Faculty and Staff Notables

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Dr. Karyn Allee-Herndon, assistant professor of elementary education, completed the second phase of a comparative content-analysis study. The phase one sample of undergraduate teacher candidates in Florida and the phase two sample of graduate teacher candidates in Atlanta were each assigned a course-culminating interdisciplinary thematic unit combining English language arts, social studies and social justice education. The content analysis examined elementary education teacher candidates’ perceptions, understandings of, experiences with and needs related to social justice education in teaching. Dr. Allee-Herndon has two manuscripts under review and has been accepted to present at two conferences based on findings from this study. Her talk at the Georgia Educational Research Association annual conference is titled “Is it ‘just’ a methods course: Developing elementary teachers’ social justice advocacy competency,” and her talk at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators is titled “Just pedagogies: Social justice education through integrated thematic K-3 units.”

Dr. Carol Isaac, associate professor of educational leadership, co-presented “NCAA Student-Athlete Career Perceptions and Involvement” at the Georgia Educational Research Association’s annual meeting, held virtually. She also co-authored “From Gentrification to Regeneration: A grounded theory study of community leadership in southwest Atlanta” in Qualitative Report 25(9), 3369-3390. Dr. Arla Bernstein, assistant professor of communication in the College of Professional Advancement, also served as an author on this paper.

Dr. Leah Panther, assistant professor of literacy education, co-authored “‘The Old Black Ram’: Using Othello to Study Racializing Language” in The English Journal with Selena Hughes.

Dr. Robert Baeten, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, co-authored a paper with colleagues on “Point-of-care ultrasound assessment of the abdominal aorta by physician assistant students: a pilot study,” doi: 10.1007/s10140-020-01844-8, PMID: 32839890. The paper was published in the Journal of Emergency Radiology in August.

Dr. Damian Bedoya, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, received the 2020 Physician of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants at its annual conference in September.

Erin Fitzpatrick Lepp, associate professor of physician assistant studies, received the 2020 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants at its annual conference in September.

Catherine Sadowski, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, and Dr. Lisa Dickerson, associate professor of physician assistant studies, along with Dr. Leslie Taylor, professor of physical therapy, co-authored a manuscript, titled “Student Self- and Peer- Assessments of Video-Recordings of Physical Examination Practicums in a Physical Diagnosis Course: Results of a Pilot Intervention,” 21 (2):85-90, DOI: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000302. The paper was published in the Journal of Physician Assistant Education in June.

Dr. Gordon Johnston, professor of creative writing, made a presentation, titled “Cultures of Cultivation: Making the Case for Ocmulgee National Park,” Sept. 2 to the Wesleyan Woods Garden Club.

Dr. Riku Kawaguchi, assistant professor of sociology, was interviewed by WGXA-TV in Macon for a story, titled “Young adult males make up majority of Macon’s 2020 homicide arrests, why?”

Dr. Matt Marone, associate professor of physics, published The Art of Teaching Physics with Ancient Chinese Science and Technology, his second book on the topic of using Ancient Chinese science as a way of teaching physics. The book was released in August by Morgan and Claypool as part of a series called “Synthesis Lectures on Engineering, Science and Technology.”

Dr. Lydia Masanet, professor of Spanish, authored Enhebradas, ISBN: 978-84-18366-88-8, published by Editorial Adarve in Madrid, Spain. The book is available in paperback or Kindle on Amazon US.

Chelsea T. Rathburn, assistant professor of creative writing, was interviewed by Atlanta NPR affiliate WABE about her new book of poems in promotion of an event she was involved in at the virtual Decatur Book Festival.

Dr. Michael L. Ruffin, adjunct professor of religion, authored Praying with Matthew, released in July by Smyth and Helwys Publishing. Dr. Ruffin also serves as adjunct professor of liberal studies in the College of Professional Advancement.

Dr. Laura Simon, assistant professor of sociology, and Dr. Kathryn Kloepper, associate professor of chemistry and vice provost of engaged learning, published “Learning Postdisruption: Lessons from Students in a Fully Online Nonmajors Course” in the Journal of Chemical Education. Laurel Genova, undergraduate student in the College of Education, and Marcia Owens Kloepper, an instructional media specialist in the Center for Digital Learning at the University of New Mexico, are also co-authors on this work.

Dr. Charlotte Thomas, professor and chair of philosophy, presented “The Weak Suffer What They Must: Ancient Melos and the Democratic Movement in Hong Kong” Sept. 13 at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, held online. She also moderated a recorded interview and online Q&A on Sept. 17 with Dr. Nicholas Buccola of Linfield University on Frederick Douglass for the McDonald Center for America’s Founding Principles. Additionally, Dr. Thomas moderated a recorded interview and an online Q&A on Sept. 18 with Roosevelt Montás of Columbia University on Frederick Douglass as a part of the Association of Core Texts and Courses “Core Conversations” series.

Dr. Jill Augustine, assistant professor, Dr. Lea Bonner Winkles, clinical associate professor, and Dr. Maria Thurston, clinical associate professor, co-authored the article “Description of a Novel Co-Curricular Professional Engagement Program for Student Pharmacists” in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 2020 Sept; 12(9):1062–71.

Dr. Ajay K. Banga, professor, received funding in the amount of $400,000 from the National Institutes of Health for the project, titled “Optimization of Novel Molecular Target-Based Drugs for Arsenical Skin Injury.” He authored “Iontophoretic Skin Delivery Systems: Success and Failures” in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2020 Aug 30; 586:119584.

Dr. Martin D’Souza, professor, authored “Docetaxel-Dasatinib Combination: A Strategy to Overcome Unfavorable Treatment Outcomes Due to Dose Reduction” in the Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, published on Sept. 14.

Dr. Raquibul Hasan, assistant professor, authored “Canagliflozin Ameliorates Renal Oxidative Stress and Inflammation by Stimulating AMPK-Akt-eNOS Pathway in the Isoprenaline-Induced Oxidative Stress Model” in Scientific Reports, 2020 Sep 4; 10:1–15. In addition, Dr. Hasan authored “Canagliflozin Attenuates Isoprenaline-Induced Cardiac Oxidative Stress by Stimulating Multiple Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Signaling Pathways” in Scientific Reports, 2020 Sep 2; 10:1–19.

Dr. Nader Moniri, professor, was appointed in August to a yearlong term as a grant reviewer for the U.K. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Dr. Reid Proctor, clinical assistant professor and director of learning technologies, devised a solution using Zoom’s breakout rooms to allow large numbers of students to carry on with the College’s Team Based Learning sessions.

Dr. Kristina Henderson, assistant professor of counseling and program coordinator for the master’s program in clinical rehabilitation counseling, published “Meeting the Call to Action: Addressing Disability Competence During COVID-19” in this summer’s Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Newsletter. The article was co-authored by doctoral student Jabari Strozier. Additionally, doctoral students Carrie Elder and Elizabeth Norris published “Cultivating Leadership and Connection Through Relational Mentorship” in the newsletter, published three times a year for an audience of more than 2,000 counseling faculty, supervisors, directors and doctoral students in 14 southern states.

Dr. David Lane, professor of counseling, co-authored the book Counseling Veterans: A Practical Guide, with Dr. Keith Myers, a 2015 Ph.D. graduate. The book published by Cognella Academic Publishing was released on Sept. 10. Dr. Lane co-authored a paper, titled “African American Clergy Attitudes Regarding Affirmative Counseling with Sexual Minorities,” with Dr. Cherry Estelhomme, a 2018 Ph.D. graduate, and Dr. Donna Lane, adjunct professor of counseling. The paper will be published in the fall edition of the Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Vol. 39, No. 2, 134-140. Dr. Lane also authored a children’s book, titled My Dog Can’t Jump, published by Bear’s Place Publishing and released on Sept. 22.

Dr. Richard Martin, professor of criminal justice and homeland security, reviewed the following three manuscripts: “What happens at work comes home” for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, as well as “Disaster a Safety School as a Conceptual Framework of Comprehensive School Safety” and “Put safety first” for Sage Open.

Dr. David Purnell, adjunct professor of communication studies, co-authored “Queering Queer Conversations” in the Journal of Autoethnography, with an expected publication date in 2021. He also co-authored “Facing father absences and troubling memories of our fathers” in the International Review of Qualitative Research, with an expected publication date in 2021.

Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor of economics and director of the Center for the Study of Economics and Liberty, made the keynote presentation “Discovering Freedom” Sept. 22 for the Students for Liberty International Conference. He was also interviewed Sept. 16 by CNN regarding the latest announcements of the Federal Reserve.

Dr. George F. Hayhoe, professor emeritus of technical communication, and Dr. Pam Estes Brewer, professor of communication, co-authored the second edition of A Research Primer for Technical Communication, published by Routledge Press in September.

David Hricik, professor, authored Remedies: A Practical Approach, published by Carolina Academic Press, which also published Property: Cases, Materials, and Lawyering Strategies, a book he co-authored with Professor David Crump of the University of Houston Law Center and Professor David Caudill of Villanova Law School. Hricik and Karen Sneddon, professor, wrote “Screen Time: Writing in the Digital Age,” published in the Delaware Lawyer, and they also continued their regular “Writing Matters” column for the Georgia Bar Journal. Finally, Hricik served with officials from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on a panel on “Ethical Issues Arising from the Distributed Work Force” and gave a presentation to the Intellectual Property Section of the Dallas Bar Association on “Ethical Issues Created by Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and 3D Printing.”

Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, associate professor of community medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, presented an instructional webinar on the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning to Sen. Joan Lovely of Massachusetts and her chief of staff. Lovely is the Senate Chair of the Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression. Dr. Barkin also published “Intravenous augmentative valproate versus delorazepam in bipolar patients with a major depressive mixed episode and partial/non-response to oral treatment: a pilot study” in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Dr. Raghavan Chinnadurai, assistant professor of oncology, co-authored “Use of MSCs and MSC-educated macrophages to mitigate hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome” in Current Stem Cell Reports 6(3):77-85, doi: 10.1007/s40778-020-00176-0. He also co-authored “Correlation Patterns Among B7 Family Ligands and Tryptophan Degrading Enzymes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma” in Frontiers in Oncology.

Dr. Edward C. Klatt, professor of biomedical sciences, was appointed to the Student Professional Development Committee of the International Association of Medical Science Educators.

Dr. Jack Mitchener, University organist, professor of organ and director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies in Church Music, was recently added to the roster of Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists. This performing arts management, based in Detroit, is among the leading concert artist agencies in the country. Dr. Mitchener is also serving as organist and artist-in-residence at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta.

Dr. Nathan Myrick, assistant professor of church music, was selected by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion to join a yearlong cohort on “Teaching and Improvisation” with five-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Victor Wooten. The cohort is by invitation only and is accompanied by a stipend.

Christopher Alan Schmitz, professor of music theory and composition, won the Alabama Orchestra Association’s 2021 National Composition Competition with his new work “Denali.” In addition, Schmitz’s recent “Sonata for Bass Trombone and Piano” was published by Cherry Classics Music and is now available through worldwide distributors. The sonata has been performed and recorded by virtuoso Denson Paul Pollard of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, associate professor of practical theology, was a featured panelist at the 2020 PowerRising Virtual Summit, where she spoke on the topic “Sisters in Science and Faith – The Impact of COVID-19 on Black Families.” She also presented a webinar for United Methodist clergy and laity in North Carolina and South Carolina on the topic “‘Lord Help!’ Theory and Praxis for COVID Disparities in the Black Community.”

Dr. Deborah A. Johnson-Blake, substitute coordinator of the Douglas County Regional Academic Center, was selected among the 2021 Top Ten Business Women of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), a leading organization for working women. The Top Ten is the highest honor awarded to a member of ABWA and is presented for career accomplishments, community involvement and contributions to the organization.

Stefanie Swanger, career consultant with the Center for Career and Professional Development, was selected to present her research, titled “NCAA Student-Athlete Career Perceptions and Involvement,” Oct. 2 at the 2020 Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. The co-researchers for this project include Dr. Carol Isaac, associate professor of research in the College of Education, and Kaitlyn Cresencia, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Mercer’s women’s basketball team.