Social Work  News

Falk College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

Syracuse University’s Falk College is pleased to welcome 14 new staff members who have joined Falk College in the past academic year: Peter Ashworth, Social Work Internship Placement Coordinator; Rebecca Berard, Marriage and Family Therapy Internship Placement Coordinator; Jennifer Coughlin, Social Work Program Manager; Kim Fudge, Admissions Operations Coordinator; RoQueHarmon, Exercise Science Internship Placement Coordinator; Chandice Haste-Jackson, Associate Dean of Student Services; Kara Hughes, Social Work Administrative Assistant; Timothy Lamey, Exercise Science Internship Placement Coordinator; Matt Michael, Communications Manager; Kim Mura, Human Development and Family Science Office Coordinator; Matthew Murphy, Nutrition and Food Studies Procurement Specialist; Beth Perez, Sport Management Internship Placement Coordinator; Ian Richardson, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and; Tyler Sliker, Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic Director.

In addition, Falk College is pleased to announce 12 new faculty appointments:

• Exercise Science – Kylie Harmon, Kristen Konkol;
• Human Development and Family Science – Ashleigh Jones;
• Marriage and Family Therapy – Tristan Martin, Tracey Reichert Schimpff;
• Nutrition and Food Studies – Naomi Shanguhyia;
• School of Social Work – Nadaya Brantley, Ting Guan, Joseph Smith, Aviva Vincent;
• Sport Management – Lindsey Darvin, Jason Maddox, Adrian Simion

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Kylie Harmon

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Kylie Harmon joins the Department of Exercise Science as an assistant professor. Her position is part of the Aging, Behavioral Health, and Neuroscience research cluster.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Harmon was a graduate research assistant at the University of Central Florida (UCF) within the School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy. There, she taught undergraduate kinesiology classes in exercise science, assessment techniques, and health and wellness. While at UCF, she also served as the research coordinator of the Neuromuscular Plasticity Laboratory within the Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science. During her M.S. studies, she was the Human Performance Laboratory director within the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton.

Harmon’s research focuses on understanding the neuromuscular adaptations that occur in response to aging, immobilization/disuse, fatigue, and strength training, with an emphasis on both changes in motor unit behavior and alterations in the corticospinal pathway. She is particularly interested in how to best preserve muscular strength during periods when resistance training is not feasible, such as during illness, injury, or immobilization.

During her doctoral studies, Harmon was awarded a Richard Tucker Gerontology Applied Research Grant from the University of Central Florida Learning Institute for Elders (LIFE) Group to support her research in older adults. To support her dissertation project, Harmon was awarded the University of Central Florida Graduate Dean’s Completion Fellowship.

Harmon was named recipient of the University of Central Florida Division of Kinesiology Doctoral Scholar Award and Graduate Writing Award supported by the American Kinesiology Association. She is an active member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and was awarded both the NSCA Foundation’s Women’s Scholarship and Challenge Scholarship.

Harmon earned a Ph.D. in education, exercise physiology track, from the University of Central Florida in 2022, preceded by a M.S. in kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton, in 2016, and a B.A. in Russian studies from Binghamton University in 2013. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

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Kristen Konkol

Associate Teaching Professor, Exercise Science

Kristin Konkol is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Exercise Science. 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.

She joined Falk College as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in Fall 2020. 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. 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.

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Ashleigh Jones

Assistant Teaching Professor, Human Development and Family Science

Ashleigh Jones joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science as an assistant teaching professor. She teaches classes in human sexuality and intimate relationships.

Jones has over 10 years of teaching experience and has taught courses across various subjects spanning multiple disciplines at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As an educator, Ashleigh takes immense pride in creating an informative and engaging classroom environment in which students are encouraged to control their own learning experience. Dr. Jones leverages her extensive teaching experience with novel teaching pedagogies to create an immersive and collaborative teaching environment to help future scholars and practitioners apply theory to practice. Recent courses she has taught include families in crisis, cross-cultural research, adolescents and their families, mental health, and human sexuality.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jones was an instructor at Texas Tech University in 2020 in the Departments of Human Development and Family Sciences and Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences. Prior to Texas Tech, while completing her graduate degrees, she served as an instructor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, teaching courses for the Department of Community Health from 2010-2017.

In addition, Jones worked as an academic coach with Disabilities Resource Education Services at the University of Illinois from 2012-2017. In this role, she worked directly with students and conducted needs assessments; offered career counseling; and created, implemented, and facilitated several skill-based workshops and trainings for students, staff, and faculty across the university campus.

Jones earned a Ph.D. in 2019, an M.S. in 2011, and a B.S. (with honors) in 2008, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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Tristan Martin

Assistant Teaching Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy

Tristan Martin joins the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy as an assistant teaching professor. He teaches classes in family therapy, including sexual issues for the helping professional.

Prior to Fall 2022, Martin was an adjunct instructor both in Marriage and Family Therapy and Human Development and Family Science at Syracuse University.

Martin’s research focuses on transgender sexuality with the intersections of relational and erotic diversity. He has presented at multiple national conferences and contributed to publications in the field of family therapy and transgender issues, including the “Handbook of LGBTQ-Affirmative Couple and Family Therapy” and “Sexual and Relationship Therapy.”

Martin was a recipient of the Summer Dissertation Fellowship at Syracuse University in 2019 for his dissertation “Transgender Congruence and Sexual Satisfaction in Trans Masculine Adults: The Role of Affirmative Sexual Partners.”

Martin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and AASECT-certified Sex Therapist. His clinical work focuses on providing support for the LGBTQ community, with specialization in supporting gender transition for youth and adults.

Martin earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University in 2020, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Sex Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2020, a master’s degree in family therapy from Mercer University in 2016, and a B.A. (with honors) in 2014 from Huntingdon College.

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Tracey Reichert Schimpff

Associate Teaching Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy

Tracey Reichert Schimpff is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. She teaches supervision in marriage and family therapy for doctoral students and practicum courses for the master’s program.

Reichert Schimpff has been the director of clinical services for Marriage and Family Therapy since 2013 and served as the clinic supervisor from 2008 to 2013. Prior to working at Syracuse University, Reichert Schimpff was the director of family services at The Salvation Army in Syracuse. She held several clinical and administrative roles in the non-profit organization from 1998 to 2008.

Reichert Schimpff’s focus has been on child welfare and the treatment of trauma. Her research explored therapists’ experiences of trauma and the role of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. She is also interested in developing community collaborations to increase access to mental health care.

She has collaborated on scholarly articles and grants in the areas of community violence, trauma, and maternal mental health.

Reichert Schimpff has served as chair of the Supervisor Committee, Clinic Committee, Handbook Committee and Clinical Readiness Committee in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. She also provides supervision mentorship to supervisor candidates in the Central New York area.

Reichert Schimpff earned a Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 2019 and an M.A. from SU in 1996. She received a B.S. from LeMoyne College in 1993. Reichert Schimpff is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Clinical Fellow of AAMFT, and an Approved Supervisor.

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Naomi Shanguhyia

Associate Teaching Professor, Nutrition and Food Studies

Naomi Shanguhyia joins Nutrition and Food Studies as an associate teaching professor. She teaches classes in contemporary food issues, global food politics, and oversees the undergraduate and graduate practicums.

Prior to joining Falk College, Shanguhyia was the associate director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, where from 2019 to 2022 she oversaw the program’s curriculum and day-to-day operations and taught a course on food security in Africa. She was also a part-time instructor in the Geography and the Environment Department in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, where she taught a class on geographies of hunger, and a faculty affiliate in the international relations program. From 2012 to 2014, Shanguhyia was a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at SUNY Oneonta, where she taught courses in introductory geography, food, society and environment, and gender geography. In 2014, Shanguhyia joined the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University as a post-doctoral faculty fellow and taught writing-intensive seminars focusing on the themes of food, society, gender, and environment.

Shanguhyia’s research focuses on the global and local processes that intersect to shape food, nutrition, and health outcomes among communities in Africa south of the Sahara. Her dissertation research, which was funded by an NSF DDRI grant, examined the impact of environmental and economic change on food and livelihood security among rural communities in western Kenya. Her previous work, which is published in Human Geography: A Radical Journal, analyzed the politics of chronic hunger in arid and semi-arid areas in northern Kenya. She has presented her work at the annual conferences of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the Association for the Study of Food & Society (ASFS), the Cornell University International Studies Summer Institute Workshop, and other forums.

Shanguhyia holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in geography from West Virginia University and a B.Ed. and M.Ed. from Kenyatta University, Kenya.

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Nadaya Brantley

Assistant Teaching Professor, Social Work

Nadaya Brantley joined the School of Social Work as an assistant teaching professor in Spring 2022. She teaches courses in introductory social work and social welfare policy and serves as the baccalaureate of social work program director.

She joined Syracuse University as a member of the field office in January 2011 as an internship placement coordinator and previously served as the assistant director of BSSW field education in Falk College, School of Social Work Field Education Office. She is a New York State Licensed Master Social Worker. Her practice areas include work with adolescents, developmental disabilities, mental health, and incarcerated populations.

As a systems thinker, she believes that, in the words of Bell Hooks, “there must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness that are linked to efforts to transform structures.”  Brantley’s research interests include exploring intersectional identities and educational equity in higher education through a critical race theory lens.

Brantley serves on several department committees and as an advisor for several student organizations, including SU-NAACP, SU-Special Olympics of New York, Social Worker’s United, and the Juvenile Urban Mentoring Program (J.U.M.P. Nation).

She received a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s of social work (M.S.W.) degree from Syracuse University. She is currently a doctoral student in the Cultural Foundations of Education in the Syracuse University School of Education.

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Ting Guan

Assistant Professor, Social Work

Ting Guan joins the School of Social Work as an assistant professor. She will teach courses on foundations of social work research.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Guan was a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, where she also served as a research assistant, working with faculty in the School of Social Work, School of Nursing, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center on federally funded work related to integrated health care and cancer care. Guan has over eight years of clinical experience in hospital settings as a medical social worker in China.

Guan’s research focuses on developing and evaluating family-based psychosocial interventions to improve cancer patient and caregiver quality of life through collaborative and interdisciplinary social work practice in healthcare settings. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, including Psycho-Oncology, Supportive Care in Cancer, Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, Social Work in Health Care, and Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Guan’s dissertation research was supported by a Royster Dissertation Completion Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021.

Her work has been recognized and funded by the Association of Oncology Social Work, Society for Social Work and Research, and Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2015, Guan was awarded China’s Most Dedicated Social Worker Award, a prestigious national award for social work practitioners.

Guan earned a Ph.D. in social work in 2022 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, a master’s degree in social welfare in 2009 from Peking University, and a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2006 from China Youth University for Political Studies.

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Joseph Smith

Associate Teaching Professor, School of Social Work

Joseph Smith joined the School of Social Work as an associate teaching professor in Spring 2022 and serves as the college online MSW program liaison. He teaches classes in applied research in social work, psychopathology, and alcohol and other drugs in social work practice.

Prior to his full-time faculty appointment at Syracuse University, Smith served as an adjunct faculty member in both the BSSW and MSW programs since 2010. He was heavily involved in online curriculum development and teaching in various content areas. Additionally, Smith comes to this position following 25 years of administrative and teaching experience as Department Chair of Chemical Dependency Counseling and Human Services at SUNY Tompkins Cortland Community College.

Smith has practiced as a licensed clinical social worker and Master CASAC in a wide range of social work settings, including adult psychiatric inpatient, substance abuse outpatient and residential, and children’s psychiatric outpatient programs. Smith has interests in trauma-informed and evidence-based strategies, psychodynamic interventions, and culturally responsive practice.

His research interests focus on the areas of mental health and student success, substance use on college campuses, and academic achievement and job placement with underrepresented and minority college students. Smith’s work has been supported by a Perkins Grant from Assertive Community Intervention and Guided Pathways aimed at providing intrusive and structured supports for undergraduate students experiencing academic difficulties; a New York State OASAS College Environmental Prevention Grant aimed at preventing/reducing underage alcohol and drug use on college campuses; and an ALANA Scholarship Grant from the Park Foundation aimed at increasing educational opportunities and job placement for underrepresented and minority students.

Smith has previously served as an MSW Research/Thesis Advisor at Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, Massachusetts. He also consults and work with NYS OASAS as a statewide trainer in the areas of ethics, cultural competency, and clinical supervision.

Smith earned a Ph.D. in social work from Smith College School for Social Work in 2006, a master’s of social work (M.S.W.) degree from Syracuse University, and a B.S. in psychology from Utica College.

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Aviva Vincent

Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Social Work

Aviva Vincent joins the School of Social Work as an assistant teaching professor. She teaches classes in the online master of social work (M.S.W.) degree program.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Vincent was the program director at Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, a premiere accredited PATH Intl. facility in Ohio. She was also an adjunct at the University of Connecticut and Case Western Reserve University. She is an instructor of animal-assisted interventions at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in its Veterinary Social Work Certificate Program and has served as the program’s community engagement coordinator. Vincent is co-owner of the only Veterinary Social Work private practice in Northeast Ohio, Healing Paws LLC.

Vincent’s research focuses on the bi-directional physiological impact of human-animal interaction. She has published over 15 peer-reviewed publications, of which she is the first author of nine. She is also a contributor to The Comprehensive Guide to Interdisciplinary Veterinary Social Work; Integrating Horses into Healing; The Handbook on Human Animal Interactions, Interventions, and Anthrozoology; and Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists.

Vincent recently concluded a study as a co-investigator, Reining in Anxiety, which tested a 10-week manualized CBT-based curricula in adaptive riding sessions. Vincent has also completed research exploring the impact of equine assisted services toward the promotion of mindfulness for veterans. Currently, she is leading a local pilot of the Man O’War Project, a curriculum developed in partnership with Columbia University and PATH Intl. Subsequent research has been supported by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research (Spit Camp, 2017). Later in 2017, Vincent was a recipient of an inaugural fellowship to the Animals and Society Institute for pre-doctoral candidates.

Vincent was awarded a Doctoral Program Research Fellowship from 2015-19 from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. During her tenure, she received the Phi Beta Kappa Research Award (2018), Dr. Dorothy Pijan Student Leadership Award (2018), and Verhosek Fund Award (2016). Prior to her doctoral career, Vincent received the Next Generation Leadership Award (30 under 30) in 2014 from the National Afterschool Association. Vincent is president of the International Association of Veterinary Social Work, board of trustee member for PATH Intl., and an advisory member for the Center for Human Animal Interaction Research and Education at The Ohio State University.

Vincent earned a Ph.D. in 2019 from Case Western Reserve University in social welfare with a concentration in veterinary social work, including a Veterinary Social Work Certificate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2017. Vincent is a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Ohio and has completed specialized training as a Certified Therapeutic Riding instructor (2016), Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (2019), and Equine Services for Heroes (2018). She has also completed Green Dot Bystander Training (2018), Sustained Dialogue (2018), LGBTQ+ Safe Zone Training (2015), and the Institute For Social Change and Harwood Institute (2012). She earned a master of social work degree in community organizing in 2011, and a B.A. from University of Massachusetts at Amherst in social thought and political economy in 2007. In her undergraduate studies she also completed a semester abroad at the University of Limerick.

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Lindsey Darvin

Assistant Professor, Sport Management

Lindsey Darvin joins the Department of Sport Management as an assistant professor. She will teach classes in research methods and race, gender, and society in sport.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Darvin was an assistant professor from 2018-22 at the State University of New York College at Cortland, where she taught sport ethics, athlete development, and administration of sport.

Darvin’s research centers around the themes of sport industry and esport industry gender equity, with a particular focus on seeking to combat the underrepresentation of women leaders and women and girl participants at the intercollegiate and professional levels of sport and esport competition. She has published in refereed journals across a variety of academic segments in the areas of management, sociology, vocational behavior, organizational behavior, communications, and sustainability science. Her research has been featured across a variety of media platforms, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, New York Daily News, Inside Higher Education, and SB Nation. Darvin was co-editor of a special issue in the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience (JADE), released March 2022, that focused on NCAA Division III athlete wellbeing and experience. Recently, Darvin served as an author of the Women’s Sport Foundation 2022 collaborative report, “50 Years of Title IX: We’re Not Done Yet.”

Subsequent research has been supported by SUNY Faculty Research Program awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Professor Darvin serves on the editorial board of several peer-referred journals, including the Sport Management Education Journal (SMEJ), the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience (JADE), and the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports (JEGE). Darvin is a member of the Dell Technologies Research Collective and the North American Society of Sport Management, and she serves on the steering committee for the PNC Bank Pittsburgh Knights women in esport group. In Spring 2019, Darvin created and advised the first women in sport management group on the campus of SUNY Cortland.

Darvin earned a Ph.D. in sport management in 2018 from the University of Florida, an M.S. in sport management in 2014 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a B.A. in political science in 2012 from Bryn Mawr College.

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Jason Maddox

Assistant Professor, Sport Analytics

Jason Maddox joined the Department of Sport Management as an assistant professor in Spring 2022. He teaches sport data analysis and R for sport analytics.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Maddox was a student at Baylor University earning his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., all in statistical science. While a doctoral candidate, he taught introduction to statistics courses and focused research on sport analytics. Maddox also served in the front office of the San Diego Padres as a research and development intern during the summer of 2019.

Maddox’s research focus is on sports data analysis in R, using methods such as regression, machine learning, and Bayesian analysis. His dissertation was focused on creating in-game win probability models for basketball and football.

Maddox earned a Ph.D. in 2022, an M.S. in 2018, and a B.S. in 2016, all in statistical science from Baylor University.

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Adrian Simion

Instructor, Sport Analytics

Adrian Simion joins the Department of Sport Management as an instructor. He teaches classes on python programming for web scraping and statistical analysis.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Simion was a graduate student at Wayne State University from 2017 to 2022, pursuing his Ph.D. in economics with a focus in econometrics. He taught principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, and intermediate econometrics during his time there. He was also a research assistant working on sport management research projects.

Simion’s research is in applied econometrics and sport management. His thesis is on external imbalances and their ability in predicting future exchange rate movements. His sport-related research has been on the impact of college football on the surrounding lodging industry, and the NCAA transfer portal and its impact on the welfare of transferring athletes.

Simion was awarded the Nancy S. Barrett Endowed Prize in Applied Economics in 2021 for his thesis work.

Simion is a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Wayne State University. He earned a M.A. in economics from Wayne State University in 2022 and earned a B.A. in mathematics from Michigan State University in 2016.

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Faculty of the Year Awards

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And the Winners Are…

 

 

 

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Earning four degrees with six children and working full-time

When Shirley Trendowski ’05, ’07 (C.A.S.) G’08 was raising her family, everyday life took very careful planning.

Trendowski and her husband, Ray, are the parents of six children. In 1995, after being a stay-at-home mom for 15 years, Shirley came to work for Food Services at Syracuse University with the goal of earning a college degree. She took advantage of the University’s dependent tuition benefit and began taking courses that interested her, two classes per semester. Her youngest child was 2 years old at the time.

A lifelong learner and lover of education, Trendowski didn’t stop there. She went to the University’s Career Services and took a test to determine what career would be best for her. She took that first step and never looked back. Over the next 12 years, she went on to earn an associate degree (2001), a bachelor (2005), and a master (2008) degree in social work from Falk College and a certificate of advanced studies in women’s and gender studies (2007) from the College of Arts and Sciences. She also completed social work internships at Rosewood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the Syracuse Veterans Administration Hospital. And she did it all while working full-time—she has worked in every dining hall and snack bar operation at the University over the past 26 years—and raising six very active, involved children. For many years, Shirley and Ray (who coached baseball and basketball) worked opposite shifts to make it all work.

Trendowski overcame many obstacles over the years—working multiple jobs in food service and changing her shifts five different times—to complete her degree. “I was not going to be deterred from my goal,” she says. She was a pioneer and believes she was the first person in Food Services to receive a master degree after starting from scratch with no college credits.

“I planned out what classes I was going to take each year and how I was going to fit them into my schedule,” Trendowski says. “I would have a calendar on my wall to indicate when assignments were due.” Not a moment was ever wasted during the day. Trendowski took her textbooks to her kids’ sporting events and to study during the 30-minute wait time after the administration of allergy shots. “I also made sure never to miss work,” she says.

Impacting the Whole Family

All six of her children earned a bachelor degree through Syracuse University, all while watching their mom make so many sacrifices to earn her own degrees. “I offered my kids $50 for any semester they could beat my grade point average, and I gladly only paid twice,” she says. Her son, Joseph, skipped his own graduation for his bachelor degree so he could attend his mother’s graduation in Syracuse.

Trendowski is every bit the proud mom when she talks about her children and their chosen life journeys—she is particularly proud that all have gravitated toward education and service to others, calling it the “mind, body, soul connection.” They have even co-authored papers together across different disciplines.

Her oldest son, Edward, earned a bachelor degree in French from Hartwick College. He earned a master degree in religion from St. Joseph’s College and a Ph.D. in theology and religious studies from Catholic University (completing it after 10 years and six children). He is the director of faith formation for the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, and teaches part-time at St. Joseph’s College.

Her second son, Joseph, earned a bachelor degree in business and an MBA at Alfred University, and a Ph.D. in business management and international business at Old Dominion University. He currently teaches at DePaul University in Chicago.

Michael, her third son, earned a bachelor degree in chemistry from Alfred University and a master degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland. He is a high school chemistry and physics teacher and track coach who has led his athletes to state and regional championships (even during the COVID pandemic). He is married to Newhouse alumna and Emmy Award-winning reporter Isabel Sanchez G’17, a reporter at Channel 10 in Philadelphia (the No. 4 media market in the nation).

Trendowski’s daughter, Andrea, tripled majored in communications, psychology and business at Clarkson University. She is a stay-at-home mom of three children, and until recently was a local leader in MOPS International, an organization for stay-at-home mothers.

Her fifth child, son Thomas, earned a bachelor degree in physical education and health from Syracuse in 2012, in the first year of the combined major. He went on to earn a master degree and Ph.D. in kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Thomas played football at tight end for the Orange, was on the Big East All-Academic Team several times and was a member of the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl winning team. Thomas’ affiliation with Syracuse began early—in second grade, he took part in research in remedial reading led by Professor Benita Blachman in the School of Education and participated in a follow-up study 10 years later.

Her youngest child, Matt, earned a bachelor degree in biology from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2014 in three years, earning the Donald G. Lundgren Memorial Award, the biology department’s highest honor. He received his master degree and Ph.D. in cancer biology at the University of Chicago, where he has also earned awards for his research and for volunteering. He is a second-year medical student at Wayne State University. He started his body of research as an undergraduate at Syracuse, presented abroad as an undergraduate and has 31 publications in medical journals on his research.

Trendowski says that she and her husband consistently emphasized the importance of education to their children. “Your education is something that no one can ever take from you,” she told them. They also underscored the importance of understanding that actions have consequences, and it’s your actions and choices that affect your future. “My kids are not smarter than anyone else’s—it’s just that they work hard. Tom came home after a long day of teaching at SUNY Cortland and was also finishing his Ph.D. and looked at my husband and said, ‘It’s your fault I have this work ethic.’ What a great compliment.”

A Strong Work Ethic

Her oldest son, Edward, says his mother instilled values, a strong work ethic and a strong faith in him and his siblings. “When she decided to pursue further education, she did so while still having many young children at home, on top of her hard work at Syracuse University and her domestic responsibilities,” he says. “Through her work, studies and other obligations, she continued to be present to us children and care for us, and others, exhibiting the virtue of charity. Now, with six children of my own, I look to my mother for guidance and wisdom. I certainly drew inspiration from her as I pursued my own studies. But the greatest gift my mom handed onto me was the gift of faith, something that lasts even when fame and fortune vanish.”

Her youngest son, Matt, says his mom is perhaps the hardest worker he knows.

“Whenever my mom went to one of our sporting events, she would watch us when we were playing in the game, and then study for the rest of the time. It is truly amazing how devoted she was in continuing her education while working a grueling and sometimes erratic schedule as a food service employee,” he says. “She always emphasized the importance of an education, and how it could ensure a bright future. The example that she provided to my siblings was truly inspiring and is reflected in the career paths we chose.

“As a fellow alumnus of SU, I am grateful my mom’s sacrifices gave me the opportunity to pursue an education, and it is without question that her guidance and wisdom enabled me to reach the level of success I have attained,” he says.

Trendowski’s maternal nature has extended over the years to the students she comes in contact with through her job and to the student-athletes she tutored in the past. “Three of the football players I tutored were in the National Football League and one has a Super Bowl ring,” she proudly says.

Trendowski and her husband now have 10 grandchildren, ages newborn to 13, to whom they extend the same hopes and dreams they had for their own children.

“Syracuse University has been a great place to work and has offered myself and my children many opportunities,” she says. “My education has broadened my sense of self and community. My life has been intertwined with Syracuse University on many levels, whether I was doing initial personal patient intakes at the VA Hospital, working on a dementia floor with patients at Rosewood, tutoring and mentoring Syracuse University students, or just greeting my customers, I am the same person and treat everyone with a smile.”

Her advice to others? “If you can dream it, you can do it. If this mom can do it, you can too.”

Adapted from a Syracuse University News story by Kelly Homan Rodoski originally published on Tuesday, October 12, 2021.

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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: Stephen Bonomo, Director of Information Technology; Deborah Golia, Director of Admissions; Kailyn Jennings, Sport Management Internship Placement Coordinator; Danielle Jones, Social Work Internship Placement Coordinator; Donna Sparkes, Budget Associate, and; Emily Williams, Human Development and Family Science Internship Placement Coordinator.

In addition, Falk College is pleased to announce the appointment of six new faculty members, Lastenia-Francis, Catherine García, Esteli Jimenez, Kevin McNeill, Joey Merrin, and Fei Pei.

Lastenia Francis

Assistant Teaching Professor (Online), Department of Marriage and Family Therapy

Lastenia Francis (she/her/hers) joins the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as an Assistant Teaching Professor (Online) in fall 2021. She will teach courses on family systems theories and practice.

Francis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified trauma therapist. She has been practicing since 2014 with an attention to helping minority populations. Francis has provided clinical services in an outpatient clinic in the South Bronx working with low-income communities and communities of color, an intensive preventative program, at the Veterans Affairs as a Readjustment Counselor, and built a private practice that focuses on building strong families in communities of color. Francis previously taught at Mercy College in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and continues to act as a mentor to developing Marriage and Family Therapists as an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor.

Francis continues to have an insatiable appetite for helping people of color maximize their potential in how they relate to themselves, their spouse, and their family and demonstrates that in her research interest. Dr. Francis was drawn to academia through her passion for training more social justice clinicians to help strengthen families especially those in minority and underserved communities. Her dissertation research focused on the reintegration experiences of Black veterans and their families.

Francis is the Founder of Meaningful E-Motion Private Practice, Assistant Editor of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA) blog, and a member of the AAMFT and the AFTA.

Francis Earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University in 2021, a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Mercy College in 2015, and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Stonybrook University in 2013.

Catherine García

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Science/Aging Studies Institute

Catherine García (she/her/hers) joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as an Assistant Professor in fall 2021. At Syracuse University she will teach classes in Midlife Development and Gerontology.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, García was an Assistant Professor of Sociology and core faculty member of the Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she taught quantitative methods and served as a faculty mentor for the MHDI Summer Research Program.

García’s research focuses on Latina/o/x aging and health in the United States and Puerto Rico, applying multidisciplinary approaches to understand how the interaction of biological, environmental, and social factors influence the disease process among older Latina/o/x adults. Her research work has led to 15 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters, including multiple manuscripts in The Gerontologist and The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

Her research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including an R36 Aging Research Dissertation Award to Increase Diversity from 2018-2020 and an R01 Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research from 2021-2023. Her research has led to several awards, including the Emerging Scholars and Professional Organization (ESPO) Interdisciplinary Paper Award, the ESPO Poster Award, and the Minority Issues in Gerontology Poster Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

Currently, she serves as a steering committee member for the Network for Data-Intensive Research on Aging (NDIRA) at the University of Minnesota and is a committee member of the Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel (MIGAP) of the Gerontological Society of America. In addition, she will serve on the editorial board for the Journal of Health and Social Behavior beginning in January 2022.

She earned a Ph.D. in Gerontology in 2020 from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Sociology from Florida State University in 2014, and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Human Complex Systems from the University of California – Los Angeles (with college and departmental honors) in 2010.

Estelí Jimenez-Soto

Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Estelí Jimenez-Soto (she/hers) joins the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as a tenure-track assistant professor of food studies in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, she will teach classes in Agriculture and the Environment, including Agroecology, and Climate Change and the Food System. She joins the Syracuse Cluster Initiative in Energy and Environment.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jimenez-Soto was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Santa Cruz in the Department of Community Studies from 2020-2021, and in the Department of Environmental Studies from 2019-2020, where she taught principles of sustainable agriculture and worked on socioeconomic barriers and opportunities to adopt sustainable practices in strawberry production.

Her research uses interdisciplinary engagements, bridging the fields of agroecology and political ecology to examine environmental problems at the nexus of food, agriculture and the environment in both the U.S. and Latin American contexts. She has published in journals including Ecology and Evolution, Bioscience, and Journal of Peasant Studies and her work has been highlighted in publications such as The Economist.

Her research has been supported by UC-MEXUS, El Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT), the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and P.E.O International. In 2020 she was a recipient of a Peter Ashton Award by Biotropica, a Gentry Student Award by the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation in 2017, and a Mildred Mathias Award for best dissertation proposal by the UC-MEXUS in 2015.

She is an active member of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the American Association of Geographers (AAG), the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), New World Agriculture and Ecology Group (NWAEG) and The Alliance for Women in Agroecology (AMA-AWA).

Jimenez-Soto earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and a M.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2018 and 2014 respectively; and an B.S. with honors in Agroecology in 2012 from Universidad Autonoma Chapingo in Mexico. She is originally from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, México.

Kevin McNeill

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Sport Management

Kevin McNeill has been a member of the Department of Sport Management since 2019 in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and will serve as assistant teaching professor beginning in the fall 2021. At Syracuse University, McNeill will teach classes in Sport Technology and Technologies in Game Day Operations.

McNeill previously served as an Internship Placement Coordinator in Sport Management and provided advising for undergraduate students in academics and career exploration. He assisted students through the senior Capstone process and taught classes in Professional Development in Sport Management.

Previously, McNeill worked at Le Moyne College as Associate Athletic Director in the Department of Athletics for 12 years as well as served Syracuse University Athletics as the Marketing Coordinator from 2004 to 2007.

While at Le Moyne, McNeill oversaw the marketing and communications for the Division II athletic program. In that role, he led programming in brand development, revenue generation, digital media, video production, corporate sponsorship, and game day management. In addition to serving on the athletic department leadership team, he co-chaired the College’s strategic plan marketing committee, participated in the College’s integrated marketing committee, and instructed in the Madden School of Business.

Serving as the Marketing Coordinator at Syracuse University Athletics, McNeill supported the department’s broad-based marketing initiatives with a focus on game day promotions, marketing campaigns, ticket sales, advertising, and graphic design.

McNeill earned a Master of Science, Sports Administration and Master of Business Administration from Ohio University in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration from Le Moyne College in 2002.

Joey Merrin

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Science

Gabriel “Joey” Merrin (he/him/his) joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, Merrin will teach courses in Child and Adolescent Development and Advanced Statistical Methods.

Merrin was most recently an assistant professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech University from 2019-2021 and taught graduate-level statistic courses where he focused on reproducible research, programmatic programming, and transparent designs using open science frameworks and guidelines. Before Texas Tech University, he held two post-doctoral fellowships, one in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and the other in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida.

Trained as a developmental psychologist and applied methodologist, Merrin’s research seeks to clarify developmental processes through which adolescents’ experiences with their families, peers, teachers, and communities influence development of problem behaviors and experiences with identity-based harassment and victimization throughout adolescence and in the transition to young adulthood. He is particularly interested in the development of these behaviors among various minoritized and oppressed groups. His work focuses on translating and mobilizing knowledge to inform intervention and prevention efforts to improve the school experience for young people by using applied research designs, leveraging practical implications, and intentional school and community engagement.

His research has been supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institute of Health, and most recently, Merrin and his colleagues at Boston University launched a three-year National Institute of Justice funded study to examine bias-based harassment among adolescents to identify risk and protective factors across multiple levels of the social ecology.

Merrin was recently awarded the 2020-2021 New Faculty Award at Texas Tech University and selected into the Society of Prevention Research Early Career Prevention Scientists Training Program. Merrin currently serves on the editorial board for Prevention Science and Psychology of Violence.

Merrin earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 2017, an Ed.M. in Human Resource Development in 2011, and a B.A. in Sociology in 2009, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Fei Pei

Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Fei Pei (she/her/hers) joins the School of Social Work in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as a tenure-track assistant professor of social work in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, Fei will teach Social Welfare Policy and Services.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Fei was a Ph.D. candidate at the Ohio State University College of Social Work where she also served as a graduate instructor and research assistant, teaching research methods, lifespan development, and social welfare.

The overarching goal of Fei’s research is to promote healthy development among vulnerable children, including maltreated and immigrant youths by identifying neighborhood disparities. In particular, her research focuses on community health and child development. She published over 20 peer-reviewed papers in rigorous academic journals including Child Abuse & Neglect, Children and Youth Services Review, Family & Community Health, Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Trauma, Violence & Abuse.

Fei was trained in all aspects of grant-funded and investigator-initiated research projects, ranging from university-funded projects to federal-funded studies (e.g., NIH funded and UNICEF funded projects). Her research has been acknowledged and funded by various institutions and scholarships such as the 2021 Merriss Cornell Distinguished Researcher Award, 2019 Kempe Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute, 2018 International Peace Scholarship, Seed Funding for 2016 Clinton Global Initiative University, and 2015 New Brunswick Chancellor’s Scholarship.

Fei actively participated in professional and community services. She was a volunteered social worker for the local agency, Asian American Community Services in Columbus, OH and the president of the College of Social Work’s Doctoral Student Organization. She also serves as an ad hoc peer reviewer for multiple academic journals.

Fei earned a Ph.D. in 2021 from The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, a MSW in 2016 from Rutgers University – New Brunswick, and a LL.B. and a B.S. (double degree) in 2014 from Shanghai University and East China Normal University.

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June PTSD Awareness Month

Falk College, National Science Foundation(NSF) REU Program Host Discussion Series for PTSD Awareness Month in June

To educate the local community about issues related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Syracuse University’s Falk College, is offering a discussion series during the month of June, which is designated as National PTSD Awareness Month. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events, such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault.

The discussion series to raise public awareness of PTSD and its effective treatments is free and open to the public. It takes place in conjunction with the Trauma Research Education for Undergraduates program, a joint effort by Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY Oswego to improve access to research experiences for groups typically underrepresented in research.

The project, “Training Diverse Undergraduate Teams of Veterans and Non-Veterans to Conduct Trauma Research with Veterans,” is directed by Brooks B. Gump, Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health and co-directed by Professor Karen Wolford, who also coordinates the interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in trauma studies at SUNY Oswego.

The discussion series includes:

Wednesday, May 26 at 2:00, Virtual
Scott Aubin, U.S. Air Force veteran, PTSD awareness instructor, “Dealing with unrecognized PTSD”.

Wednesday, June 2 at 2:00 pm, Virtual
Kyle Possemato, clinical research psychologist, Syracuse VA Center for Integrated Healthcare, “Novel Interventions to Engage Veterans with Unmet Mental Health Needs in Care”.

Monday June 9 at 2:00 pm, Virtual
Thom DeLara, Professor of Practice and Chair of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy at Syracuse University “Systems Theory, Trauma and Research”.

Wednesday, June 16 at 2:00 pm, Virtual
Keith Alford PhD, Syracuse University Chief Diversity Officer, “Racial, cultural and ethnic response differences to PTSD”.

Wednesday June 23 at 2:00, Virtual
Lt Col. Ian Stewart MD, FACP, FASN, U.S Air Force, Medical Corps, Bethesda, MD. “Long-term mental and physical health after combat trauma”.

Wednesday June 23 at 3:00, Virtual
Jeffrey T. Howard, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, College for Health, Community and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, “Military Exposures and Accelerated Aging: Understanding Trauma as a Chronic Disease.”

Register to attend!

Supported by a National Science Foundation Research Education for Undergraduates grant and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), this REU program spans one year, including an intensive six-week summer program in June. This program provides research training to increase skills in conducting trauma research while increasing a student’s ability to gain admission to competitive graduate programs.

“Through a competitive national review process, we have selected a group of student-Veterans and traditional students to complete this research training this summer,” says Wolford. “The students will be paired on teams with mentors to research PTSD and will later present their research at national conferences”.

“As part of this research training, we invite guest speakers who have expertise in the area of PTSD to inform our research trainees on cutting edge developments on traumatic stress research. We open these expert talks to the community as part of the June Posttraumatic Stress awareness month, which is an ongoing national effort to educate about PTSD,” Wolford adds.

For more information about the speakers or REU program, contact Moise Laub at mplaub@syr.edu or visit traumaresearch.syr.edu.

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Online Master of Social Work Opens Doors to Career Changers, Working Professionals

11/03/21

The School of Social Work will welcome its first cohort of online master students in May, and Professor Ken Marfilius is excited.

“We are already seeing strong applications for our first cohort of 50 students. I think the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated acceptance of online learning,” Marfilius says. “The flexibility that this program offers is appealing to working professionals, including active duty military and veterans. It will serve anyone who wants to work for social and economic justice in the digital age and beyond.”

Carrie Smith, professor and interim director of the School of Social Work in Falk College, agrees and notes that ubiquitous technology is only part of the equation.

“What has happened with COVID is that it has created this giant pause for the country and the world,” Smith says. “People have fewer distractions, they have been stilled and are seeking information. A lot of that information has been unsettling, frustrating and has impacted lives in unanticipated ways.

“Historically, when there have been times of crisis, depression, despair or economic change, people decide they are going to change careers and do something to give back,” Smith adds. “Social work is one of the original giving back professions.”

The online M.S.W. incorporates the same social and economic justice approach as Syracuse’s existing social work programs. Developed in partnership with 2U, the 60-credit degree can be completed in 36 months, including 1,000 hours of field placements, and students with a bachelor’s in social work can pursue an accelerated track consisting of 36 credits that can be completed in 24 months with 500 hours of field placement.

Students can choose from two tracks: The advanced clinical practice concentration prepares mental health clinicians for practice as a licensed clinical social worker (L.C.S.W.), and the advanced integrated practice concentration prepares students for direct practice and leadership in a wide range of human services organizations. All of these options are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and prepare students to sit for the Association of Social Work Boards licensing examination.

“Having earned my master of social Work at Syracuse University, I am proud that we will be offering this fully integrated online M.S.W.,” says Diane Lyden Murphy, dean of the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. “The program maximizes access to the social work profession and flexibility for many of our interested students. The online M.S.W. offers entrance to a lifelong socially responsible career where professionals engage and guide people through mental health, behavioral health and social challenges.

“The School of Social Work is a legacy program, recognized for its excellent graduates, high licensing pass rates and alumni practicing across the nation,” Murphy adds. “We are pleased to continue our strong tradition of professional education for online students.”

Marfilius says that the University’s social work faculty are excited about the opportunity to reimagine how courses are delivered and the opportunities that students will have to do their fieldwork close to home. There are live class sessions and asynchronous learning elements that faculty have designed to work together seamlessly.

“People are doing more online, it’s less intimidating,” says Smith, “but our faculty are also very focused on ensuring that we maintain the human connection in the context of the technology.”

Students will also experience the human connection through field placements in their own geographic area. Marfilius, who has experience with online education while in the military, says, “Social work needs leaders. We know that prospective students—as I saw when I was in the Air Force—want to give back to and support their communities while gaining additional leadership skills.”

Tracy Walker, director of field relations, agrees.

“Ideally, we want students to complete their field work within 60 miles of where they reside. Each student will be working with placement specialists to determine their interests and goals,” Walker says. “We are building partnerships with a wide range of organizations including government, not-for-profit, health care and the Veterans Administration.”

Walker says that students get support at all phases of the program, and adds, “The field team will interact with the students and their field sites just like they are in our community. It is a priority for us to be available and responsive.”

Student internships provide progressive learning, with a virtual field experience in the first semester building to a generalist approach, then moving into each student’s professional focus. This virtual anchor course helps students engage in risk management, intervention strategies and ethical decision-making in a setting that simulates what students may encounter in practice.

“Research shows that the use of simulation can be really important to developing direct practice skills,” Walker says. “Students engage with standardized patients – actors who are trained to simulate clinical situations and typical client interactions – and receive feedback on their approach before they work directly in an organization.”

There are also field seminars, where students and faculty have broad and open discussions integrating what students learn in the classroom with what they experience in their internships. This structure was piloted in Fall 2020 for current residential program students with positive feedback.

“It’s become abundantly clear that the future holds more need for social workers. The quality of education we provide prepares these students to make a connection person-to-person, build trust and problem-solve with clients,” Smith says. “With the expanded use of technology to connect people with resources and extend the reach of human services professionals, we’re expanding the tool set that MSW graduates will have to respond to people in need of resources.”

~ A Syracuse University News story by Ellen de Graffenreid originally published on March 8, 2021.

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Falk College welcomes new faculty and staff

10/08/20

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, 13^th 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.

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Falk Student Laura Buys Named Syracuse University 2020 Tillman Scholar

20/06/20

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.

Read more about Laura

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College Honors 2020 Faculty of the Year

01/05/20

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.

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