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Curry College faculty continue to distinguish themselves through exceptional contributions in research, scholarship, professional engagement. These accomplishments reflect not only their dedication to advancing knowledge in their craft, but also their commitment to mentoring students and enhancing the broader academic and professional community.
The fall 2025 faculty accomplishments include:
Dr. Chimezie Agomoh, assistant professor, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, co-authored the article “Encountering Adults with Schizophrenia in Home Settings: A Qualitative Study of Home Health Care Nurses' Experiences,” published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. The study explores the experiences of home health nurses caring for adults with schizophrenia and contributes to understanding best practices in mental health care.
Dr. Jennifer Balboni, professor, Criminal Justice and Sociology, presented “The Progressive Prosecutor Movement through Changing Federal Administrations” at the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences in June 2025. She also participated in a roundtable discussion on ACJS program review with colleagues Dave Mackey, Shavonne Arthurs, Christine Tartaro, and Michele Bratina.
Christine Bennett, professor, Visual and Performing Arts, joined The Curriculum in Motion Institute for a year-long intensive training program in the Curriculum in Motion™ method at Jacob’s Pillow: a co-creative workshop/residency model applying choreographers’ methods to the curriculum, question, issue or theme of a community partner. As part of the institute, she joins a cohort of 14 dance artists/educators who are working to deepen their practice of community building. Her focus will be on utilizing choreographic and teaching artist skills to advance the mission of a partner organization using the arts as a catalyst for social transformation. The program consists of onsite residency weekends at Jacob’s Pillow and ongoing virtual meetings with the group of artists and mentors from their home communities worldwide.
Dr. Shavindrie Cooray, professor, School of Business and Technology, had her research accepted for publication in the Journal of Computer Information Systems. (Impact Factor 4.2, acceptance rate 3%, Taylor and Francis Publishers). The forthcoming paper is titled "Socio-Technical Machine Learning: Putting the User in Control". Dr. Cooray and Dr. Salik Khanal, assistant professor, School of Business and Technology, were Co-PIs on a $495K grant awarded by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to the School of Business and Technology for a new Data Science lab.
Dr. Laurie Fox, professor, Program for Advancement of Learning, published a review in the fall 2025 journal The Educational Therapist, 46(2) of the book The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe by Stephen W. Porges.
Dr. Rebecca Cudmore Kendall, associate professor, Criminal Justice and Sociology, published the article “Examining the Role of Cultural Variables in the Victimization–Delinquency Overlap Among Latino Youth from a General Strain Theory Perspective” in Race and Justice, contributing to research on cultural influences in youth delinquency.
Dr. Amy Leshinsky, assistant professor, Education, received a $190,000 grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to support a multi-institutional literacy initiative during the 2025–2026 academic year. This project engages pre-K–12 educators and administrators, educator-preparation faculty, and students from Curry College and Stonehill College in collaborative opportunities to share effective practices, examine evidence-based research on early literacy, and strengthen instructional approaches across school, district, and higher-education contexts. Partner institutions for this iteration of the grant include Stonehill College (with Drs. Rebekah Louis and Lyndsey Benharris), Braintree Public Schools, Milton Public Schools, and Randolph Public Schools. Dr. Leshinsky was also invited to present her research, “Teaching the Unspoken: Educator Perceptions of Teacher Responsibility to Teach Frequently Censored Topics in U.S. K–12 Classrooms,” at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Additionally, her proposal to present her research, “Exploring, Engaging, Empowering: A Mixed-Methods Study Informing a Family and Community-Based Early Literacy Plan” at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting was accepted with co-researcher Dr. Rebekah Louis. Her scholarship this year also includes the publication of “The Ongoing Siege: Challenges and Censorship of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye” in Critical Insights: The Bluest Eye (Salem Press, October 2025) and a book review of Teaching with Fandoms: A Social Justice Approach to Literacy Education in the National Council of Teachers of English’s journal, English Education (September 2025).
Dr. Tony Laing, associate lecturer, Program for Advancement of Learning, served as co-book editor for Black Student Support Networks: Creating Community at HBCUs and PWIs, forthcoming from SUNY Press. He also authored a special response edition, Nothing Can Be Changed Until It Is Faced: A Baldwinian Call to Action, forthcoming from the University of Minnesota Press, and co-authored No Time for Childhood: How Black Males in All-Male Schools Understand the Meaning of Their Boyhood and Adulthood, which will appear in the Journal of African American Studies.
Dr. Laura Callis, associate professor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, presented “Paper Airplanes: Collecting Data to Find the Best Model” at the National Museum of Mathematics’ MOVES Conference in New York City. The presentation involved data collected by Curry education majors and Stoughton fifth graders and explored mathematics in an engaging, hands-on way. Dr. Callis also had conference acceptances to the Joint Mathematics Meeting in Washington, D.C., and the International Conference on Teaching Statistics in Australia, focusing on statistics education for neurodiverse populations.
Dr. Phil Hulbig, senior lecturer, Program for Advancement of Learning, delivered multiple keynote presentations, including the World Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Education in Copenhagen, Denmark (“Problem-Solving Inequalities”) and the American Psychological Association Convention in Denver, CO (“Mentorship and the General Theory of Metacognitive Instruction”). He also presented at the Boston Neurological Conference, the Instructional Design Professionals Conference, and Curry College’s Professional Development Day. Additional service includes peer reviewing for the Journal of Behavioral Science (MDPI) and founding a peer support group for disabled faculty and staff called Connection Mentorship. Dr. Hulbig also submitted an op-ed to the Boston Globe Ideas Section titled “The Solution Is Problem-Solving: How the Thinking of Children Could Help Adults Contend with Their Media Environment”.
Dr. Jen McNally, professor, and Dr. Laura Callis, associate professor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, are Principal Investigators of the DISCUS-IS Discourse to Improve Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Statistics in Inclusive Settings, a National Science Foundation-supported faculty research project (DUE 2314358). In October, they were featured on the Think UDL podcast discussing "Students Tell Us What Works in Statistics." In addition, they launched a password-protected professional development website for postsecondary instructors of statistics. Access to the secure site can be requested by completing a short form at www.InclusiveStatistics.com.
Meaghan Krazinski, assistant professor, Program for Advancement of Learning, had two conference papers accepted for the 2026 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA: “Neurocurious Research-Creation: Performing Educational Possibilities Beyond Neurotypical/Neurodivergent Binaries” and “Neurodivergent Unknowing as Educational Research Methodology” (co-authored with Nathan P. Hughes, Landmark College).
Dr. Ann Marie Leonard-Zabel, professor, Psychology, participated in multiple high-profile events during Summer–Fall 2025, including the United Nations Advocacy Summit, the Learning Disabilities Worldwide Congress, the Shot@Life USA-UNA Summit, and the Global Conference on Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health, and Psychiatry. She presented on topics including autism spectrum disorders, substance use disorder, and adolescent aggression. Dr. Leonard-Zabel also renewed her Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) certification, supervised twelve school and clinical psychologists earning the American Board of School Neuropsychology Diplomate credential, completed an AI ethics certification program, and served as a panelist for the Massachusetts premiere of No One Cares About Crazy People.
Janet Ferone, lecturer, Education, delivered numerous professional presentations, including workshops on culturally responsive education and Universal Design for Learning at the Summer Institute for Educators (Landmark College), SXSW EDU, and Front Range Community College. She also served on the Goldin Foundation for Excellence in Education Advisory Board, founded the E2 Equity Educators Facebook group, and organized monthly international Zoom calls for former Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program participants.
Dr. Edward Justin Modestino, senior lecturer, Psychology, published a genetic study analyzing 7,171,168 subjects that revealed a shared genetic relationship between ADHD and narcolepsy, highlighting genes FOXP2, RBFOX1, and GRIN2A. The study employed groundbreaking methodology and included Dr. Elizabeth Carey as a co-author. https://doi.org/10.20935/AcadMolBioGen7751