Pursuing an art photography degree developed Genevieve Marshall’s listening and observation skills—and led to a career supporting Syracuse’s refugee community.
Social Work News
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Elder Justice Virtual Conference
Unlocking the Potential of Restorative Practices
The potential benefits of restorative practices to address elder abuse and exploitation are the focus of a two-day virtual conference taking place October 15-16, sponsored by Syracuse University’s College of Law, Falk College and its School of Social Work, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Aging Studies Institute. The symposium also received CUSE Grant funding.
“Interdisciplinary Approaches to Elder Justice: Unlocking the Potential of Restorative Practices,” is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Intended for professionals in social work, law, medicine, nursing, government, and psychiatry, the symposium will feature scholars and practitioners from around the world, including two distinguished international speakers:
- Jennifer Llewellyn, Professor of Law, Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human Rights Law, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- Chris Marshall, Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice, University of Victoria School of Government, Wellington, New Zealand.
With a focus on the strengths and challenges of restorative models, the conference will feature short presentations, panel discussions, break-out groups and circles designed to explore implementation barriers and appropriate methods for supporting and maintaining positive outcomes.
Conference organizers Professors Mary Helen McNeal, Syracuse University College of Law and Maria Brown, Falk College’s School of Social Work and Syracuse University Aging Studies Institute, have researched and published on this topic. Their most recent publication, “Addressing elder abuse: service provider perspectives on the potential of restorative processes,” appeared in the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect. Their work also includes advocacy and legal support of elders in the Syracuse community facing abuse and financial exploitation.
According to the organizers, few models exist that apply restorative principles to elder abuse, and existing research and scholarship measuring successful interventions and preventions is limited. By gathering a dynamic group of international scholars working at the intersection of restorative practices and elder justice, the researchers anticipate further innovations in responding to elder abuse.
Restorative processes are based on problem-solving models used by indigenous groups, and have been adapted to address a range of social problems including school disciplinary matters, juvenile offenses, disputes on college campuses, and even domestic violence. They offer alternative approaches to address harm by bringing together the person harmed, the perpetrator, and the community to address what happened, repair the relationships, and generate a plan for future conduct.
Older adults, particularly those experiencing physical and cognitive decline, often rely on family and friends for care and support to remain independent. Unfortunately, the same individuals who help them maintain their independence can take advantage of their need for support, resulting in physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, financial exploitation, or neglect.
Elder abuse is experienced by 15.7 percent adults aged 60 and older, although only 1 in 24 cases is reported, according to the World Health Organization. Research indicates family members, usually adult children and spouses, are the most frequent perpetrators. While elder abuse can be addressed in many ways, such as social service interventions and civil and criminal justice responses, these remedies are not always viable options when a family member is responsible for committing the harm. And frequently, the older adult does not want to pursue any action against a family member.
Restorative processes offer another avenue for elder justice, with the added benefits of helping break social isolation that makes the older adult vulnerable to abuse while supporting caregivers whose struggles may be leading to the abuse.
For more information about the conference, contact Professor Mary Helen McNeal at mhmcneal@law.syr.edu.
Charity, Resilience and Grace in Times of Need
At Huntington Family Centers, Syracuse University social work alumni get creative to help the community during the pandemic.
A little charity goes a long way during a crisis.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit last spring, Charity Purchas ’13, G’19 lived up to her name and sprang into action to help her community. Purchas, the emergency services coordinator at Huntington Family Centers, was instrumental in keeping Huntington’s food and diaper pantry running throughout the worst of the crisis in New York state.
“Keeping everything going has been a little bit difficult during the whole COVID-19 crisis,” she says. “Emergency services had to overcome big obstacles so we could still be here for our community.”
Huntington Family Centers was founded as a settlement house in May 1919. Located on Syracuse’s West Side, it provides free year-round programming to help individuals and families develop and grow, including services for youth, families and seniors.
As emergency services coordinator, Purchas manages the food pantry and diaper distribution and organizes donation drives for hygiene and household items. Now, perhaps more than ever, the community really relies on these services. Purchas, who also served nearly two years in the Army National Guard, started working at Huntington Family Centers as an intern more than two years ago while she was in graduate school at the School of Social Work in Syracuse University’s Falk College. Since then, she has joined the staff and embraces her new role in the organization.
Although the situation was challenging, Purchas says the team pulled together more than ever to get the job done. Often there were lines of people wrapped around the block waiting for the food pantry to open. “It took a lot of collaboration and working together just trying to get people to social distance. We had to immediately implement a no-contact service policy,” explains Purchas, noting that it was team effort including Amy Crawford, Huntington’s program director.
The panic buying of items such as toilet paper and hygiene products affected Huntington Family Centers just as it did retail stores. “It was even more important for us to do whatever we could to locate these items so we could offer them to the people in this community, especially our refugee population.”
’Cuse Conversations Podcast
Charity Purchas ’13, G’19: Helping Vulnerable Residents
Charity recently spoke to John Boccacino ’03 in the Office of Alumni Engagement about her role in helping vulnerable residents during the pandemic.
Despite the challenges, Purchas was willing to put in the hard work to get the job done. “I love what I do. No matter what, I enjoy it.” That’s a sentiment echoed by her mentor and boss, Mary Lou Sayles G’93, executive director of Huntington Family Centers. “Charity is amazing. She’s a rock star,” says Sayles.
When Purchas first started her internship at Huntington as a full-time social work student, she put in 20 hours a week while also working full time at night for the Department of Public Safety. Initially, her goal was to one day attend law school, but midway through her internship she knew she loved what she was doing and decided to pursue social work as a career rather than law. Sayles eventually created the role Purchas is in now.
“My intention initially was for Charity to be employed and get experience to move forward, but her job here has morphed into something bigger because she’s great at what she does,” says Sayles.
Working Together to Help the Community
To deal with demand and minimize the wait time for those in need, Purchas, Sayles and the rest of team at Huntington created a pre-order system so people could call ahead to order food and other items, then pick them up at a specific time. They also kept later hours than normal for the food and diaper pantry. “We would have people still waiting around the block at 12 o’clock, which is when we usually stopped serving, and we would still say we’re not going to turn these people away,” says Purchas.
During the height of the pandemic in the local area, they allowed people to come back as much as needed rather than once every 30 days, as is normal policy. “We felt that if they couldn’t get resources somewhere else, then we were going to provide them,” Purchas says. “We didn’t turn anybody away.” Sayles often assisted Purchas with running the food pantry. “I did not want to have direct staff working if I wasn’t working while this virus was out there,” Sayles explains.
Huntington’s other programs have continued to operate remotely. The Pre-K teacher created a website for virtual instruction and offered one-on-one private tutoring, and the after-school program designed its own Facebook page with an activity where kids could get points for “attending.”
“It was hard and still is hard,” says Sayles. “In the beginning it felt like the information we were receiving about the virus was changing daily.” The administration met frequently to devise weekly plans for their services, but many times would have to revise those plans the next day due to changes in the information that was coming in. “It was and continues to be important to be creative and flexible to meet the needs of the neighborhood.”
A Successful Partnership with Falk College
Sayles has been working with interns from the School of Social Work since she started at Huntington Family Centers in 2012, but the school has been in partnership with Huntington for nearly 60 years. Sayles usually personally takes on two interns from Falk College each year, while the larger organization takes on an additional four to six interns per year. “I am always impressed with them,” says Sayles. “A number of them have either taken jobs here or come back here after working elsewhere.”
As a mentor, Sayles is adamant that students make their internship experience their own. “I tell them what I expect them to do and what I will do for them, but it’s their internship. They tell me which projects they want to work on. At Huntington Family Centers I believe they have the ability to be part of many opportunities that they may not have at other agencies.”
When selecting interns, Sayles works closely with Tracy Walker, board president and director of field placement for the School of Social Work.
“Strong agency partnerships with organizations like with Huntington Family Centers are crucial to the success of our social work field program,” says Walker. “It is also very powerful for students to experience an internship in an organization that is led by Mary Lou, one of our social work alumni, and to work alongside staff like Charity. As role models go, you can’t get any better!”
Even as the pandemic surged, Sayles and Walker were still committed to placing interns this academic year. “We treat our interns as if they are our employees—they get the same consideration and respect. If we were continuing to bring programs to the building during this uncertain time, then we were going to keep our commitment to placing interns.”
Purchas and the rest of the staff at Huntington Family Centers are still working hard to do all they can to keep things running smoothly for the community during this time of crisis, and Sayles is standing by their side as a leader in a mission-driven organization. “One hour I’ll be signing checks in the office and the next I’ll be the pantry person. It keeps me informed of what our community needs and what the staff needs to keep safe,” Sayles says.
~ Lisa Maresca
An SU Story published on September 1, 2020.
Finding Her Calling in Central New York
InterFaith Works collaborates with the CNY Diaper Bank, which has donated millions of diapers across the Syracuse area. Genevieve Marshall, Falk College School of Social Work master student, has fostered this partnership, helping to connect refugees with needed supplies and services.
When Genevieve Marshall ’12, G’17 was thinking about colleges as a high school senior, her goal was to follow her passion for photography. A few days after Christmas, Marshall and her mother made the drive north from her hometown of Baltimore to look at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. What she found out on her tour inspired her to apply. “I loved that I was able to start photography my first semester and I didn’t have to complete two years of fine arts,” she says.
The art photography program was also flexible enough for Marshall to pursue interests in sociology and women’s and gender studies. “One of the most interesting aspects of art for me was being able to integrate it as a tool in working with others and working with the community,” she says. As an undergraduate, Marshall contributed to the Photography and Literacy Project, where University students work alongside local high school students to tell stories with photos, videos, recordings and writing. “I learned a ton and really loved that aspect of the work more than anything else,” she says.
A Rare Opportunity
Marshall began an internship at Light Work, an artist-run nonprofit on campus, but her plans took an unexpected turn when a sociology doctoral student she’d worked with previously reached out with a rare opportunity. The graduate student was working on her dissertation in Cambodia, and her research assistant had canceled at the last minute. She asked Marshall to fly to Southeast Asia to fill in. Marshall’s internship supervisor was immediately supportive. “My professor said, ‘You are going to learn so much more doing that than you are going to learn with me. Take a camera, go and we will figure it out later,’” she recalls.
Marshall set out on her first trip to Southeast Asia, spending a month in Phnom Penh assisting with interviews. “It was definitely a great opportunity to really immerse myself in a totally different way of living and eating and language than I had ever been exposed to before,” she says.
Integrating Two Passions
After graduation, Marshall decided to stay in Central New York. She worked at a series of jobs while she struggled to find a well-paying photography job. “I ran the gamut, I did everything,” she says. “And then I started thinking about the moments that I really liked best about photography, and how I could integrate that with other interests that I felt really strongly about.” Marshall reflected on her experiences working with the community and decided to pursue a graduate degree that blended her creativity with practical application. “I have a huge place in my heart for artists and doing gallery work, and that is still very important for me,” she says. “But I felt like I also needed to be out there doing something else, too. Social work felt like a way that I might be able to integrate everything.”
In August 2015, Marshall began pursuing a master of social work degree at Syracuse University. One of her field advisors noticed her previous experience in Cambodia and suggested a foundation-level field placement in refugee resettlement with the local agency InterFaith Works.
Genevieve Marshall has learned there is no typical day in the field of social work, particularly in refugee resettlement. “I’m very lucky because I think I am somebody who would get bored easily,” she says.
Her first day at InterFaith Works, Marshall was handed a set of car keys and told to pick up a newly resettled family of 15 individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While overwhelmed at first, she found the experience was like her first campus tour at Syracuse. “I just felt like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Marshall says. “I took the internship and just absolutely fell in love on the first day and never looked back.”
After graduation she contacted InterFaith Works for a job recommendation, and instead she got a request for an interview. Today Marshall is InterFaith Works’ mental health and wellness manager in the Center for New Americans. Her days are rarely routine, as she supports families from countries like Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and Ukraine, in addition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Every case and all the service plans that we come up with are very individual,” she says.
The Perfect Niche
Marshall feels that in many ways her art background has made her an effective social worker. “The families we work with have incredible internal resources, and our job is to support them,” Marshall says. “The number one thing that photography taught me is how to be someone who listens—because you’re also listening with your eyes and seeing what’s going on.” Another benefit of her art background is knowing how to be part of a collaborative process. “No one is an island—no social worker is an island—and that’s something that art taught me very early on,” she says. Learning from and building on constructive input from peers has influenced how she relates to others on her team. “I want to cultivate spaces that are very collaborative in nature because I think that that’s really important,” she says.
The pandemic has presented some challenges, but through creativity and cooperative spirit, Marshall says InterFaith Works has found ways to support the refugee community. A partnership with the CNY Diaper Bank since 2018 has provided an estimated 155,000 diapers to over 200 refugee and immigrant families in Syracuse. Interfaith Works has also offered virtual meetings with chaplains from several faith traditions and backgrounds, as well as mental health professionals to support refugees and seniors who are struggling.
Despite the current crisis, Marshall feels at home and says she’s never regretted following her intuition after visiting Syracuse University. “I felt the entire time I was in the program and to the moment where I am now that this is exactly the place I’m supposed to be.”
~ Brandon Dyer
This is a Syracuse University story published on August 18, 2020.
Social Connection in an Online World
Professor of Practice Tracey Musarra Marchese trains the next generation of social workers to address challenges of online interaction, digital divide and social isolation.
This example comes to mind when Marchese, a social work professor of practice in the University’s Falk College School of Social Work, reflects on the way our heightened reliance on digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated challenges for some and created new ones for others. Marchese is a practicing psychotherapist and clinical social worker who also trains other practitioners in trauma processing techniques. She has been helping her clients and fellow practitioners navigate how societal changes in response to COVID-19—including the transfer of so many transactions and interactions to online—affect mental health and mental health work. “The pandemic has created new terrain in so many ways,” she says. “Not only are we facing some new sources of trauma—for example, the experiences of some first responders and others whose lives are at risk because of the nature of their work—but also many new uncertainties and pressures. These new stressors are leading to real increases in depression, anxiety and trauma-related issues.”
New Reality, New Challenges
Some of the most troubling challenges, Marchese says, are caused by the digital divide—inequalities of access and ability that result in some people having far less connection to the internet than others. “This divide is due to a range of factors, including lack of familiarity or ease with technology, language barriers, living in remote locations where internet infrastructure is limited and, often, poverty,” Marchese says. And, she adds, since the pandemic has plunged many into financial peril, some may no longer be able to maintain the internet service or smart phone that they once could. “Being able to do so much online has been wonderful for many—it’s allowed continuity in work and other vital activities. But for those who can’t access online services reliably, the repercussions are more severe than ever, since alternatives are so few,” she says. Even finding and applying for employment, she points out, is almost impossible without internet access.
The digital divide contributes to social isolation. With physical distancing and the closure of spaces that allowed for in-person interactions, those who lack reliable internet access or find it difficult to use online social platforms may be severely cut off from other people. And isolation can be more insidious too, Marchese says. Even people who have active online lives have been reporting higher rates of anxiety and depression, which, she explains, are seemingly linked to a lack of physical touch.
Caring for the Caregivers
At Syracuse University, Marchese is helping prepare mental health clinicians of the future—a future she believes will include many more options for online services even after the threat of COVID-19 subsides. Marchese says that she, and many of the practitioners she encounters, are reporting positive experiences with online therapy. “Being able to provide mental health care and social work services online is wonderful—we are able to serve clients effectively regardless of geographic distance or other constraints on mobility,” she says. But, she cautions, online therapy poses unique challenges too.
For example, developing a sense of connection and a therapeutic relationship with clients may require more effort and conscientiousness in a virtual format than in person, she says. While some clients may appreciate not sitting in the same room as their therapist, others will feel more exposed because of the face-to-face positioning that’s the norm in online conversation. Also, therapists have to ensure that clients have a private, safe space in which to engage in virtual sessions; for some, this can be difficult to find. “As we move into a world of more online interaction, we have to be mindful of the ways virtual connections are different. We can’t take anything for granted and should never make assumptions,” Marchese says.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many mental health workers are experiencing the same stressors and strains that their clients are facing. “The advice we give to help others navigate this time is advice we need to apply in our own lives as well,” Marchese says. “That includes getting outside if possible, exercising, setting small goals, remaining socially connected and seeking professional help as needed.” Many people are not feeling their usual selves lately, and that is a normal response to an abnormal situation, she says. It does mean, though, that it’s more important than ever to take care of ourselves and of one another in our communities.
~ Sarah H. Griffin
A Syracuse University story published on August 20, 2020.
Falk College welcomes new faculty and staff
Syracuse University’s Falk College is pleased to welcome four new staff members who have joined Falk College in the past academic year: Donna Fecteau, Administrative Assistant in the Department of Exercise Science; Julia Fuqua, Office Coordinator in the Department of Exercise Science; Heather Mauro, Internship Placement Coordinator in the School of Social Work, and; Melissa Tobin, Counselor, Academic Services in the Office of Student Services.
In addition, Falk College is pleased to announce the appointment of six new faculty members, Bernard Appiah, Maria Erdman, Kenneth Marfilius, Miriam Mutambudzi, Latha Ramalingam, and Maryam Yuhas, in addition to six faculty who join Falk College with the Department of Exercise Science, Tiago Barreira, Tom Brutsaert, Keith DeRuisseau, Kevin Heffernan, Joon Young Kim, and Kristen Konkol.
Bernard Appiah
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health
Bernard Appiah joins the Department of Public Health in Falk College as Assistant Professor in Fall 2020.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Appiah was Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health in the Departments of Environmental and Occupational Health and Public Health Studies. He was the Founding Director of the Research Program on Public and International Engagement for Health. Previously, Appiah served as a Drug Information Pharmacist/Publications Manager at the National Drug Information Resource Centre (NDIRC) for the Ministry of Health in Ghana. He has taught courses such as environmental and occupational health communication, social context of population health, and comparative global health systems.
Appiah’s research interests lie in socio-behavioral approaches for exploring public health issues, global health and environmental health with emphasis on socio-behavioral change communication, public/community engagement interventions, and dissemination of information/knowledge through culturally appropriate communication channels. He is published in several journals, including Psychiatry Research, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) mHealth and uHealth, and authored book chapters, technical reports, and many articles for mass media. He has presented at the International Workshop for Practitioners of Engagement Between Health Researchers and Schools in Kilifi, Kenya, the West African Society of Pharmacologists (WASOP) Conference in Ghana, and the Academy for Future International Leaders (AFIL) Open Session Seminar on Global Health Issues.
Appiah’s research has received support from the Wellcome Trust, UK, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, USAID Ghana, and Texas A&M University. Among the most recent supporters of his research is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Appiah is the recipient of numerous teaching and research fellowships and other honors including being named as a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow in 2018 and 2016. He currently serves as Head of Capacity Building and Research Programmes for the Pan-African Network for Popularization of Science and Technology and Science Communication (African Gong); member of the Healthcare Safety and Quality Expert Committee of the U.S. Pharmacopeia, and; reviewer for Public Understanding of Science.
Appiah earned his Dr.PH in Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences in 2013 and his M.S. in Science and Technology Journalism from Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health and College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, respectively. He earned his master’s in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) and his B.Pharm in Pharmacy from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.
Tiago Barreira
Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise Science
Tiago Barreira joins Falk College as Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. He teaches courses such as systemic physiology and exercise, research methods in exercise and sports science, measurement and evaluation in exercise science, physical activity and public health, and obesity and body composition.
Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where Barreira has served as Assistant Professor since 2014. Barreira is also the Director of the Kinesmetrics Laboratory at Syracuse University. Prior to joining Syracuse, he completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Barreira’s research focuses on the measurement of physical activity: establishing validity and reliability evidence of physical activity measurement tools; determining how to use physical activity measurement tools to obtain reliable and accurate information on physical activity patterns; the use of physical activity measurement tools as a motivation to promote increased physical activity levels, and; investigating the relationship between physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk factors. His work is published in several journals, most recently in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, Disability and Rehabilitation, Artery Research, and the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness among others. He has given presentations for the International Biometric Conference, The American College of Sports Medicine, and the International Conference on Ambulatory Monitoring of Physical Activity and Movement, among others.
Past research has received support from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Institute for Educational Sciences SHAPE America, Fight for Hearts, among others. Barreira is a journal editor for the Physical Activity section of Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise and is a manuscript reviewer for several journals and publications. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Measurement and Evaluation Special Interest Group from SHAPE America and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine Mid-Atlantic Chapter Research Committee.
Barreira earned his Ph.D. in Human Performance with a concentration in Kinesmetrics in 2010 from Middle Tennessee State University, where he also earned his M.S. in Exercise Science. He also earned a B.A. Physical Education and B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Tom Brutsaert
Professor, Department of Exercise Science
Tom Brutsaert joins Falk College as Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. In the department, he teaches courses such as energy metabolism and exercise, physiology of exercise, environmental physiology, high altitude physiology and biology, and human biological variation.
Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where Brutsaert has served as Professor since 2016 and previously as Associate Professor since 2009. At Syracuse, Brutsaert is the Director of the Altitude Simulation Laboratory, holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Anthropology, and helps to coordinate the Human Performance Laboratory. Before joining Syracuse University, he held several positions at SUNY Albany. There, he was a Fellow in the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis, and was Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology from 2005 to 2009 after being promoted from Assistant Professor. He also served as Co-Director of the Human Biology Program from 2003 to 2004. He completed an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California at San Diego’s School of Medicine in the Division of Physiology.
Brutsaert has broad research interests in how gene and environment interact to produce variation in human athletic ability and health and disease. His work is published in several publications, most recently in Frontiers in Genetics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, European Journal of Applied Physiology, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and International Journal of Molecular Sciences, among others. He has given presentations at the International Conference on Genomics, Leh High Altitude Symposium, World Congress on High Altitude Medicine and Physiology, for the Center for Physiological Genomics, and others.
Past research has received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Geographic Foundation, and a Fulbright Specialist Award. Brutsaert serves on the Advisory Editorial Board for Sports Sciences for Health and the Editorial Board for High Altitude Medicine and Biology, and previously served in editorial and reviewer roles for other journals, books, and grants.
Brutsaert earned his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology in 1977 from Cornell University, where he also earned his M.S. in Human Nutrition and M.A. in Biological Anthropology. He earned his B.A. in Biology from Northeastern University.
Keith DeRuisseau
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Exercise Science
Keith DeRuisseau joins Falk College as Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. He is currently the Chair of the department and teaches courses such as introduction to exercise science, physiology of exercise, and skeletal muscle physiology.
Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where DeRuisseau has served as Associate Professor since 2012 and previously as Assistant Professor since 2006. Before joining Syracuse University, he was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida.
DeRuisseau’s research investigates potential mediators of skeletal muscle dysfunction under conditions that include disuse, aging, and trisomy (a model of Down syndrome). An emphasis is placed on how iron, oxidants, and antioxidants contribute to skeletal muscle mass and functional responses. He is published in several journals, most recently in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, the Journal of Applied Physiology, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, European Journal of Sport Science, and Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. He has presented his work at Experimental Biology annual meetings and for the American College of Sports Medicine.
Past research has received support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Diabetes Group of the Hill Collaboration on Environmental Medicine, the Syracuse University Gerontology Center, and others. DeRuisseau is a 2015-16 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant awardee for the Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Grant in Health and Environmental Sciences. He is a member of the American Physiological Society and invited manuscript reviewer for publications such as Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, and the Journal of Applied Physiology, among others.
DeRuisseau earned his Ph.D. in Movement Science from Florida State University in 2002. He earned his M.S. and B.S. in Exercise Science, both from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Maria Erdman
Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies
Maria Erdman joins the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in Falk College as an Associate Teaching Professor in Fall 2020. At Syracuse, Erdman will teach in the nutrition program.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Erdman was employed at Morrison Healthcare at Upstate University Hospital as a Clinical Outpatient Dietitian at the Upstate Cancer Center since 2014. Prior to that time, she was a Clinical Inpatient Dietitian. Previously, she was a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at Syracuse University, and also worked as a Laboratory Manager and Research Technician at UC Davis, Yale College, and Syracuse University.
Erdman’s research on nutrition on college campuses is published in Public Health Nutrition and Health Promotion. She has presented at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition of the American Dietetic Association (2010) and NYSDA Annual Meeting (2009). She has given many nutrition lectures and educational sessions at Oasis/Healthlink Learning Center at Upstate Medical University, Upstate Cancer Center, Upstate Healthlink On Air Radio Program, and Upstate Medical University Physical Therapy, among others.
She is the recipient of several awards, including the Upstate Cancer Center Nutrition Services Fund, a grant from the Upstate Foundation to pay the nutrition counseling bills of cancer patients at Upstate Cancer Center, as well as the 2016 President’s Employee Recognition Award, Clinical Team of the Year. She also received the 2010 Outstanding Dietetics Student Dietetic Internship Award from the New York State Dietetic Association (NYSDA) and the Outstanding Graduate Student in Nutrition Science from Syracuse University. She has served in several volunteer positions for the CNYDA, including president, and has served in volunteer roles at the Crouse Hospital Clinical Dietetics Department, Syracuse City School District, and Community Supported Agriculture of Central New York, among others.
Erdman earned a M.S. in Nutrition Science at Syracuse University in 2009, where she also completed her Dietetic Internship, and a B.S. in Genetics at the University of California, Davis.
She earned certifications as a Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition (CSO) 2015-20 and a Board Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) 2012-17.
Kevin Heffernan
Associate Professor, Department of Exercise Science
Kevin Heffernan joins Falk College as Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. In the department, he teaches courses such as exercise and aging, cardiac rehabilitation, and advanced cardiovascular exercise physiology.
Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where Heffernan has served as Dean’s (Distinguished) Associate Professor since 2011. He currently serves as the Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Syracuse University. Previously, he completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Tufts Medical Center, Molecular Cardiology Research Institute and the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging from 2008 to 2011.
Heffernan’s research examines the interaction of diet, nutritional supplementation and exercise, with an emphasis on resistance exercise, on vascular function in health, disease and disability throughout the human lifespan. His work is published in several journals, most recently the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, JAMA Cardiology, and the Journal of Applied Physiology. He has presented recent work on exercise and cardiovascular health at the American College of Sports Medicine and the North American Artery Society scientific conferences as well as work related to health disparities in cardiovascular disease risk to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He is Past-President of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Past research has been funded by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Current work is funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health. Heffernan serves on the Syracuse University Institutional Review Board, Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Faculty, is an Aging Studies Institute Research Member and a Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion Faculty Fellow.
Heffernan earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008. He holds a M.S. in Applied Physiology and Nutrition from Columbia University, and a B.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Scranton.
Joon Young Kim
Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise Science
Joon Young Kim joins Falk College as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. In the department, he teaches courses such as pediatric obesity and systemic physiology and exercise.
Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where Kim has served as Assistant Professor since 2019. He currently leads the Clinical Research Laboratory at Syracuse University. Previously, he was a National Institutes of Health-supported T32 Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Postdoctoral Associate at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh from 2015 to 2019.
Kim is a Ph.D.-scientist and a clinical researcher in exercise physiology with specific focus on childhood obesity, metabolism, and type 2 diabetes. His research focuses on pathophysiology of youth-onset prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, identification of novel phenotypic biomarkers and genetic targets of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and effects of lifestyle intervention on type 2 diabetes risk in obese youth. His work is published in several high-impact journals including Diabetes Care, Diabetes, and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. He has given presentations at the American Diabetes Association, American College of Sport Medicine, Endocrine Society, and others.
Past research has been funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Arizona State University Research Support Program. He has received scholarships and awards from Yonsei University and Arizona State University, as well as the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes and the Endocrine Society. He currently serves as an Advising Member for the American Diabetes Association’s Exercise Physiology Interest Group Leadership Team, an Organizing/Scientific Committee Member for the World Obesity and Weight Management Congress, and an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.
Kim earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology from Arizona State University in 2015. He holds a B.S. in Physical Education from Yonsei University in South Korea.
Kristen Konkol
Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Exercise Science
Kristin Konkol joins Falk College as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. She has a dual appointment in the School of Education. In the department, she teaches courses such as structural kinesiology for performance enhancement and injury prevention, structural kinesiology, scientific principles of conditioning, and concepts of fitness. She also runs the internship and experience credits for the department.
Prior to joining Falk College in 2020, the Department of Exercise Science was positioned within Syracuse University’s School of Education, where Konkol has served as Assistant Professor since 2018, and formerly as part-time faculty. Previously, Konkol was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Performance, Exercise Science/Physiology at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she taught courses such as individualized exercise, aerobic conditioning, and concepts of fitness, among others. She also held an adjunct faculty position there, as well as coaching positions at the Gustavus Adolphus College. At the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa, Konkol held several titles, including lecturer, lab instructor, manager in the Human Performance Laboratory, and performance specialist for professional athletes.
Konkol’s research interests include sport specific training; speed, agility, and quickness training; athletic performance testing; strength and conditioning; exercise immunology; and global perspectives in human performance. Konkol’s work is published in the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Sport Sciences for Health, Children, Sports and Exercise Medicine Open Journal, and International Journal of Exercise Science.
Konkol currently serves at Syracuse University as the I-Move Program Coordinator and Dance Minor Coordinator. From 2004 to 2006, she served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Guyana and South America. Konlol is a Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Konkol earned her Ph.D. in Sports Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa in 2013. She earned an M.A. in Kinesiology with an Exercise Physiology emphasis and a graduate minor in Complementary and Alternative Therapy and Healing Practices from the University of Minnesota in 2001. She earned her B.S. in Exercise Science with a Cardiac Rehabilitation emphasis from the University of Toledo, where she was a Division I collegiate basketball athlete.
Kenneth Marfilius
Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Social Work
Ken Marfilius joins the School of Social Work in Falk College as an Assistant Teaching Professor in Fall 2020.
Prior to his new appointment at Syracuse University, Marfilius served as a Visiting Teaching Professor in Falk College’s School of Social Work since 2018, and as an Adjunct Faculty Member from 2016 to 2018. Marfilius will serve as the School of Social Work’s Undergraduate Director. He has taught courses on topics such as social work intervention, military culture and social work practice, psychopathology, and others. While active duty, Marfilius served in the U.S. Air Force Biomedical Science Corps in multiple roles: active duty clinical social worker, mental health therapist, family advocacy officer in charge, and as manager of the alcohol and drug prevention and treatment program. He was commissioned in 2013 and was discharged in 2016 having obtained the rank of captain. At the Barksdale Air Force Base, Marfilius served in a variety of mental health roles related to sexual assault prevention and response, suicide prevention, and traumatic stress. Marfilius has also worked for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs at the Syracuse VA Medical Center in the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program, and as a Disruptive Behavior Committee Member.
Marfilius has given several presentations and trainings, topics ranging from veteran cultural competence to trauma-informed care, at the Association for Humanistic Counseling National Conference, the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, and the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, among others.
Marfilius is honored with a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. He is a recipient of the U.S. Air Force Health Professions Scholarship and the U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and has twice been awarded the Barksdale Air Force Base Medical Operations Squadron Company Grade Officer of the Quarter. Marfilius currently serves on several committees at Syracuse University, including his service as Chair of the Council on the Social Work Education Self-Study Steering Committee.
Marfilius earned a Doctorate in Clinical Social Work (D.S.W.) and Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. He earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Public Health from Syracuse University. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of North Carolina and is certified in Prolonged Exposure Therapy.
Miriam Mutambudzi
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health
Miriam Mutambudzi joins the Department of Public Health in Falk College as Assistant Professor in Fall 2020.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Mutambudzi served as a Research Associate in the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and a Guest Epidemiology Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and a Senior Research Program Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine.
Mutambudzi’s research focus is on chronic disease and occupational epidemiology. Much of her research has largely been directed towards the use of longitudinal data to assess disparities in morbidity, disability, and mortality, with particular interest in onset and progression of chronic diseases, work-related health outcomes, and social determinants of health in vulnerable populations and older adults in Europe and the U.S. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including the European Journal of Ageing, Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science, and the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, among many others. She has presented at the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), Epidemiology in Occupation Health Conference (EPICOH), and the Population Association of America (PAA).
Mutambudzi is the 2020 recipient of the Kammer Emmett Award from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) for the most outstanding article published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2019. Past research support includes funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). She is an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Aging and Health and has served as an editorial peer reviewer for many other journals. She is a member of the European Association for Population Studies.
Mutambudzi earned her Ph.D. in Public Health from University of Connecticut in 2012. She also holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a B.A. in International Studies from the West Virginia University.
Latha Ramalingam
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies
Latha Ramalingam joins the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in Falk College as Assistant Professor in Fall 2020. She works broadly in areas of metabolic disease, which include obesity and diabetes.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Ramalingam was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University since 2014. Previously, she served at Indiana University’s School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Fellow and a Research Assistant.
Ramalingam’s research interests include strategies, both in vitro and in vivo, to investigate the effects of Bioactives (omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D) in maternal obesity using animal models. She also has projects investigating the mechanism behind the role of Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) in beta cells. She has published in several journals, including Scientific Reports, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Nutrients, and Diabetes. She has presented her work at the American Society of Nutrition, American Heart Association and Obesity Society.
Ramalingam’s research has been supported by the American Heart Association, the USDA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the Obesity Society, and Texas Tech University. She is the recipient of several awards, including Early Career Travel Award for International Congress of Nutrition, Argentina 2017, and 2016 IJO Young Investigator Award, 13th International Congress of Obesity, Vancouver, Canada and the Early Career Grant Challenge from Obesity Society among other awards. Currently, she serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, International Journal of Diabetes, and Obesity and Nutritional Disorders.
Ramalingam earned her Ph.D. at the Indiana University’s School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in 2014. She also holds a M.Tech from Vellore Institute of Technology’s School of Biotechnology in Vellore, India and a B.Pharm from Sri Ramachandra Medical College’s School of Pharmacy in Chennai.
Maryam Yuhas
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies
Maryam Yuhas joins the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies as Assistant Professor in fall 2020. At Syracuse University, Yuhas will teach in the nutrition program.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Yuhas served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, since 2019. Previously, she has practiced as Registered Dietitian in two different clinical settings and has held roles as Graduate Research Assistant for the University of Virginia’s Department of Public Health Sciences, Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, and for Oklahoma State University’s Department of Nutritional Sciences. She has also held other intern, extern, and teaching assistant roles. Yuhas’s research is rooted in the socioecological perspective and focuses on working with minority, low-income, and rural communities to implement and evaluate nutrition- and physical activity-based interventions. She is published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) mHealth and uHealth, Journal of Appalachian Health, Contemporary Clinical Trials, Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, and Nutrition and Metabolic Insights. She has given scientific presentations at The Obesity Society, Experimental Biology, and the Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, among others.
Current research projects for which Yuhas serves as Postdoctoral Research Associate are supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Yuhas is the recipient of several awards, including the 2013 Weber Gerontology Scholarship Award at Oklahoma State University and the 2016 Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program Award at Virginia Tech, among others. She currently serves as a reviewer for several journals including the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the Journal of Adolescent Health. She is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and several community-based advisory boards and coalitions.
Yuhas earned her Ph.D. in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise from Virginia Tech in 2019, specializing in Behavioral and Community Sciences. She earned her M.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Oklahoma State University and her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Benedictine University. She completed her Dietetic Internship at Oklahoma State University and earned her Registered Dietitian (RDN) credential from Commission on Dietetics Registration in 2014.
Falk Student Laura Buys Named Syracuse University 2020 Tillman Scholar
Laura Buys, graduate student in Falk College’s School of Social Work, was recently named the Syracuse University 2020 Tillman Scholar. Syracuse University was invited to become a Pat Tillman Foundation University Partner in 2017. The Tillman Scholar program unites and empowers remarkable military veterans and spouses as the next generation of public and private sector leaders committed to service beyond self. Syracuse University shares these ideals and is proud to support Tillman Scholars on our campus.
Laura enlisted in the Air Force in 2012 and became an Operations Intelligence Analyst. In 2014, she deployed to Qatar in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve. She later joined the prestigious Cobra Ball in Alaska and Japan while supporting international treaty verification. During her military career, Laura delivered over 600 intelligence briefings to Air Force leadership, aircrew, and government officials around the world. She also supported 160 CENTCOM combat missions, leading to more than 11,000 signals intelligence reports and 8 relief airdrops to displaced Yazidi civilians. As a result of her exemplary service, Laura was awarded a medal for Meritorious Service Achievement and recognized as Senior Airman Below the Zone.
After honorably separating in 2017, she fully immersed herself into a career in human services. Since then, Laura has graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Women’s and Gender Studies from Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. She later became her school’s Disability Services Liaison for Student Veterans and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work Degree at Syracuse University’s Falk College. Laura has also been a powerful force in her community, working and volunteering with a wide array of populations, including veterans, homeless families, young adults with developmental disabilities, at-risk youth, refugees, and the elderly. Her goal is to continue making a positive impact by dismantling forms of social injustice and helping others overcome trauma. Laura’s story is currently being featured in the National Veteran’s Museum and Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.
Congratulations Class of 2020
Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2020 from the students, faculty, staff, advisory boards, alumni and friends of Falk College! The courage and resiliency you have demonstrated in these challenging times prove you are prepared to respond to society’s greatest needs. Now more than ever, our world needs all you have to offer. We look forward to hearing about your achievements as our newest Falk alumni and eagerly await the future in-person celebration at Falk Convocation and Syracuse University Commencement.
The Dean’s video message to the Class of 2020 was recorded late last year when we were fully expecting our traditional campus celebrations to take place this spring. Since then, the global coronavirus pandemic has impacted all of us in many difficult ways. We recognize how hard this has been for all of our students, and particularly the Class of 2020. While we will celebrate with you at distance for now, we look forward to celebrating together in person when it is safe to do so.
Join the Syracuse University community for the Class of 2020 Virtual Degree Conferral.
Meet our OTHC Scholars
This year Falk College is proud to have two Our Time Has Come Scholars (OTHC) who are a part of the Social Work program. The Our Time Has Come Scholarship (OTHC) creates possibilities for Black and Latino students at Syracuse University. To date, over 1,300 scholarships have been awarded. Scholars come from across the country and their majors span across our campus. They have an average GPA of 3.6. As part of their scholarship, they commit to volunteering on campus and in the Syracuse community. Meet our Falk College OTHC Scholars:
Marceli Rocha-Rocha ’20
Applying for college as a first-generation student, Marceli Rocha-Rocha wasn’t sure attending a private university was an attainable goal. Growing up in a Mexican agricultural community in California’s Bay area, her family didn’t fully recognize the value of education—particularly for women. They didn’t understand why she’d want to leave her family and couldn’t support her financially. Rocha-Rocha was able to attend Syracuse University thanks to a generous financial aid package. Being a first-generation student so far from home was challenging, but Rocha-Rocha used her struggles as a platform to help others, from mentoring elementary students, to her internship in domestic violence advocacy.
Briyana Henry ’20
As a high school student in Brooklyn, New York, Briyana Henry ’20 participated in an afterschool enrichment program. Her mentor was a Syracuse University alumna who put the school on Henry’s radar. Now as a Syracuse University senior, Henry is using that same afterschool program as the basis for her Capstone research project for the Renée Crown University Honors Program, which looks at the impact of afterschool programs on adolescents that come from urban neighborhoods. “I interviewed students, alumni, and staff to figure out how they perceived the program, the benefits of it, and what they could be doing better,” she says.
History of OTHC
In 1987, the Office of Multicultural Advancement announced the launch of the first Our Time Has Come (OTHC) Scholarship Campaign to raise $1 million to establish endowed scholarships, primarily for African American and Latino students. Under the leadership of chair David Bing ’66, the campaign raised $1.2 million. Through the generosity of alumni, friends, foundations, and corporations, seven endowed scholarships were established.
College Honors 2020 Faculty of the Year
On May 1, Falk College held its annual recognition of academic excellence with its Faculty of the Year Awards. These awards, selected by members of Falk Faculty Council based upon peer nominations and documentary evidence, recognize faculty excellence in the academic year. Faculty are nominated in one of three categories: Service, Teaching, and Research. This year, the Falk College Faculty Council also presented the Faculty Governance Champion Award to recognize a faculty member who has gone above and beyond expectations to ensure and enhance faculty governance in Falk College.
This year’s honorees:
Excellence in Service – Alejandro Garcia, Jocelyn Falk Endowed Professor of Social Work
Excellence in Teaching – Matthew Mulvaney, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Excellence in Research – Sara Vasilenko, Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Faculty Governance Champion – Karen E. Kirkhart, Professor, School of Social Work
Congratulations Professors Garcia, Kirkhart, Mulvaney, and Vasilenko!
2020 Faculty of the Year for Service: Alejandro Garcia
Dr. Alejandro Garcia concludes a career of service to the School of Social Work, Falk College, the University, and the profession with a strong record of service at the end of the 2019-20 academic year. Dr. Garcia is an accomplished photographer, and he continued to document our collective history as a College in 2019. He photographed major annual events in the School of Social Work such as the 2019 Dan and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Awards, Overcoming Adversity: Embracing Resilience and Social Change, and the 2019 James L. Stone Legislative Policy Symposium, A Matter of Social Justice: Addressing the Lead Poisoning of Children in New York State and Syracuse. He documented celebrations such as the 2019 Induction of members into the Zeta Gamma Chapter of the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society, the 2019 Convocation Awards ceremonies (BSSW and MSW), the Holiday Party, the retirement of esteemed colleague, Jennifer Wilkins, and the celebration of Kate Veley’s new position. He documented special events such as The Veterans’ Voice: A Panel Discussion on Military Culture, Resilience and the Familial Impact (March, 2019). He also honored students by photographing the Falk Senior Celebration.
Dr. Garcia has been a generous sponsor of scholarships and student assistance in the School of Social Work. In 2019, he continued to support the scholarship that he established for MSW Latino students, and the book fund for those MSW students who cannot afford their textbooks. He is a member of the 1870 Society for his generosity at the University level.
Dr. Garcia has a long history of participation in Promotion and Tenure reviews of Falk College, both in the School of Social Work and in other units when the participation of a senior faculty member was required. At the University level, he participated in the planning committee for the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, having previously been honored by Phi Iota Alpha and the Multicultural Center at Syracuse University for this work.
Dr. Garcia gives back to the local community. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Rescue Mission, and in 2019, he continued to work with SU, the Rescue Mission, and Interfaith Works to obtain computers and clothing for New Americans. He was honored by the Rescue Mission for his service. He is a member of the Advisory Board of RISE Community Center (formerly the Turkish Community Center).
Dr. Garcia also engaged in service to the profession in 2019. He serves as a reviewer for Psychology and Aging. He is an active member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, The American Association of University Professors, the Council on Social Work education, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Association of Latino and Latina Social Work Educators. Dr. Garcia is a former member of the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education, and he continues to carry out labor-intensive site visits to programs under review. In 2019, he completed visits to InterAmerican University in Arecibo and InterAmerican University, Metropolitan campus.
2020 Faculty of the Year for Teaching: Matthew Mulvaney
Dr. Matthew Mulvaney is a devoted teacher and mentor who is committed to making all classes-whether it’s a large Human Development service class, a small graduate seminar, or an online course-accessible yet challenging for all learners.
As a professor, he strives to include diversity in the classroom and challenge students to grow and understand the importance of research as the basis of knowing. As testament to his effectiveness, consider the words of students from his teaching evaluations: “Dr. Mulvaney was able to guide us through the required material while still stopping to focus on points where students were interested or struggling. This class was informative, engaging, and challenging.” Another student stated, “the seminar style course where students were challenged to push ourselves to truly explain our thinking was really helpful in beginning to think more deeply on subjects and ideas that we have taken for granted.” Finally, “I have learned more in this one class than I have in an entire semester of classes. He is a great teacher and makes class fun and engaging.”
Matt’s commitment to teaching goes beyond the classroom.
He has many external roles at national and international levels including presenting at conferences such as the Teaching Institute at Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). In 2019, Matt became the Chair of the SRCD National Teaching Committee and has been working to shape teaching policy at the national level. He is developing the national website on teaching and assisting in the organization of the Teaching Institute that will take place at the SRCD conference. At Syracuse University, he serves as a co-mentor for the undergraduate honor society Kappa Omicron Nu and has been very effective in reviving this student-focused club. Additionally, he is a faculty advisor for the Future Professoriate Program. In this role he assists graduate students in developing their teaching strategies, building their teaching portfolios, and preparing them for a career in academia.
As a mentor, Matt is most proud of his role in mentoring an undergraduate student, Noelle Rowe, who was a McNair Scholar and Honor’s student. Working closely with Matt, Noelle was selected as a Syracuse Scholar in the Spring of 2019 and was his coauthor on two national presentations.
Dr. Mulvaney’s dedication to teaching and mentoring are appreciated by his students and mentees, which make him an outstanding and impactful educator.
2020 Faculty of the Year for Research: Sara Vasilenko
Dr. Vasilenko was selected for this honor from a very strong pool of candidates. In calendar year 2019, Dr. Vasilenko published four refereed journal articles, and she was lead author on three of those. Impressively, the journals in which Dr. Vasilenko published have an average impact factor of 2.9. She also published two book chapters, had one conditional acceptance of a journal article, and she currently has four manuscripts under review.
Dr. Vasilenko’s published work in 2019 includes the following important topics: (a) multidimensional risk profiles and protective factors as moderators of the effects of a teen pregnancy prevention program; (b) patterns of sexual behaviors of young men who have sex with men in Mexico; (c) how multidimensional patterns of adolescent religiosity are associated with sexual and romantic relationship outcomes; and (d) sexual minority health disparities across the lifespan. In addition to her publications, Dr. Vasilenko received three external grants, two of which were from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Although diverse in topic and scope, all of Dr. Vasilenko’s funded projects focus on understanding multidimensional risk and protective factors for health and well-being. Finally, Dr. Vasilenko’s research had a high impact on the fields of human development, sexuality, and health, as evidenced by 284 new citations in 2019 according to Google Scholar.
2020 Faculty Governance Champion: Karen E. Kirkhart
A member of the School of Social Work faculty and director of its undergraduate program Dr. Karen E. Kirkhart has served as chair of the Faculty Council for five years. This award recognizes her service and outstanding contributions to ensuring faculty participation in Falk College governance. This demanding and vital leadership role entailed bi-weekly Faculty Council meetings, monthly Cabinet meetings, and almost daily attention to all kinds of matters involving faculty. Dr. Kirkhart attended to details to ensure that elections and awards were on time and fair. She revised portions of the faculty manual, and then identified more critical updates to address. One of these efforts involved a labor-intensive process of re-documenting important work on mentoring that had been lost. Faculty Council members noted, “Karen’s biggest contribution is the extent to which she molded Faculty Council members into a collegial, supportive group each year. She prioritized individual check-ins and information sharing across departments. This work is unheralded, but those of us who have served on the Faculty Council with Karen can appreciate what this did to unify and strengthen the College.” Professor Kirkhart is retiring from Syracuse University at the conclusion of this academic year.
Class of 2020 honored with Convocation Awards
The School of Social Work is pleased to recognize the outstanding work of its undergraduate and graduate students for excellence. The undergraduate and graduate award process began early this semester, well before the disruption of Covid-19. Awardees were nominated by faculty and staff and selected by a faculty/staff committee, which reviewed transcript evidence, field evaluations, and the nomination letters themselves.
Members of the Class of 2020 honored with BSSW and MSW awards are listed below.
BSSW Awards
Seven distinguished members of the BSSW Class of 2020 were honored with Convocation Awards at a ceremony on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
Kenneth J. Marfilius Student Veteran Award: Nathan P. O’Donnell
The Kenneth J. Marfilius Student Veteran Award is given to an undergraduate or graduate student in good academic standing, who is a military veteran. The award is based on GPA, community and University contributions. This year’s honoree is a former mental health technician in the U.S. Air Force. He brings over 17 years of proven teamwork ability, working in multiple high-stress situations to build highly motivated teams focused on achieving goals. Nathan has trained, supervised and provided career guidance to nearly two dozen service members. He is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. After completing his military duty, Nathan has continued his life of service, this time in the field of social work. In recognition of his academic achievement and service to the community, we are pleased to recognize Nathan P. O’Donnell.
Scholastic Excellence Award: Molly Murphy
The Scholastic Excellence Award recognizes the graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPA. This award recognizes the dedication, hard work, attention to detail, and resilience that it takes to excel scholastically in the BSSW program. This year’s awardee is a social work major with minors in Addictions Studies and Spanish. Beyond her course work, Molly is a Falk College peer advisor and a University Ambassador, and she was a teaching assistant for HSH101 in fall 2017. This year, she was Teen Leadership Coordinator and Operations Co-Coordinator for Syracuse University’s Camp Kesem, a free, week-long summer camp for children whose parents have been affected by cancer. Molly approaches her coursework with passion and will graduate with the highest cumulative GPA in her class. In recognition of her academic achievement, we are pleased to recognize Molly Murphy as this year’s recipient of the Scholastic Excellence Award!
Bachelor of Science in Social Work Award: Briyana Henry
This award goes to a graduating senior in good academic standing who is involved in social work activities, community service, and contributions to Syracuse University. Our 2020 award recipient is strong in all these categories. Briyana is a McNair Scholar and member of the Renée Crown Honors Program, majoring in Psychology as well as Social Work. She has a record of both research and service to community and University. This past fall, Briyana also served as a teaching assistant in HSH101. Her nominator noted that her class contributions were consistently insightful and on point. She mastered difficult course materials with humility, and she is “an exceptional student.” For her senior thesis, Briyana undertook an original research project on the Impact of a Community Afterschool Program on Urban Adolescents. She demonstrated persistence in working through multiple iterations of IRB requests, and she displayed flexibility and creativity in meeting the challenges of data collection. With this year’s Bachelor of Science in Social Work Award, we recognize the excellence of Briyana Henry.
Rhonda B. Cohen Prize in Gerontology Award: Alicia Smith
The Rhonda B. Cohen Prize in Gerontology is named in honor of Rhonda Cohen, who graduated from our MSW program in 1983 and passed away at a young age. She was an advocate for the needs of the elderly. This award recognizes a BSSW graduate specializing in gerontology. The award criteria include cumulative GPA, a strong record of community service, and an interest in working with older adults. This year’s awarded is a member of both the Phi Theta Kappa and Phi Alpha National Honor Societies. Having completed her internship at the Rescue Mission, focusing on street outreach in our community, Alicia quickly identified the aging homeless population as the highest risk, especially during the winter months in Syracuse, NY. Her attention to their unique health issues, suppressed mobility and immunity, as well as vulnerability toward agism prompted her advocacy. For her work exemplary work in advancing human rights, through stabilizing secure housing for the elderly, we honor Alicia Smith with the 2020 Rhonda B. Cohen Prize in Gerontology.
Catherine Mary Esposito Achievement Award: Alexandra Tulowiecki
The Catherine Mary Esposito Achievement Award is given to an outstanding undergraduate student who has demonstrated a commitment to clients with developmental disabilities or traumatic brain injury. Catherine Mary Esposito was an alumna of our MSW program who worked for NYS Developmental Services with special needs clients; she loved that population. Catherine died of breast cancer at 38 years old, and family members started this award in her memory. Not only must the awardee be in good academic standing, but more importantly, they must have demonstrated experience in the field with persons with disabilities. This year’s honoree is a triple major in social work, psychology, and forensic science. Lexi is employed as a direct support professional at Exceptional Family Services, where she works with persons with developmental disabilities to help develop communication, social and daily living skills. She is also a mentor at Advocates Incorporated, where she supports persons with autism, Down Syndrome, epilepsy, spina bifida, cerebral palsy and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. The 2020 recipient of the Catherine Mary Esposito Achievement Award is Alexandra (Lexi) Tulowiecki.
Elizabeth Brown Thoreck Student Achievement Award: Stacy Sturdevant
Elizabeth Brown (Bette) Thoreck, former BSSW Director, established this award to recognize a non-traditional aged undergraduate student who is in good academic standing in both the academic arena and the field placement setting. As once a non-traditional student herself, Bette appreciates the perseverance and resilience required to combine scholastic achievement with other life responsibilities. This year’s awardee has balanced home and family with part-time studies and full-time employment. Since 2013, Stacy has worked for The Salvation Army Syracuse Area Services as a NY State of Health Program Manager and Navigator. Under her leadership, The NY State of Health Navigator Program has grown from 1 staff member to 4. In addition to direct service, Stacy partners with other community agencies, and she designed and oversees program monitoring, collecting statistical data for monthly Progress Reports to NYSOH. Stacy trains other Navigators and Act as the main point of contact for NY State of Health and Child Health Plus/Medicaid in the community. Honoring her excellence in our BSSW program in combination with her other areas of responsibility, we recognize Stacy Sturdevant with the 2020 Elizabeth Brown Thoreck Student Achievement Award.
Keith Anthony Alford Diversity and Inclusion Award: Marceli Rocha-Rocha
This award was established by our former School of Social Work Director and current Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) of Syracuse University, Dr. Keith Anthony Alford. The award is given to an undergraduate, in good academic standing, who has demonstrated in their academic program and field placement setting a commitment to cultural competence and diversity as delineated in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. This year’s awardee is majoring in Psychology as well as Social Work, with a minor in Spanish. Marceli’s commitment to diversity is visible both within and outside of the classroom. She is Vice-President of the Women’s Empowerment Project here at SU and serves as both Academic Chair and Community Service Chair of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority. She is Treasurer of Xicanx Empowering Xicanx (XEX) and an active member of Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment (SESSE). We are delighted to honor Marceli Rocha-Rocha with the 2020 Keith Anthony Alford Diversity and Inclusion Award.
Additional honors related to the Class of 2020 BSSW students include:
Hortence Cochrane Award: Stacy Sturdevant
Professor Emerita Hortence Cochrane established this award for a UC junior or senior matriculated in the School of Social Work and is awarded to a student who shows academic excellence.
Falk Scholar: Alexandra (Lexi) Tulowiecki
Falk College Scholars represent undergraduate students in Falk College who display academic excellence, exceptional campus and community engagement, and personal integrity
Falk Marshal: Tess Harper
Senior Class Marshals have excelled during their time on campus and exemplify the spirit of the senior class. The selection committee assesses the nominees on scholarship, academic honors, student organization involvement, and campus/community service. Class Marshals lead the student procession at Commencement and assist with Commencement speaker selection. They also represent their class at other University events.
Our Time Has Come Scholars: Briyana Henry and Marceli Rocha-Rocha
This scholarship offers eligible students leadership skills and mentorship by Syracuse University alumni and friends, in addition to a monetary scholarship. The scholars are given an opportunity to enhance their Syracuse University education with encouragement, motivation, and support. Students chosen for this award show a strong interest in volunteering, leadership training, and joining a supportive community of scholars.
Remembrance Scholar: Molly Murphy
Remembrance Scholarships were founded as a tribute to-and means of remembering-the 35 students who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Scholars are chosen in their junior year through a rigorous, competitive process and are selected on the basis of scholarship, leadership, and service to the community.
Class of 2020 members of the Phi Alpha Honor Society:
Elise Bojanowski
Amber Deyo
Haley Feuchs
Tess Harper
Molly Murphy
Madison Oliva
Julia Pion
Marceli Rocha-Rocha
Alicia Marie Smith
Mark Sukonik
Alexandra Tulowiecki
MSW Awards
MSW students honored in the Class of 2020 include the following:
Rhonda B. Cohen Prize in Gerontology Award: Lisa Christine Dussing
This award is given to a graduate Social Work student specializing in gerontology. Award is based on GPA, community service, and gerontology interest.
Catherine Mary Esposito Achievement Award: Jennifer Sue Robb
This award is given to an outstanding graduate student who has demonstrated a commitment to clients with developmental disabilities.
Keith Anthony Alford Diversity and Inclusion Award: Arlaina Harris
The award is given to a graduate, in good academic standing, who has demonstrated in his or her academic program and field placement setting a commitment to cultural competence and diversity as delineated in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics.
Carrie Jefferson Smith Social Justice Award: Danielle S. Smith
This award is given to a graduate student who has demonstrated a commitment to social justice, particularly in the area of improving the lives of victims impacted by the continuum of domestic violence.
Virginia Insley Award: Amanda Louise Deavers
This award is given to an outstanding MSW student who is interested in Maternal and Child Health. Preference is given to someone who has completed their field placement in maternal and child health care.
Class of 2020 members of the Phi Alpha Honor Society:
Kaitlyn Dawn Budge
Heather Bell
Jessica DeLutis
Lisa Dussing
Christina Firnstein
Arlaina Harris
Melissa Hayes
Caroline Laws Hyneman
Haleigh Johnson
Michaela Marotti
Kelly Marriott
Gabrielle Denise Nicolini
Suzanne Parsons
Alyssa M. Prawl
Gillian Rowan Riggall
Desiree Rivas
Ellan Ryan
Julia Elise Sanders
Danielle S. Smith
Kaeley Anne Spicer
Kylene Stevener
Carmen Viviano-Crafts
Cassandra Whitcomb
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