College of Continuing and Professional Studies
Dr. Vikraman Baskaran, assistant professor of informatics, is part of the organizing committee and is one of the special issue editors for KIM 2013, Knowledge and Information Management Conference, to be held June 4–5 in Meriden, U.K. He will also co-present a paper titled “Moving from information to knowledge: case exemplars showing KM in practice.”
Dr. Thompson Biggers, associate professor of communication, presented at the National Communication Association Convention in Orlando, Fla. Dr. Biggers, along with Kelly Jones, instructional designer, and Daryl Reynolds, a graduating senior in the liberal studies department, will present a paper at the 11th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference for Teachers of Undergraduates at Gordon College on March 22–23. Their paper is titled “Communication Strategies that Enhance Learning, a Review of the Literature and Future Research Directions.”
Dr. Caroline Brackette, assistant professor of counseling, presented at the Georgia College Counseling Association's Annual Conference in St. Simons Island on Jan. 23. The topic was “Fostering Educational Attainment for College Students with Mental Illness.” Three doctoral and one master's student also presented at the conference. Dr. Brackette also participated as a motivational speaker at Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta on Jan. 30 for the school's College and Career Motivation Day designed to promote students' college and career readiness.
Dr. Diane Clark, professor of counseling, presented a workshop on “Ethics of Multicultural Clinical Supervision” at the 12th Annual Cross Cultural Issues in Education and Counseling Conference on Feb. 15-16.
Dr. Ilknur Eginli, assistant professor of liberal studies and bridge program advisor, presented a paper, titled “Incorporating Self-Regulated Skills into Hypermedia Learning Environments,” at the Higher Education Teaching and Learning Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 15.
Dr. Kevin Freeman, assistant professor of counseling, along with two Ph.D. counseling students, Thommi Odom and Margo Velez, presented on “Practicing Mindfulness in Multicultural Counseling” at the Cross-Cultural Issues in Counseling and Education Conference on Feb. 15 in Savannah.
Kelly Jones, instructor of instructional design, presented a poster titled “Participatory Writing Groups in The Age of Composition” at the 2013 Eastern Educational Research Association annual conference in Sarasota, Fla., in February. Also at the EERA conference, Jones co-presented a paper with Dr. Kelly Reffitt of the Tift College of Education, titled “Web 2.0: Walking Through a Wiki Wonderland: A Collaborative Investigation of the History of American Education.”
Dr. Kenyon Knapp, assistant dean of graduate studies and associate professor of counseling, has been selected to be an editorial reviewer and advisory board member for the national journal, Professional Issues in Counseling. He will be reviewing articles for potential publication and providing feedback to authors. Dr. Knapp, along with Ph.D. student Mayi Dixon, presented on “Vicarious Trauma and Stress in Doctoral Counseling Students” at the 7th Annual Counseling Graduate Student Conference at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
Dr. Richard Martin, associate professor of public safety, will have two articles published: “Police Misconduct: Selecting recruits with attributes that can reduce police disciplinary actions” in Law Enforcement Executive Forum and “Police crisis intervention: The need to train,” in Law and Enforcement Executive Forum.
Dr. Kyra Osmus, professor of human services, has been appointed to the board of evaluators for the Council on Standards for Human Services Education.
Dr. Philip Purser, adjunct professor, had his chapter, titled “Heathenism in Beowulf,” published in Teaching Beowulf in the 21st Century (Arizona State University Press, edited by Allen J. Frantzen, Howell Chickering Jr. and Robert Bjork).
Dr. Colleen Stapleton, associate professor of science, and Dr. John Payne, assistant professor of science education in the Tift College of Education, presented “Rocks, Water and Erosion” at the National Science Teachers Association Area Conference in Atlanta on Nov. 1 – 3. Dr. Stapleton presented a geologic history of the southeastern Appalachian Mountains, including erosion and sediment transport and deposition. Dr. Payne and Dr. Stapleton led activities for pre-K teachers that demonstrated these processes to help enable teachers to incorporate earth science content for their students. Dr. Stapleton, along with Dr. Robert H. Brill, research scientist at Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., co-authored a scientific book on the archaeological significance and manufacturing technology of ancient glasses titled, Chemical Analyses of Early Glasses: Volume 3 (Corning, NY: Corning Museum of Glass). This volume reports interpretations based on detailed chemical analyses and archaeological data of glass samples, dating from 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1800, provided by institutions in more than 40 countries. The Corning Museum of Glass is one of the world's leaders in the archaeology and scientific research on ancient and historical glass from 2nd millennium B.C. southern Mesopotamia through to the earliest American glass from 17th century A.D. Jamestown. Completion of this project was supported by the Office of the Provost in the form of summer research stipends to Dr. Stapleton.
Dr. Lynn Tankersley, assistant professor of criminal justice in the department of leadership studies, presented a paper, titled “Practical Advice for Going Gradeless,” at the 2012 annual meeting of the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia on Nov. 9-10 in Savannah.
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Robert Allen, professor, Dr. Laurie White, professor, and computer science student Stephen Finney presented “Code for America Builds Civic-Minded Lives,” at the Gulf South Summit on Service Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education http://kycompact.nku.edu/conference-home in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 28. Dr. Allen served as the director the Mercer Spring Programming Contest on Feb. 23, hosted by the Department of Computer Science. Dr. White was the chief justice of the event. There were 36 competing teams and seven pick-up teams participating from 13 universities and colleges around the Southeast.
Dr. Jamie Cockfield, Willis Borders Glover Professor of History, will chair a panel at the Southern Conference of Slavic Studies discussing Joseph Fuhrman's biography of Rasputin on March 28-29. Dr. Cockfield also had his article on Eugene Jacques Bullard, America's first black military aviator and a native of Columbus, published in The Encyclopedia War.
Dr. David A. Davis, assistant professor of English, gave the presentation, titled “Contemporary Southern Cookbooks and the Myth of Abundance,” at the Southern American Studies Association conference in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 1-2.
Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor of French and interdisciplinary studies, published a short essay, titled “Volkoff et l'Amérique,” in the Paris literary journal Livr'Arbitres, no. 10, Winter 2013, pp. 42-44 (http://livr-arbitres.com/). The entire issue is devoted to the writings of Vladimir Volkoff, late husband of Associate Professor Emerita Denise Volkoff, and former instructor of creative writing at Mercer. Dr. Dunaway was interviewed on Jan. 22 on a Paris talk-show “Libre Journal de Lydwine Helly” on Radio Courtoisie (www.RadioCourtoisie.fr) as part of a panel discussing the works of Vladimir Volkoff.
Dr. Leona Kanter, associate professor and chair of sociology, Dr. Eric Spears, director of international education and assistant professor of geography, and Dr. Brian Rood, associate professor, participated in the Asian Studies Development Program workshop, titled “Chinese Histories in a Global Context,” at the University of North Carolina, Asheville on Oct. 1-2. This workshop is part of Mercer's Department of Education Title IV USFIL grant with the East-West Center at the University of Hawai'i-M?noa to establish an Asian Studies minor in the College of Liberal Arts.
Dr. Anya Silver, associate professor, had her poem, titled “Saint Sunday” published in America on Jan. 21-28, p. 31. She also gave a poetry reading at the Sidney Lanier House on Dec. 21.
Marian Zielinski, professor of theatre, earned 2nd place for 3-D work at the Middle Georgia Art Association's 2013 Winter Arts Festival for her art quilt titled “Postcards from the Fates.” It will be on display in the gallery through March 9.
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Dr. Ashish A. Advani, clinical assistant professor, was appointed 2012-2013 member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Educational Affairs Committee.
Dr. Laurel E. Ashworth, professor, was appointed chair of the Department of Community Health's drug utilization review board by Gov. Nathan Deal. This advisory board monitors the safety, efficacy and economic factors of medication use for the approximately 435,000 Georgians who are eligible for medication assistance through the Medicaid program.
Dr. Ajay K. Banga, professor, and graduate student Mehtab J. Abla co-authored “Quantification of skin penetration of antioxidants of varying lipophilicity” in International Journal of Cosmetic Science 2013;35(1):19-26.
Dr. Ayyappa Chaturvedula, research assistant professor, received a $38,029 grant for “Development of pharmacometric models for antiviral therapies” from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Martin J. D'Souza, professor, was appointed the executive editor of the Journal Translational Medicine.
Dr. Annesha W. Lovett, research assistant professor, co-authored “Medicare Part D and FEHBP: drug selection guidance for clinicians” in American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits 2013;5(1):e1-e7.
Dr. Lisa M. Lundquist, clinical associate professor, co-authored “Icatibant for the treatment of hereditary angioedema” in Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2013;47:49-55.
Dr. Maria M. Thurston, clinical assistant professor, co-authored “Osteoporosis” in Pharmacotherapy Principles and Practice 3rd edition. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Co.; 2013:1009-1023. She was also appointed to 2013 member of the student and resident committee with the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Dr. Laura Kim Baraona, clinical assistant professor, presented “Reducing Ricks for Low Birth Weight: A Tobacco Cessation Education Intervention for Obstetrical Practices” at the Pi Gamma meeting in February.
Dr. Laura Kimble, professor, and Dr. Linda Streit, dean and professor, presented “A Review of Statistics and Methodological Courses Required in Post-Master's DNP Programs:Are Students Adequately Prepared to be Clinical Scholars?” for the 2013 Doctoral Education Conference at Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, Calif., in January.
McAfee School of Theology
Dr. R. Alan Culpepper, dean, Dr. Robert Nash, professor and associate dean, and Dr. David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, are participating in the Christian Leaders Institute sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Dr. Culpepper and Dr. Nash will attend the reunion in Louisiana and Dr. Culpepper will attend a conference on “Forgiveness in Jerusalem.” Dr. Culpepper is also working with a group sponsored by Hartman on curriculum for a course for Christians on “New Paths for Engaging Israel” that will be released later this spring.
Dr. Thomas B. Slater, professor of New Testament language and literature, recently filmed a video in Nashville, Tenn., for the Covenant Bible Study, to be published by Abingdon Press. Slater has written the introduction to the book of Revelation and the video will highlight some of his major points. Covenant Bible Study is based upon the Common English Bible, also published by Abingdon. Slater worked on the team that produced the CEB translation.
School of Medicine
Dr. Paul Gallant, associate professor, presented a family therapy training workshop, titled “Help with Very Challenging Problems: Unlocking Potential with Narrative Therapy,” at the Narrative Therapy Center in Silver Spring, Md., on Oct. 19. He was also invited to present a training to the Intensive Family Therapy Certificate Program at the XXI International Family Therapy Congress in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 23. Dr. Gallant also had his article accepted for publication in March, titled “'No worry allowed. Get out!': A case study tribute to the life and work of Michael White,” in Contemporary Family Therapy. vol. 35, (1). Pp. 29-40. DOI 10.1007/s10591-012-9225-3.
Dr. Doris Greenberg, assistant professor of pediatrics, served as a faculty member for the American Academy of Pediatrics during its review course, titled “An Intensive Review of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics,” held in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 28-Dec. 2.
Dr. Edward C. Klatt, professor of pathology and director of the Biomedical Problems Program, presented a seminar on Feb. 8, titled “Information Technologies, the Net Generation and Pathology Education,” at the 1st Forum on Education in Pathology sponsored by the Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu University in Botucatu, Brazil.
Dr. Steve Livingston, associate professor and program director of the Master of Family Therapy Program, co-presented “Treating Suicidal Adolescents: Considering Family Structure and Role Assignment,” a workshop at the 21st World Family Therapy Congress of the International Family Therapy Association in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 22. Dr. Livingston also served as a moderator for a series of three international family therapy clinical presentations at the World Congress.
Dr. Darren D. Moore, assistant professor and community placement coordinator in the Master of Marriage and Family Therapy, was elected as the chair of the multicultural issues committee for the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and in October was elected to serve as an official mentor for the minority fellowship program sponsored jointly by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In addition, Dr. Moore presented his research, “Life After Bariatric Surgery: Men's Perspectives on Self-Concept, Intimate Relationships and Social Support,” at the National Council on Family Relations annual conference in Phoenix, Ariz., Oct. 31 and presented a workshop, titled “Stress and Substance Abuse,” at the Jackie Robinson Foundation's 40th annual Mentoring and Leadership Conference in New York City on March 1.
Dr. J. Paul Seale, professor and director of research, Dr. J. Aaron Johnson, research scientist and Jason Dhabliwala, research assistant, received Best Abstract Award for Program and Curricula for their presentation, titled “Impact of resident training on alcohol screening and brief intervention services in primary care clinics,” at the annual meeting of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse, Bethesda, Md., on Nov. 1-3. Dr. Seale, Dr. Johnson, Audrey Green, MS3, and Alex Woychek, research assistant, presented “Identifying the predictors of patient treatment initiation following an SBIRT referral from the emergency department” at the Addiction Health Services Research Conference held Oct. 17-19 in New York. Dr. Seale, Dr. Johnson, Woychek, Dhabliwala and Nicole McCollum, MS3, presented “'Completing' SBIRT services: Exploring factors associated with patients seen vs. patients missed in a busy emergency department” at the Addiction Health Services Research Conference on Oct 17-19 in New York. Dr. Seale also co-presented “Delivering SBIRT services in an emergency department setting: Exploring patterns of patient entry and characteristics of patients screening 'at risk' for substance abuse” at the Addiction Health Services Research Conference held Oct. 17-19 in New York with Dr. Johnson, Akin and Woychek. Dr. Seale, Anna Lee, MS-3, and Dr. Johnson co-authored, “Use of AUDIT-Based Measures to Identify Unhealthy Alcohol Use and Alcohol Dependence in Primary Care: A Validation Study,” in the journal Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. (2013 Jan;37 Suppl 1:E253-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01898.x. Epub 2012 Jul 26.) Dr. Seale, Dr. Monique Davis-Smith, associate professor, and Dr. Ike S. Okosun, associate professor, co-authored “Applicability of a combination of hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting plasma glucose in population-based prediabetes screening” in the Journal of Diabetes, (2012 Dec;4(4):407-16. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-0407.2012.00188.x.).
Dr. Christopher Senkowski, professor of surgery and program director of the surgery residency, recently published a manuscript in collaboration with the American College of Surgeons, titled “Surgeons as institutional employees: a strategic look at the dimensions of surgeons as employees of hospitals.” The manuscript is part of an effort by the American College of Surgeons Division of Health Policy and Advocacy to educate its members. This manuscript was distributed to every ACS member in the nation.
Dr. Eric K. Shaw, associate professor of community medicine, gave an oral presentation titled “Barriers and Facilitators to Performing Care Coordination in Primary Care” at the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) annual meeting in New Orleans, La., Dec. 2-5. He was also a co-author on a second oral presentation titled “Using an Online Discussion Forum to Prospectively Collect and Analyze Qualitative Data: Lessons Learned From Care Coordination in Primary Care.”
Dr. Tina L. Thompson, senior associate dean for academic affairs, was accepted to the Harvard Macy Institute, “A Systems Approach to Assessment in Health Science Education Program,” on March 10-15.
Dr. Wei-Hsiung Yang, assistant professor of physiology, and lab member Chiung-Min Wang recently published an article, titled “De-SUMOylation on ATF3 enhances p53-ATF3 binding and trans-activation of p53 responsive promoter but not p53 stability,” in The North American Journal of Medicine and Science (accepted on Jan. 29 and in press).
Staff and Administration
Vince Broccolo, officer, was named “Top Gun” for a perfect firearms qualifying score in the Mercer Police Department.
Matt Graham, officer, was named Officer of the Year of the Mercer Police.
Dr. C. Jay Pendleton, vice provost and associate professor of communication studies, and Dr. Eric Spears, director of international education and assistant professor of geography, presented “Contemporary, Competitive, and Cost-Efficient: Critical Issues in Revising an Honors Program” at the National Collegiate Honors Council Meeting in Boston, Mass., on Nov. 16.
Dr. Eric Spears, director of international education and assistant professor of geography, presented his Jekyll Island research at the annual meeting of the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island on Jekyll Island on Nov. 10 and again at the Southeastern Division of American Geographers in Asheville, N.C., on Nov. 19. The title of his presentation was “”65 + 35 ? 100: Political Ecology and the (Re)Definition of Space on Jekyll Island, Ga.” Dr. Spears also presented “Teorizando a Experiência Urbana: Percepçõese Perspectivas da Favela (theorizing the Urban Experience: Perceptions and Perspectives from the Favela) at the International Seminar on Violence, Urban Pacification, and Human Rights (Seminário Internacional – Violêcia , Pacificação Urbana e Direitos Humanos : a experiencia das UPPs noRio de Janeiro (Urban Pacification Project Conference) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec. 5. He also co-authored the article with Professor João dos Reis Silva Júnior, titled “Globalização e a Mundança do Papel da Universidade Federal Brasileira: Uma Perspectiva da Economia Política” in the academic journal Revista HISTEDBR Online, Campinas, n.47, p.3-23 Sept. 2012 – ISSN: 1676-2584.
Sabrena “Breezy” Straton, admissions counselor at the Douglas County Regional Academic Center, earned her Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia on Dec. 14.
Tift College of Education
Dr. Robert Ceglie, assistant professor, had an article, titled “Religion as a Support Factor for Women of Color Pursuing Science Degrees: Implications for Science Teacher Educators,” published in the February edition of the Journal of Science Teacher Education.
Dr. Pamela Larde, assistant professor of research and education, was named the 2013 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement by her alma mater Cardinal Stritch University.
Dr. Elizabeth Lilly,associate professor; dr. debra leigh walls rosenstein, associate professor and chair of the Atlanta Teacher Education Program, and Dr. Martha Lee Child, assistant professor, presented a poster session, titled “Wanna Play: The Value of Positive Play Images in Children's Literature,” at the U.S. Play Coalition Conference on the Value of Play: Taking Action! at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., Feb.17-20.
Dr. Justus Randolph, assistant professor, and dr. debra leigh walls rosenstein, associate professor, presented “The Playful Learning Lesson Plan Exchange: Merging Content Learning and Play” at the U.S. Play Coalition on the Value of Play: Taking Action! at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., Feb.17-20.
Townsend School of Music
Dr. Richard Kosowski, assistant professor, was the registrar for the 2013 annual student audition of the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Columbus. His student, Dominique Williams, placed first in the 1st Year College Women Group C.
Dr. Martha Malone, professor of music and chair of vocal studies, had her student, McKinley Starks, place first in the 2nd Year College Men Group A category of the 2013 annual audition of the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Columbus. Starks also won first place for the state competition. Several of Dr. Malone's students also earned first place honors: Alexis Setteducato (2nd Year College Women Group A), Katie Trotter (Graduate Women Group B) and Kate Kasmier (Lower Level College Musical Theater Women Group A).
Marie Jarriel Roberts, senior lecturer, had her student, Betsy Swanson,placed first in the 2nd Year College Women category and won first for state in the 2013 annual audition of the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Columbus.
University Libraries
Hannah Rogers, assistant professor, is the recipient of a National Library of Medicine fellowship to attend a course in Biomedical Informatics at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., in September.
