura Lackey, dean, professor and Kaolin Chair of Engineering, as well as students Khang Le, Nicholas Cordista, Sebastian Sanchez and Raffiled Christopher, gave two presentations at the 46th International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films in San Diego, California. The presentations were titled “Antibacterial Effects of Metallic Nanoparticles Deposited Using DC High Vacuum Magnetron Sputtering on Filtering Materials” and “Study of Erosion on Metals and Ceramic Coated Metals Using Magnetron Sputtering Process.”

Daisy Hurst Floyd, professor of law, participated in discussion groups on “Law School Assessment and Developing Professional Identity” and “Faculty Mentoring of Law Students” at the 2019 Southeastern Association of Law School’s annual conference on July 30-Aug. 5.

Timothy Floyd, professor of law, participated in the discussion group “Faculty Mentoring of Law Students” at the 2019 Southeastern Association of Law School’s annual conference on July 30-Aug. 5.

Linda D. Jellum, Ellison Capers Palmer Sr. Professor of Law, spoke to some 200 attorneys for the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice at the 2019 Spring Conference on May 31 in Arlington, Virginia. The topic was “Statutory Interpretation 101.” She also participated in the discussion group “Faculty Development Deans – Leadership, Promotion and Mentorship” at the 2019 Southeastern Association of Law School’s Annual Conference on July 30-Aug. 5.

Billie Jo Kaufmann, interim director of the Furman Smith Law Library, was chosen to serve on the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress for 2019-2020.

Jeremy Kidd, associate professor, participated in discussion groups on “Philosophical Reflections on Respondeat Superior Liability” and “Insider Trading Stories” at the 2019 Southeastern Association of Law School’s Annual Conference on July 30-Aug. 5. He was also quoted in an article, titled “Allegations Against Burford Could Muddy the Waters for Litigation Funding, Law Experts Argue,” Aug. 14 on Law.com.

Patrick Longan, professor of law, Daisy Hurst Floyd, professor of law, and Timothy Floyd, professor of law, co-authored The Formation of Professional Identity: The Path from Student to Lawyer, which will be published by Routledge in October.

Gary Simson, professor, authored “An Essay on Illusion and Reality in the Conflict of Laws” in the Mercer Law Review, 70: 819-64. This much longer “essay” is a passionate critique of the Georgia Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in a 2017 Georgia case regarding conflict of laws.

Karen J. Sneddon, professor of law, authored “Voice, Strength, and No-Contest Clauses” in the Wisconson Law Review 239. She presented “Brain Breaks from the Legal Writing Classroom” May 31 at the Biennial Conference of the Association of Legal Writing Directors at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. She also presented “From Clause A to Clause Z: Narrative Transportation and the Transactional Reader” July 10 at the Seventh Biennial Applied Legal Storytelling Conference in Boulder, Colorado, along with Susan M. Chesler. Sneddon, a member of the SEALS New Scholars Committee, also participated in SEALS panels and discussion groups in July. These panels included “What’s a Job Talk?,” “The Dead Hand: Keeping Students Engaged in the T&E Classroom,” “Designing Your Teaching Package” and “The Next Article.”

Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, associate professor of community medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, and colleagues from the University Of Milan published “The Role of Clock Genes in Perinatal Depression: The Light in the Darkness” in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

Dr. Gretchen Bentz, assistant professor of microbiology, co-authored with Dr. Thomas Selby, assistant professor of biochemistry, “The Epstein-Barr Virus Oncoprotein, LMP1, Regulates the Function of SENP2, a SUMO-protease” in Scientific Reports in July. Additional co-authors included former Mercer undergraduates, medical students and master’s degree students. Dr. Bentz and two Mercer undergraduates presented research from her lab at the International Herpesvirus Workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee, in July. Senior Shakti Biswas was asked to give an oral presentation for his work, “The Manipulation of the SUMO-activating Enzyme by a Viral Oncoprotein,” and senior Peter Garcia was given a travel award for his work, “Targeting LMP1-induced Sumoylation Processes with ML-792.” Dr. Bentz presented work from recent master’s degree student Tabithia Ross on “The Role of the CTAR3 Repetitive Elements in LMP1 Biology.”

Dr. Christy C. Bridges, professor of histology and director of the M.S. in Biomedical Sciences, co-authored “Co-administration of selenium with inorganic mercury alters the disposition of mercuric ions in rats” in Biological Trace Element Research, along with Dr. Caryn Seney, professor and assistant chair of chemistry, Dr. Adam Kiefer, associate professor of chemistry, Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, associate professor of community medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, Lucy Joshee, research associate, and Mercer alumni Mary Catherine Barnes, Hannah George, Taylor Mathis and current medical student Sarah Orr.

Dr. Keisha R. Callins, Joy McCann Endowed Professor, received a Community Health Advanced by Medical Practice Superstars (C.H.A.M.P.S.) Transformational Leadership Fellowship from Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Callins was also invited to serve a three-year term as a member of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps of the Health Resources and Services Administration. She was also elected to a three-year term on the Healthcare Georgia Foundation Board of Directors.

Dr. Steven Carpenter, academic chair of internal medicine, spoke at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences investiture event for its new chancellor on June 3.

Dr. Ashley Horner, professor of pharmacology, co-authored “Lesions of the patch compartment of dorsolateral striatum disrupt stimulus-response learning” in Neuroscience, the official journal of the International Brain Research Organization. The lead author on the paper was Terrell Jenrette, a graduate of the M.S. in Biomedical Sciences and current third-year medical student. Fellow M.S. graduate Jordan Logue also served as a co-author.

Dr. Warren S. Hutchings, assistant professor of family medicine, received the Outstanding Service award at the Georgia State Medical Association 126th Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly Awards Dinner Presidential Commendation on June 13 at the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for mentoring the School of Medicine Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and the SNMA-Minority Association of Pre-medical Students (MAPS). With Dr. Hutchings as its faculty adviser, Mercer SNMA-MAPS received Mercer’s 2018-2019 Leadership Award for Outstanding Campus Contributions.

Dr. Harold Katner, professor and chief of infectious diseases, and Marnie Hill, clinical research manager, served as co-authors on “Alcohol-Related Intentional Antiretroviral Nonadherence among People Living with HIV: Test of an Interactive Toxicity Beliefs Process Model” in the Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care. Dr. Katner also served as a co-author on three additional publications: “Income Inequality, Stigma, and Viral Suppression among Men and Women Living with HIV in Rural Georgia, USA” in Prevention Science, “Experiences of HIV-related discrimination and consequences for internalized stigma, depression, and alcohol use” in Psychology and Health and “Perceived Sensitivity to Medicines, Alcohol Interactive Toxicity Beliefs, and Medication Adherence among People Living with HIV who Drink Alcohol” in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Dr. Edward C. Klatt, professor of pathology, presented “The Human Side of Informatics: Promoting Wellness” on June 17 at the regional meeting of the Health Information Management Systems Society in Columbus.

Dr. Yudan Wei, professor of community medicine, published a research article, titled “Endocrine-disrupting metals in ambient air and female breast cancer incidence in US,” in Gynecological Endocrinology. Medical students Vivian Vu and Nina Navalkar, who have conducted this research project with Dr. Wei, co-authored the paper.

Dr. Jack Mitchener, professor of organ, university organist and director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute of Church Music, was the featured organist for the 69th annual Sewanee Church Music Conference in July at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Dr. Mitchener played for daily choral rehearsals, services, gave a master class and performed a recital. He also continues as organist and artist-in-residence at The Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta and dean of the Atlanta chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Dr. William Loyd Allen, Sylvan Hills Professor of Baptist Heritage and Spiritual Formation, delivered four lectures on Celtic spirituality at the Ring Lake Conference Center in DuBois, Wyoming, on July 1-3 and July 5.

Dr. Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, Carolyn Ward Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, attended the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament in Aberdeen, Scotland, Aug, 4-9, where she organized a session on “Embodiment in the Book of Psalms” and presented a paper on “The Embodied Praise of God in The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134).”

Dr. David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, recently spoke at First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. He lectured during the church’s Education Hour on “The Ties That Bind: Reclaiming Covenant Today.” His sermon title was “Keeping Our Covenants,” based on texts from Isaiah 56:1-8 and Matthew 5:31-37.

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, associate professor of practical theology, delivered a plenary address June 23 at the annual meeting of the Association of Professional Chaplains on the topic of “Prophetic Presence: Chaplains as Social Healers and Activists.” She also published a chapter, “Is It Time for a Womanist Theology of Reconciliation?,” in the newly released book Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice, edited by Mae Elise Cannon and Andrea Smith.

Michael Junod, director of the University Center, earned his Certified Venue Executive (CVE) designation from the International Association of Venue Managers during VenueConnect, the association’s annual conference and trade show, held this summer in Chicago, Illinois. CVE applicants are rated on their experience and accomplishments in public venue management and must successfully complete a comprehensive written essay, written examination and oral interview that tests general knowledge of the public venue management profession. The CVE designation demonstrates that a venue executive is a skilled manager, is committed to the industry and is pledged to continued professional growth and development. Managers who earn the CVE designation are recognized, by those inside and outside the industry, as experts in their profession.

Dr. Tyler Wilkinson, assistant professor and coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Program in the College of Professional Advancement, Dr. Marshall Angle, assistant professor and director of program evaluation and medical education research in the School of Medicine, Scott F. Gillies, associate dean of the University Library and director of Swilley Library, and Alfred Bates Canon, director of counseling services in Atlanta, were recognized by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness for exemplary annual assessment reports. These reports were vetted by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness as well as by members of the University Assessment Council and were chosen based on the commendable clarity of their outcomes and methods, meaningful results and analysis of data, notably reflective updates and future plans based on results.