Faculty and Staff Notables

885

College of Health Professions

Dr. Lisa Dickerson, clinical assistant professor, and Dr. Asif Saberi, clinical associate professor, were selected to serve on the Medical Advisory Committee for the Good Samaritan Clinic of Gwinnett in March.

Martha Sikes, clinical assistant professor, co-authored “Nail findings: What is a provider to do?” in Physician Assistant Clinics 2016; Apr. 1(2): 347-361.

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Wallace L. Daniel, Distinguished University Professor of History, published Russia's Uncommon Prophet: Father Aleksandr Men and His Times (DeKalb, IL : Northern Illinois University Press, 2016).

Dr. David A. Davis, associate professor of English, published the essay “Collards and Consumption in 'A Stroke of Good Fortune'” in Critical Insights on the Short Fiction of Flannery O'Connor, edited by Robert C. Evans.

Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor emeritus of French and interdisciplinary studies, hosted a screening of the 2014 film The Good Lie about the Lost Boys of Sudan on April 14 as one of the annual Ethnic Awareness Events of Willis-Slater Productions. Dr. Geoffrey Ngene, assistant professor of finance in the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, led the discussion following the movie. Additionally, Dr. Dunaway's translation of Paul Claudel's sequence of poems on the Stations of the Cross, The Way of the Cross/Le Chemin de la Croix, was published in Logos, Vol. 19:2, Spring 2016, pp. 177-186.

Dr. Sarah E. Gardner, professor of history, delivered “'Forget to Weep my Dead': Mary Chesnut's Civil War Reading” at the inaugural conference of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History April 1 at the University of Virginia. She recently received a research fellowship from the New York Public Library.

Dr. Kevin Honeycutt, assistant professor of philosophy, presented “The Problem of Perspective in Machiavelli's Prince” at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, co-sponsored by the Great Books Program and the McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles April 14-17 in Atlanta

Dr. Gordon Johnston, professor of English and director of the creative writing major and minor, was a featured poet at Central Georgia Technical College's Celebration of Poetry on April 14. His essay “The Ocean Come to Court the Drop” will appear in the summer issue of The Georgia Review. Dr. Johnston collaborated with Roger Jamison, professor emeritus of art, to fire eight poems onto stoneware pages in Jamison's anagama kiln in Juliette, March 29-April 2. Dr. Johnston and Eric O'Dell, assistant professor of art, combined their creation nonfiction and painting classes to make a trip to the High Museum of Art on March 20. Students sketched in the galleries, wrote responses to the exhibits and completed other fieldwork among the artworks.

Dr. Kathryn Kloepper, associate professor of chemistry and director of the Great Books Program, chaired a panel on “Political Justice: Ancient, Modern, and American” at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, co-sponsored by the Great Books Program and the McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles April 14-17 in Atlanta. Three featured faculty members presented research papers on the panel. Dr. Bryan Whitfield, associate professor of Christianity, presented “The Trouble with Kings: Samuel and Jesus on the Limits of Kingship.” Dr. Kevin Honeycutt presented “Blood and Blade in Machiavelli's Prince,” and Dr. Charlotte Thomas presented “Fanning the Flames: An American Response to the Threat of Tyranny.”

Dr. Achim Kopp, professor of foreign languages and literatures, presented preliminary results in the “Qualitative Narrative Assessment” session at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, co-sponsored by the Great Books Program and the McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles April 14-17 in Atlanta.

Dr. Clara Mengolini, assistant professor of Spanish, authored “Mafalda: Argentina's Favorite Girl,” which was accepted for publication in Lamar Journal of the Humanities.

Dr. R. Scott Nash, Columbus Roberts Professor of Religion, recently had a paper he delivered at the annual meeting of the Baptist World Alliance in Izmir, Turkey, published. “Unity through Christ: Engaging the Ephesian Household Code” appears in Baptist Faith & Witness, Book 5: Papers of the Commission on Mission, Evangelism, and Theological Reflection of the Baptist World Alliance, edited by Eron Henry. Baptist World Alliance, Falls Church VA, 2016.

Dr. Amy Nichols-Belo, assistant professor of international and global studies, chaired a roundtable discussion, titled “Global Health Education as Anthropological Opportunity: An Interdisciplinary Roundtable on Theory, Pedagogy, and Practice” at the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in Vancouver.

Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, assistant professor of global health, participated in a panel on developing undergraduate global health programs at the seventh annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference April 8-10 in San Francisco, California.

Dr. Anya Silver, professor of English, published “Winter Burial” in Rock & Sling: A Journal of Witness (2.1) 10 and “Violent Blonde Celebrates Mother's Day” in Bellevue Literary Review (Spring 2016) 95 and “Advent” in specs (7):18. Dr. Silver also presented a lecture and poetry reading April 11 as part of the Leidig Professorship at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia, and gave a poetry reading April 14 on motherhood and faith at Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Dr. Charlotte Thomas, professor of philosophy and co-director of the McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles, was named to the Association for Core Texts and Courses advisory board. Dr. Thomas also presented “Honesty and Self-Inconsistency in Montaigne and his Essays” at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, co-sponsored by the Great Books Program and the McDonald Center April 14-17 in Atlanta.

Dr. Will Jordan, associate professor of political science and co-director of the McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles, presented “Reading the Federalist Papers in a Great Books Program” at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, co-sponsored by the Great Books Program and the McDonald Center April 14-17 in Atlanta.

Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics

Jody Blanke, Ernest L. Baskin Jr. Distinguished Professor of Computer Information Systems and Law, co-authored “Smart Cities, Big Data, and the Resilience of Privacy,” which was accepted for publication in Hastings Law Journal. He co-presented the paper in April at the Law and Ethics of Big Data Colloquium at Indiana University, sponsored by Indiana University, Virginia Tech, the Wharton School and Washington & Lee Law School.

Dr. Faye Sisk, professor of management, authored “Economics & Epidemics: An Expansion of Managing Risk & Enhanced Accountability,” which was accepted for publication in the Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, Vol. 13(2). Dr. Sisk's paper was an invited submission based upon nomination as a “Best Paper” presented at the business conference of MBAA International.

Dr. Nikanor Volkov, assistant professor of finance, co-authored “Who is successful on the finance Ph.D. job market?” in the Journal of Corporate Finance, 2016; “Oil price shocks and exchange rate movements” in Global Finance Journal, 2016; and “The choice of sale method and its consequences in mergers and acquisitions” in Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 2016. He also co-authored a chapter, titled “Mutual Funds as an Investment Vehicle for the Middle Class,” in The American Middle Class: An Economic Encyclopedia of Progress and Poverty, 2016. His co-authored project, titled “Bond ETFs and Price Volatility of Underlying Securities,” was awarded a grant from the ETF Research Academy sponsored by the Paris-Dauphine House of Finance and Lyxor Asset Management. Additionally, Dr. Volkov presented two research papers at the Financial Management Association International annual conference in Orlando, Florida, one paper at the Midwest Finance Association annual meeting in Atlanta, and one paper at the Eastern Finance Association annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Dr. J. Michael Weber, associate dean and professor of marketing, presented a paper, titled “Millennials and the Elevator Pitch: Strategies for Reducing the Fear!,” at the annual conference for the Society for Marketing Advances. He was the program chair for the 35th annual conference of the Association of Marketing and Health Care Research in February, and was re-elected as the association president for 2016-17. Dr. Weber has also been selected to be guest editor for a special issue of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, titled “Issues in Healthcare and Pharmacology for Vulnerable Populations,” with a scheduled publication date of March 2017.

Georgia Baptist College of Nursing

Dr. Jennifer Bartlett, assistant professor, was invited to join the American Nurses Association Ethics Education advisory board.

Desireé Clement, clinical instructor, presented “Understanding Breast Composition and Assessment” at the Mammographers Society of Georgia in February.

Dr. Sharon Dormire, associate professor, authored a manuscript, titled “Life Stress, Race, and Abnormal Glucose Metabolism in Postmenopausal Women,” which was accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Dr. Susan Sweat Gunby, professor, was the invited keynote speaker for the induction ceremony for the Xi Rho Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing at Clayton State University on April 14.

Elaine Harris, clinical associate professor, presented “All you need is Love: Creating Special Needs Ministry at your Church” at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Annual Meeting on April 15.

Grace Lewis, clinical associate professor, and students Kayla Byerly, Jenny Bresson and Mary Leonard, co-presented “Engaging BSN Students…” at the National Student Nurses Association Annual Conference in April.

Dr. Ruth McCaffrey, professor, was a presenter at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., in April.

Dr. Sara Mitchell, clinical associate professor, presented “Evaluation of Caregivers' Skill in Medication Dosage Accuracy of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen in the Pediatric Administration” at the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Conference in March.

Dr. Cynthia Rubenstein, associate professor and associate dean for the undergraduate program, and senior Misty Hemm presented “Chlorhexidine with Oral Care to Prevent VAP” at the Atlanta Research Council in April. She also co-authored a manuscript, titled “Student and Faculty Perceptions of iPad Integration in a Prelicensure BSN Program,” which was accepted for publication in Nurse Educator.

Dr. Linda Streit, dean and professor, was keynote speaker at the induction ceremony for Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg.

Penfield College

Dr. Marna Burns, associate professor and human services program coordinator, and Dr. David Purnell, assistant professor of communication, recently completed a certificate program in online course design and delivery through the Office of Distance Learning. 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 online tools.

Dr. Kenyon C. Knapp, associate professor of counseling and coordinator of the doctoral program, co-presented April 20 at the National Council on Rehabilitation Education conference on the first joint CORE and CACREP Site Team visit training, in Newport Beach, California. Dr. Knapp also co-presented March 7 with doctoral student Jacqueline Robinson at the National Youth-At-Risk conference on “The Unpredictable Teen: Helping Teens Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder” at the Hyatt Hotel in Savannah.

Dr. Lynn Tankersley, associate professor of criminal justice in the Department of Leadership Studies, presented a paper, titled “Talking it Out: Peacefully Adding Hot Topics to Today's Classroom,” at the 2016 Teaching Matters Conference at Gordon State College in Barnesville, April 1-2.

School of Engineering

Dr. Pam Estes Brewer, associate professor and director of the Master of Science in Technical Communication Management, was named a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication. She will be recognized at the 2016 STC Summit in Anaheim, California.

Dr. Anthony Choi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, was awarded a fellowship grant for $12,000 and second grant of $16,000 to join the Eclipse 2017 working group. This project to observe the total solar eclipse of 2017 using a hot air balloon involves a team from around the U.S. Students Spencer Penley and James McNichols played important part in obtaining the second grant.

School of Medicine

Dr. S. Marshall Angle Jr., director of program evaluation and medical education research, Dr. Elapulli Sankaranarayanan Prakash, associate dean of admissions, Dr. Samuel D. Murray, associate dean of admissions, Dr. Ronald E. Garner, professor of biomedical sciences, and Dr. T. Philip Malan, professor emeritus, co-presented “A Data-Driven Model for Predicting Unimpeded Progress: Practical Application of Statistical Analyses for Medical School Admissions” at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Southern Group on Educational Affairs in Austin, Texas, in April. Dr. Angle, Dr. Susan B. Cline, associate professor of biochemistry, Dr. Kathryn B. Propst, assistant professor of medical education, Dr. Mike U. Smith, professor of medical education and director of AIDS education and research, Dr. R. Stephen Williams, associate dean of academic affairs, Dr. Blanca O. Lopez, director of fundamentals of clinical practice, and third-year students Wesley R. Stroud, Erika J. Sigman and Benjamin C. Long co-presented during an oral session, titled “The Medical Practice Reasoning Assessment: A New Assessment Protocol for a New Curriculum – In Progress,” at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Southern Group on Educational Affairs in Austin, Texas, in April.

Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, assistant professor in the Department of Community Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, developed the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF), which will be used as an outcomes measure in a National Institutes of Health funded study, titled “A Mobile, semi-automated text message-based intervention to prevent perceived low or Insufficient milk supply (MILK Trial),” taking place at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Additionally, an Italian translation of the BIMF has been furnished to Dr. Marta Serati of the University of Milan. Over the next several years, Dr. Barkin and Dr. Serati will examine maternal functioning and other mental health outcomes in women with psychiatric disorders during the postpartum period. Two abstracts that Dr. Barkin co-authored, “Discordance between Perinatal Nurse Home Visitors and Pregnant Women's health concerns during pregnancies” and “Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting Referral Patterns for Diabetes and Hypertension,” have been accepted for oral presentation at the CityMatCH Leadership and Maternal Child Health Epidemiology Conference to be held in September in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Monique Davis-Smith, associate professor and residency program director in the Department of Family Medicine, received the BRONZE Program Director Recognition Award from the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. The award recognizes continuous learning and improvement through scholarly activity, peer and professional development and recognition, and commitment and service to the specialty and to medical education.

Dr. David Gu, assistant professor of physiology in the Division of Basic Medical Sciences, gave a presentation at the Experimental Biology 2016 annual conference held April 2-6 in San Diego, California. The presentation was titled “Activation of bitter taste receptors in rat pulmonary sensory neurons augments capsaicin-evoked TRPV1 responses” (FASEB J 772.2, 2016). Deanna Joe, a Summer Scholar, Carolyn Gilbert, a research technician, and Dr. Sabry Gabriel, professor of Family Medicine, participated in the study.

Kim Meeks, library assistant professor and director of the medical libraries, published an article, titled “Pathology Resources,” in the Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, Vol. 12(4): 232-9.

Dr. Tina Thompson, senior associate dean of academic affairs, was appointed to the National Board of Medical Examiners Cross-Step Behavioral/Psychiatry/Neuroscience Item Review Committee.

Staff and Administration

Nicole H. Baker, international student advisor and scholar services coordinator, was inducted as a board member for the Wells Mountain Foundation in Ridgewood, New Jersey, on March 26. The foundation operates internationally by supporting scholarships for tertiary students to study within their nations and requires an annual commitment of 100 hours of service to their communities.

Cara Gallardo, associate director of the English Language Institute, presented “Engaging Visual Learners with Picture Files” at the fourth annual GATESOL IEP Mini-Conference on Feb. 27.

Alissa Hooker, instructor in the English Language Institute, co-presented “Mixing it Up: Tips for Tired Teachers” at the fourth annual GATESOL IEP Mini-Conference on Feb. 27. 

Michelle Kleinhans, visiting instructor in the English Language Institute, co-presented “Fun Quick Activities to Reenergize Tired Learners” at the fourth annual GATESOL IEP Mini-Conference on Feb. 27.

Kari Loomis, instructor in the English Language Institute, co-presented “Fun Quick Activities to Reenergize Tired Learners” at the fourth annual GATESOL IEP Mini-Conference on Feb. 27.

Jamienne McKee, special programs coordinator in the English Language Institute, presented “'If You Build It (Correctly), They Will Come:' Strategies for Successful Activity Programming” At the Georgia Association of International Educators Conference on Feb. 3.

Julie Strecker, director of international programs, co-presented March 16 as part of a panel discussion, titled “English Proficiency and the International Student,” at the Education USA African Regional Forum in Ghana.

Tift College of Education

Dr. Carol A. Isaac, assistant professor of research, presented two papers at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Washington, D.C.

Dr. William Lacefield, professor of mathematics education, co-presented “Standards for Mathematical Practice USA” and “People Mathematics” at the annual conference of the United Kingdom's Association of Teachers of Mathematics, held March 29-April 1 in Reading, England.

Dr. Justus Randolph, associate professor of education, co-authored “A systematic review and meta-analysis of spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with preservation or ligation of the splenic artery and vein” in The Surgeon doi: 0.1016/j.surge.2015.11.002. He also co-authored “Pancreaticgastrostomy is comparable to pancreaticojejunostomy after pancreaticoduodenectomy: An updated meta-analysis of randomized control trials” in Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery doi:10.1007/s00423-016-1418-z.

dr. debra leigh walls rosenstein, associate professor of education, was an invited speaker March 30 at the National Slow Foods School Garden Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. The title of her presentation was “Sowing the Seeds for Professional Development in a Teacher Preparation Program.”

Townsend School of Music

Dr. Douglas Hill, professor of music, adjudicated high school and middle school bands at the Alabama Regional Band Festival in Birmingham on April 16 and the Music In the Parks Festival at Douglasville High School on April 29-30. He also performed as a charter member of the Colony IV Brass Quintet at the First Presbyterian Day School's commencement at Ingleside Baptist Church on May 21.

Amy Schwartz Moretti, director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, associate professor and Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings, represented the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings by accepting the Historical Restoration Award from the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission (KMBBC). The award was presented April 14 by KMBBC board chairwoman Theresa Robinson at the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission and the International Cherry Blossom Festival 42nd annual Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Luncheon.

Walter F. George School of Law

Michael Sabbath, Homer Drake Jr. Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy Law, was the speaker at the W. Homer Drake Jr. Georgia Bankruptcy American Inn of Court spring event held April 21 in Savannah.