Skip to main content

Faculty briefs

Sarah Bledsoe, Ph.D., is teaching an “Introduction to Systematic Review” course at the International Summer School at Renmin University in Beijing, China, from July 4-24.

In June, Natasha Bowen, Ph.D., and doctoral student Elaina Sabatine and conducted four days of professional development with over 250 educators from the Wake County Public School System. Two days focused on strategies for increasing engagement and learning among male students in language arts and social studies and among female students in science and math subjects. Two other days focused on providing teachers and school leaders with strategies for creating “growth mindset” classrooms and schools, respectively. Growth mindset strategies counter the negative effects of stereotypes about ability that contribute to inequality in educational outcomes of students from different racial/ethnic and economic groups. Sabatine’s experience as a high school science teacher and growth mindset coach for other teachers in a low-income, rural county in North Carolina made her a valuable source of information for Wake County educators.

Trenette Clark, Ph.D., was promoted to associate professor with tenure.

Jodi Flick, MSSW, presented in May at the Veterans’ Mental Health Summit in Indiana, which aims to curb military suicide.
Flick was honored with an award in June at the 35th annual symposium of the International Association for Social Work with Groups.

A publication by Michael Lambert, Ph.D., was selected by the Association of Black Psychologists to receive its annual Sage Professional Award for the best paper published in the Journal of Black Psychology. The paper is entitled, “Behavioral and Emotional Problem Scales of the Behavioral Assessment for Children of African Heritage (BACAH): Culturally Valid Measurement of Psychological Functioning in Black Children.” Lambert will receive the award at the convention of the Association of Black Psychologists, in Las Vegas, July 22-25. Read more about Lambert’s work. 

Kim Strom-Gottfried, Ph.D., will continue to serve as associate director of UNC’s Institute of Arts and Humanities, director of the Academic Leadership Program, for the 2015-16 academic year.

Lisa Zerden, Ph.D., is among four faculty from the Schools of Social Work, Global Public Health, Nursing and Medicine who received approval to create a new problem-based Carolina seminar, “Closing the Gap in Healthcare Education.” The seminar will run for three academic years beginning this fall. In approving this endeavor, the director of the Carolina Seminars Program said, “This approval recognizes your seminar’s promise for invigorating the intellectual environment at UNC and building bridges across disciplines and institutions in our area.” Carolina Seminars offers an opportunity for faculty and others at UNC and elsewhere collaborate in a scholarly discussion of topics.

Three faculty and one doctoral student are presenting at the 23rd annual American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children colloquium, in Boston, July 22-25. Paul Lanier, Ph.D., will be the topic expert leading a discussion session on child maltreatment prevention. He is also co-presenting “Maximizing the practice relevance of the APSAC Prevention Guidelines.” Lanier, doctoral student Jennifer O’Brien; Cynthia Rizo, Ph.D.; and Rebecca Macy, Ph.D. are co-presenting “Assessing the quality of the parenting interaction among CPS- and court-involved mothers of young children who are intimate partner violence survivors,” and “Helping CPS- and court-involved moms who are intimate partner violence survivors with their parenting and mental health.”

Upcoming AHEC presentations by faculty

Mountain AHEC

  • July 30 – Susie Eguez – Ethical Issues of Working with People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

NW AHEC

  • July 17 – Marilyn Ghezzi – Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
  • August 19 –Kim Strom-Gottfried – Advanced Ethical Issues

Eastern AHEC

  • August 27 – Jodi Flick – Children’s Services State of the Art Conference – Session One: Child Maltreatment and Mental Illness: How Trauma Affects the Developing Brain; Session Two: Clinician Safety
  • August 28 – Trenette Clark – Children’s Services State of the Art Conference – Session: Adolescent Substance Use
  • August 28 – Tamara Norris and Barbara Leach – Children’s Services State of the Art Conference – Session:  Evidence-Based Caregiver-Provider Partnerships: Working Collaboratively with Families of Children Who Have Special Needs

More information on AHEC programs.

Also see:

New publications by faculty and doctoral students

In the media