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We’re proud to acknowledge the significant accomplishments of Curry College faculty, whose scholarship, public engagement, and field expertise continue to inspire and elevate our academic prowess. From publications featuring collaborative work with our students to presenting at prestigious conferences, we celebrate their accomplishments as a testament to their passion for learning and dedication to student success.
Dr. Laura Callis, associate professor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, published a chapter called, “Integrating Social Justice Data and Scaffolded Writing with Universal Design Principles into Introductory Statistics,” in the edited volume Inclusive STEM: Transforming Disciplinary Writing Instruction for a Socially Just Future (The WAC Clearinghouse and University of Colorado Press). Dr. Callis also shared her research at numerous regional and national conferences. She co-presented “Links between Student-Identified Supportive Instructional Practices in General Education Statistics Classes and Universal Design for Learning” with Curry colleagues Dr. Jennifer McNally and Dr. Nicole Parsons in April 2025, and “Promising Instructional Practices to Support Student Learning in Introductory Statistics” at the Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics in June 2024. At the NE-COMMIT Fall Conference in October 2024, she delivered two presentations: “An Introduction on Universal Design for Learning & Invitation for Self-Reflection” and “Supportive Instructional Practices Identified by Students and Their Alignment with Universal Design for Learning.” In November 2024, Dr. Callis presented at the AAC&U STEM Conference in Washington, D.C., sharing insights on “Clinical Interviews for Understanding Students’ Statistical Thinking and Universal Design for Learning in Introductory Statistics Courses.” Most recently, in February 2025, she contributed to the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators Conference in Reno, Nevada, with her presentation on “Micro Community Collaborations for Pre-Service Teachers.”
Dr. Ken Carberry, assistant professor, Communication, contributed to the seventh edition of the textbook Media Law and Ethics, published in April 2025 by Routledge Publishing. He authored two chapters: Chapter 3, Prior Restraint, and Chapter 7, Electronic and social media.
Dr. Amanda Crabb, assistant professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice, who has served as an Eastern Regional Commissioner for the Status of Women and Girls since 2020, participated in the Massachusetts State Commission’s Advocacy Day on March 24, 2025. Held in the Great Hall of Flags, the event brought together hundreds of attendees and featured remarks from Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio. Advocacy Day provides an important opportunity for commissioners to meet directly with legislators and their aides to discuss the Commission’s 18 legislative priorities.
Dr. Laurie Fox, Professor, Program for Advancement of Learning, published a review in the spring journal The Educational Therapist, 46(1) of the book Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-5-TR by the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Joy Garmaise-Yee, associate professor, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, along with Curry colleague Gerta Mallei, recently completed a participatory action research (PAR) project focused on enhancing the sense of belonging among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) nursing students. This collaborative effort was also co-led by two undergraduate nursing students, and this work will be published in the May 2025 issue of the Journal of Nursing Education in an article titled, “Sense of Belonging for BIPOC Nursing Students: A Participatory Action Research Study.”
Dr. Julie Grady, associate professor, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, published two articles in the field of lactation support which were presented in April at the Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) conference in Grange Over Sands, Cumbria, England. The first, “Rescinding Evidence-Based Care and Practices During the Initial COVID-19 Outbreak in the United States: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Lactation Support Providers”, was published in Frontiers in Public Health in 2023, while the second article, “Psychometric Properties of the Lactation Assessment and Comprehensive Intervention Tool (LAT)”, was published in Nursing Reports in 2024.
Dr. Phil Hulbig, senior lecturer, Program for Advancement of Learning, is the Keynote Speaker at the upcoming World Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Education in Copenhagen, Denmark, this July, where he will present his paper, “Metacognitive Problem-Solving Inequalities in Education.”
Dr. Rebecca Kendall, associate professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice, co-authored a book chapter with colleague Stephanie Cappadona in the recently released second edition of Serial Crime: A Criminological and Psychological Analysis published in Fall 2024. Their chapter, titled “Criminological Theories of Serial Offending, “explores key theoretical frameworks used to understand the complex behaviors and motivations behind serial crime.
Dr. Mia Khera, professor, Psychology, co-authored a publication titled “Asian Indian Male International Graduate Students’ Help-Seeking Intentions Toward Formal and Informal Supports: The Role of Cultural and Familial Factors,” in the Asian American Journal of Psychology. She also served on the dissertation committee for Vicky Ho, a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at The George Washington University, for a proposal titled The Role of Language Brokering in Mental Health Service-Seeking and Utilization for Immigrant-Origin Adolescents: A Mixed-Methods Study. Additionally, she is in her fifth year of service as an elected representative to the School Council at Broadmeadow School in Needham, Massachusetts.
Dr. Ann Marie Leonard-Zabel, professor, Psychology, was featured in the International Newsletter for the School Neuropsychology Institute, recognized for her lifelong global advocacy for children's mental health in December 2024. In February 2025, Dr. Leonard-Zabel was named a Delegate and Champion for the Shot@Life United Nations Foundation, where she engaged in high-level political advocacy to promote global access to life-saving childhood vaccines, including direct meetings with U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Dr. Leonard-Zabel shared her expertise as an invited presenter at the 20th Annual School Neuropsychology International Conference in March 2025, where she delivered a session titled, “Unlocking the Mystery: Exploring the Impact of Substance Use Disorder through a School Neuropsychological Lens.” In May, she traveled to Helsinki, Finland, to chair a session and present her research at the 17th Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) Conference. Her work, “Shadow Disabilities Unveiled: The Interplay Between Youth Traumatic Brain Injury and Substance Use Disorder,” earned her a formal invitation to a reception hosted by the City of Helsinki and provided opportunities for international collaboration. She also added to her scholarly contributions with the publication of two book chapters: Chapter 6, “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs),” in Understanding and Managing Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children and Adolescents (Routledge), and Chapter 12, “Biopsychosocial Approaches to Impairment and Disability, Criminal Behavior, and Vulnerability,” in The Routledge Handbook of Disability, Crime, and Justice.
Dr. Amy Leshinsky, assistant professor and Director of Education Graduate Programs, authored a biography of Richard Wright in Critical Insights: Native Son (Apr. 2025). The Salem Press Critical Insights series is designed to provide comprehensive, in-depth, and accessible literary analysis of the world’s most studied literature. Dr. Leshinsky chaired a roundtable at the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) Conference in Philadelphia titled, “Narrative Nonfiction in the Creation and Understanding of Identity in Turbulent Times,” featuring scholars from across the United States. She also served on the editorial boards for two books in language studies: The Routledge Handbook of Endangered and Minority Languages (Feb. 2025) and The Routledge Handbook of The Sociopolitical Context of Language Learning (Mar. 2025). Dr. Leshinsky was awarded a DESE Early Literacy Consortium grant alongside three colleagues – one at Curry College and two at Stonehill College – to support partnerships between organizations and PK-12 Massachusetts districts aimed at strengthening early literacy instruction and outcomes.
Dr. Jen McNally, professor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, alongside Dr. Laura Callis and Dr. Nicole Parsons, presented, “Links between student-identified supportive instructional practices in general education statistics classes and Universal Design for Learning principles” at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Conference on Learning and Student Success. The work disseminates findings from the National Science Foundation-supported project, DISCUS-IS Discourse to improve students’ conceptual understanding of statistics in inclusive settings, for which Jen, Laura, and Nicole are senior personnel. McNally and Dr. Laura Callis also co-presented an online seminar with statistics education colleagues, “Teaching introductory statistics via active investigations” to an international audience for Instats.org, a professional organization dedicated to advancing expert-led professional development for quantitative researchers. They also mentored fellow statistics educators in the Expanding and Assessing the Art and Practice of Statistics Teaching (EAPOST) Scholars Program over the course of the Spring semester. Jen and Laura are collaborators on the National Science Foundation-supported EAPOST project.
Dr. Emily Nowicki, associate professor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, presented a talk at the Northeast Natural History Conference in Springfield, MA, titled “Examining Differences in Antibiotic Susceptibility of Pseudomonas putida Grown in Mueller-Hinton vs. Soil Extract Medium.” In collaboration with her students, she also co-authored several presentations at the same conference. These included a talk by Emma Page on Analyzing the Effect of Insects on Soil Microbiota During Mammalian Decomposition, and posters by Emmy Bedard—whose presentation earned Honorable Mention for best poster—on Examining the Change in Antibiotic Resistance of Pseudomonas putida in Soil Extract vs. Mueller-Hinton Media, and Jessica Antunes on Improving Methods for Analyzing Changes in Antibiotic Resistance in Soil During Mouse Decomposition. In addition to these contributions, Dr. Nowicki’s article manuscript, “Learning in 3D: Using Student Designed 3D Modeling to Teach Biological Macromolecules in an Introductory Biology Course, co-authored with Jessica Fry and Daniel Labadini (Curry College Biology Class of 2022)” has been accepted for publication with minor revisions in CourseSource.
Dr. Ishani Tewari, associate professor, School of Business and Technology, recently had a peer-reviewed article accepted for publication in the journal Marketing Letters. Co-authored with Dr. Vishal Narayan of the University of Connecticut, the paper is titled “How Do Consumers Respond to Female Electoral Victories? Evidence from Indian State Elections.”
Dr. Ryan Theroux, professor, Curry Core, will present at the European First Year Experience Conference at KU Leuven in Belgium from May 26 -28. His presentation, titled “A First Year Experience Sabbatical in the U.S.”, will highlight key findings and takeaways from his visits to First Year Experience (FYE) programs at eight U.S. institutions.
Dr. Eric B. Weiser, professor and co-chair, Psychology, recently had an article published in the Journal of Scientific Innovation in Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal. The article, titled "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Public Health: A Comparative Evaluation of Machine-Learning Algorithms in Predicting COVID-19 Mortality," examines and compares the performance of several machine-learning models in forecasting COVID-19 mortality rates, contributing to the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and public health.