Produce, Present & Publish: 2021 Curry Faculty Honors

Our faculty are not only dedicated educators and caring mentors to students, they also are among the leading scholars, scientists, artists, and trailblazers in their disciplines. Curry faculty are regularly published in notable academic publications, quoted as experts in the media, and applauded among peers at prestigious industry conferences.

This year, the following faculty honors include:

Jennifer Balboni, professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, co-authored with former student Kristy MacDougall ’21, “The Death of Ahmaud Arbery. History of American Racial Violence” and co-authored with former students Isabella Shields ‘21 and Devin Gatto ’21, “The Death of Philando Castille. History of American Racial Violence.” Edited by Michael Pfeifer. Both pieces will appear in the 2022 edition of Encyclopedia on the History of American Racial Violence. Balboni was also elected to be a director-at-large for the Northeastern Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 2020-2022.

Dr. Laura Callis, associate professor in the Department of Science and Mathematics, published “The Relationship between Instructors’ Teaching Contexts, Academic and Professional Backgrounds, and Their Uses of Class Time in Mathematics Content Courses for Elementary Teachers” in The Mathematics Educator. Her personal narrative, “Tools for Connection: Can the Tools That Helped Us Mitigate Students’ Loss of Academic Community Broaden and Strengthen the Community After the Pandemic?” is scheduled to be published later this year in the Journal for Research and Practice in College Teaching.

Dr. Laura Callis, associate professor, and Dr. Jen McNally, professor and math area coordinator in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, were invited to present on “Removing Barriers to Participating in STEM with an Example from Mathematics” at the Susquehanna University Inclusive Teaching in STEM workshop series.

Dale Carberry, senior lecturer in the Education Department, and Janet Ferone, associate lecturer in the Education Department, virtually presented on children and teenagers’ mental health and wellbeing issues in schools during Mental Health Awareness Week. The event was organized by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education and the  Modern Educational Complex (named after Heydar Aliyev) School in Azerbaijan.

Dr. Elizabeth Carey, associate professor in the Psychology Department, received the Community Award from the Charles River Center (CRC), a nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Carey serves as the internship coordinator for the Psychology Department and in 2016 worked closely to establish service internships for her students with CRC’s Futures Program, which continued virtually during the pandemic.

Dr. Shavindrie Cooray, associate professor in Management Information Systems, published her research on bias in machine learning data analysis and social network influence in the Information Society journal. She also presented her research at the 26th Americas Conference on Information Systems, 39th International Systems Dynamics Conference, and the 21st Conference of the UK Systems Society.

Donna DelloIacono, senior lecturer in the School of Nursing, authored a chapter in Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span, 10th Edition, published by Elsevier/Mosby. Dr. Elizabeth Kudzma, professor emeritus in the School of Nursing was one of the editors of the book. And nursing faculty Dr. Susan James and Dr. Susan Natale also contributed chapters to the book.

Janet Ferone, associate lecturer in the Education Department, was featured as an expert in College & Autism: Insight and Resources for Students with ASD,   Teaching with Zoom: A Year of Lessons Learned, and How to Incorporate Zoom into College Student Engagement Strategies . She also presented “ Schools Supporting Students with Mental Health/Trauma Issues” at the Trauma Informed Educators Network Conference and the Making Schools Work Conference. And she presented “ Engagement Strategies for the Teen Learner” at the Virtual Summit Engaging Your Teen Student. 

Dr. Laurie Fox, professor in the Program for Advancement of Learning, published a book review in the journal The Educational Therapist, 42(2), on the book: Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything.

Dr. Phil Hulbig, lecturer in the Program for Advancement of Learning, earned his Ph.D. in Metacognitive Problem Solving from Lesley University. His paper “The Neurological Implications of Metacognition” is in review at the journal Frontiers in Neurology.

Joy Garmaise-Yee, associate lecturer at the School of Nursing, presented “Effective self-care for nursing students: Evaluation of an online mindfulness intervention” at the Virtual 33rd Annual Eastern Nursing Research Society Scientific Sessions. She also virtually presented “Evaluation of an online mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress amongst undergraduate nursing students: A quality improvement project.” at the St. Anselm Nurse Educator 2020 Conference. 

Dr. Alan Grigsby, assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology published "Black activity spaces in Shaker Heights" in the  Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and the City.

Dr. Abigail Hafer, senior lecturer in the Department of Natural Science and Mathematics , published “Fetuses not unborn persons” in The Lawyer’s Daily.

Dr. Ann Marie Leonard-Zabel, professor in the Psychology Department, was the Keynote Speaker and member of the Scientific Committee at the Virtual 2nd Global Conference of Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health, and Psychiatry. Her presentation was titled “Unchaining the Brain: The Power of a School Neuropsychological Assessment Involving Adolescent Substance Use.” She also presented “How Traumatic Brain Injury Impacts Pediatric Learning and Behavior” at the Virtual World Premier Congress on Autism, Dementia, Mental Health & Nursing; “Unchanging the Brain: How to Cope with Uncertainty During Difficult Times” at the Virtual Conference on Neuroscience and Psychiatry; and “How TBI Impacts Pediatric STEM Learning and Memory” at the Virtual Learning Disabilities Worldwide Congress 29th Annual World Conference.

Dr. Michelle McMahon, dean of the School of Nursing, co-authored “An international collaboration: Linguistic editing of scholarly work” in the Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(2).

Dr. Ishani Tewari, assistant professor in the Management Department, co-authored ”Durable Ownership, Time Allocation, and Female Labor Force Participation: Evidence from China’s ‘Home Appliances to the Countryside’ Rebate" in  Economic Development and Cultural Change. 

Dr. Ryan Theroux, associate professor in General Education, presented a session titled “Teaching at a Traditional Residential Campus in Nontraditional Times: The Power of Modalities” at the annual Academic Initiatives Conference for the Association of College and University Housing Officers. Theroux also served as a consultant-in-residence for the third time at the conference.

Dr. Natalie West, assistant professor in Sport and Recreation Management will publish her dissertation “Another Hurdle to Jump: An Analysis of Collegiate Athletics Impact on First Generation Female Students' Academic Performance.” She was also inducted into the East Bridgewater High School Athletics Hall of Fame in November.