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How America’s Hospitals Survived the First Wave of the Coronavirus
How America’s Hospitals Survived the First Wave of the Coronavirus
ProPublica deputy managing editor Charles Ornstein wanted to know why experts were wrong when they said U.S. hospitals would be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Here’s what he learned, including what hospitals can do before the next wave.
The prediction from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was grim.
In late March, as the number of COVID-19 cases was growing exponentially in the state, Cuomo said New York hospitals might need twice as many beds as they normally have. Otherwise, there could be no space to treat patients seriously ill with the new coronavirus.
“We have 53,000 hospital beds available,†Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a briefing on March 22. “Right now, the curve suggests we could need 110,000 hospital beds, and that is an obvious problem and that’s what we’re dealing with.â€
The governor required all hospitals to submit plans to increase their capacity by at least 50%, with a goal of doubling their bed count. Hospitals converted operating rooms into intensive care units, and at least one replaced the seats in a large auditorium with beds. The state worked with the federal government to open field hospitals around New York City, including a large one at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
But when New York hit its peak in early April, fewer than 19,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. Some hospitals ran out of beds and were forced to transfer patients elsewhere. Other hospitals had to care for patients in rooms that had never been used for that purpose before. Supplies, medications, and staff ran low. And, as The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, many New York hospitals were ill-prepared and made a number of serious missteps.
All told, more than 30,000 New York state residents have died of COVID-19. It’s a toll worse than any scourge in recent memory and way worse than the flu, but, overall, the health care system didn’t run out of beds.
“All of those models were based on assumptions, then we were smacked in the face with reality,†said Robyn Gershon, a clinical professor of epidemiology at the NYU School of Global Public Health, who was not involved in the models New York used. “We were working without situational awareness, which is a tenet in disaster preparedness and response. We simply did not have that.â€
Cuomo’s office did not return emails seeking comment, but at a press briefing on April 10, the governor defended the models and those who created them. “In fairness to the experts, nobody has been here before. Nobody. So everyone is trying to figure it out the best they can,†he said. “Second, the big variable was, what policies do you put in place? And the bigger variable was, does anybody listen to the policies you put in place?â€
So, why were the projections so wrong? And how can political leaders and hospitals learn from the experience in the event there is a second wave of the coronavirus this year? Doctors, hospital officials, and public health experts shared their perspectives.
The Models Overstated How Many People Would Need Hospital Care
The models used to calculate the number of people who would need hospitalization were based on assumptions that didn’t prove out.
Early data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that for every person who died of COVID-19, more than 11 would be hospitalized. But that ratio was far too high and decreased markedly over time, said Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. IHME’s earliest models on hospitalizations were based on that CDC data and predicted that many states would quickly run out of hospital beds.
A subsequent model, released in early April, assumed about seven hospitalizations per death, reducing the predicted surge. Currently, Murray said, the ratio is about four hospital admissions per death.
“Initially what was happening and probably what we saw in the CDC data is doctors were admitting anybody they thought had COVID,†Murray said. “With time they started admitting only very sick people who needed oxygen or more aggressive care like mechanical ventilation.â€
A model created by the Harvard Global Health Institute made a different assumption that also turned out to be too high. Data from Wuhan, China, suggested that about 20% of those known to be infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized. Harvard’s model, which ProPublica used to build a data visualization, assumed a hospitalization rate in the United States of 19% for those under 65 who were infected and 28.5% for those older than 65.
But in the U.S., that percentage proved much too high. Official hospitalization rates vary dramatically among states, from as low as 6% to more than 20%, according to data gathered from states by The COVID Tracking Project. (States with higher rates may not have an accurate tally of those infected because testing was so limited in the early weeks of the pandemic.) As testing increases and doctors learn how to treat coronavirus patients out of the hospital, the average hospitalization rate continues to drop.
New York state’s testing showed that by mid-April, approximately 20% of the adult population in New York City had antibodies to COVID-19. Given the number hospitalized in the city and adjusting for the time needed for the body to produce antibodies, this means that the city’s hospitalization rate was closer to 2%, said Dr. Nathaniel Hupert, an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-director of the Cornell Institute for Disease and Disaster Preparedness.
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, and his team also assumed that between 20% and 60% of the population would be infected with COVID-19 over six to 18 months. That was before stay-at-home orders took effect nationwide, which slowed the virus’s spread. Outside of New York City, a far lower percentage of the population has been infected. Granted, we’re not even six months into the pandemic.
A number of factors go into disease models, including the attack rate (the percentage of the entire population that eventually becomes infected), the symptomatic rate (how many people are going to show symptoms), the hospitalization rate for different age groups, the fraction of those hospitalized that will need intensive care and how much care they will need, as well as how the disease travels through the population over time (what is known as “the shape of the epidemic curveâ€), Hupert said.
Before mid-March, Hupert’s best estimate of the impact of COVID-19 in New York state was that it would lead to a peak hospital occupancy of between 13,800 to 61,000 patients in both regular medical wards and intensive care. He shared his work with state officials.
David Muhlestein, chief strategy and chief research officer at Leavitt Partners, a health care consulting firm, said one takeaway from COVID-19 is that models can’t try to predict too far into the future. His firm has created its own projection tool for hospital capacity that looks ahead three weeks, which Muhlestein said is most realistic given the available data.
“If we were held to our very initial projection of what was going to happen, everybody would be very wrong in every direction,†he said.
Hospitals Proved Surprisingly Adept at Adding Beds
When calculating whether hospitals would run out of beds, experts used as their baseline the number of beds in use in each hospital, region, and state. That makes sense in normal times because hospitals have to meet stringent rules before they are able to add regular beds or intensive care units.
But in the early weeks of the pandemic, state health departments waived many rules and hospitals responded by increasing their capacity, sometimes dramatically. “Just because you only have six ICU beds doesn’t mean they will only have six ICU beds next week,†Muhlestein said. “They can really ramp that up. That’s one of the things we’re learning.â€
Take Northwell Health, a chain of 17 acute-care hospitals in New York. Typically, the system has 4,000 beds, not including maternity beds, neonatal intensive care unit beds, and psychiatric beds. The system grew to 6,000 beds within two weeks. At its peak, on April 7, the hospitals had about 5,500 patients, of which 3,425 had COVID-19.
The system erected tents, placed patients in lobbies and conference rooms, and its largest hospital, North Shore University Hospital, removed the chairs from its 300-seat auditorium and replaced them with a unit capable of treating about 50 patients. “We were pulling out all the stops at that point,†Senior Vice President Terence Lynam said. “It was unclear if the trend was going to go the other way. We did not end up needing them all.â€
Northwell went from treating 49 COVID-19 inpatients on March 16 to 3,425 on April 7. “I don’t think anybody had a clear handle on what the ceiling was going to be,†Lynam said. As of Wednesday, the system was still caring for 367 COVID-19 patients in its hospitals.
As hospitals found ways to expand, government leaders worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to build dozens of field hospitals across the country, such as the one at the Javits Center. According to an analysis of federal spending by NPR, those efforts cost at least $660 million. “But nearly four months into the pandemic, most of these facilities haven’t treated a single patient,†NPR reported. As they began to come online, stay-at-home orders started producing results, with fewer positive cases and fewer hospitalizations.
Demand for Non-COVID-19 Care Plummeted More Than Expected
Hospitals across the country canceled elective surgeries, from hip replacements to kidney transplants. That greatly reduced the number of non-COVID-19 patients they had to treat. “We generated a lot more capacity by getting rid of elective procedures than any of us thought was possible,†Harvard’s Jha said.
Northwell canceled elective surgeries on March 16, and over the span of the next week and a half, its hospitals discharged several thousand patients in anticipation of the coming surge. “In retrospect, it was a wise move,†Lynam said. “It just ballooned after that. If we had not discharged those patients in time, there would have been a severe bottleneck.â€
What’s more, experts say, it’s clear that some patients with true emergencies also stayed home. A recent report from the CDC said that emergency room visits dropped by 42% in the early weeks of the pandemic. In 2019, some 2.1 million people visited ERs each week from late March to late April. This year, that dropped to 1.2 million per week. That was especially true for children, women and people who live in the Northeast.
In New York City, emergency room visits for asthma practically ceased entirely at the peak, Cornell’s Hupert said. “You wouldn’t imagine that asthma would just disappear,†he said. “Why did it go away? … Nobody has seen anything like that.â€
Undoubtedly some people experienced heart attacks and strokes and didn’t go to the hospital because they were fearful of getting COVID-19. “I didn’t expect that,†Jha said. A draft research paper available on a preprint server, before it is reviewed and published in an academic journal, found that heart disease deaths in Massachusetts were unchanged in the early weeks of the pandemic compared to the same period in 2019. What that may mean is that those people died at home.
The Coronavirus Attacked Every Region at a Different Pace
Some initial models forecast that COVID-19 would hit different regions in similar ways. That has not been the case. New York was hit hard early; California was not, at least initially.
In recent weeks, hospitals in Montgomery, Alabama, saw a lot of patients. Arizona’s health director has told hospitals in the state to “fully activate†their emergency plans in light of a spike in cases there. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that hospitalizations in at least nine states have been rising since Memorial Day.
Dr. Mark Rupp, medical director of the Department of Infection Control and Epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said his region hasn’t seen a tidal wave-like New York. “What we’ve seen is a rising tide, a steady increase in the number of cases.†Initially, that was associated with outbreaks at specific locations like meatpacking and food processing plants and to some degree long-term care facilities.
But since then, “it has just plateaued,†he said. “That has me concerned. This is a time when I feel like we should be working as hard as we can to push these numbers as low as possible.â€
Rupp’s hospital has been caring for 50 to 60 COVID-19 patients on any given day. The hospital has started to perform surgeries and procedures that had been on hold because “elective cases stay elective for only so long.â€
The hospital’s general medical/surgical beds are 70% to 80% filled, and its ICU beds are 80% to 90% full. “We don’t have a big cushion.â€
Even in New York City, the virus hit boroughs differently. Queens and the Bronx were hard hit; Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island less so. “Maybe we can’t even model a city as big as New York,†Hupert said. “Each neighborhood seemed to have a different type of outbreak.â€
That needs further study but could be attributable to both social and demographic conditions and the type of jobs residents of the neighborhoods had, among other factors.
What We Can Learn From Coronavirus “Round Oneâ€
While hospitals were able to add beds more quickly than experts realized they could, some other resources were harder to come by. Masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment were tough to get. So were ventilators. Anesthesia agents and dialysis medications were in short supply. And every additional bed meant the need for more doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists.
In early February, before any cases were discovered in New York, Northwell purchased $5 million in PPE, ventilators, and lab supplies just in case, Lynam said. “It turned out to be a wise move,†he said. “What’s clear is that you can never have enough.â€
Northwell has spent $42 million on PPE alone. “We were going through 10,000 N95 masks a day, just a crazy amount,†he said. “One of the lessons learned is you have to stockpile the PPE. There’s got to be a better procurement process in place.â€
If there’s one thing the system could have done differently, Lynam said, it’s bringing in more temporary nurses earlier. Northwell brought in 500 nurses from staffing agencies. “They came in a week later than they should have.â€
Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, agreed. “I’ve helped run services in hospitals for 25 years,†he said. “I’ve probably given two minutes of thought to the notions of supply chains and PPE. You realize that is absolutely central to your preparedness. That’s a lesson.â€
Experts and hospital leaders agree that everyone can do better if another wave hits. Here’s what that entails:
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Having testing readily available, as it now is, to more quickly spot a resurgence of the virus.
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Stocking up now on PPE and other supplies. “We definitely have to stockpile PPE by the fall,†Gershon of NYU said. “We have to. … [Hospitals and health departments] have to really get those contracts nailed down now. They should have been doing this, of course, all the time, but no one expected this kind of event.â€
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Being able to quickly move personnel and equipment from one hot spot to the next.
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Planning for how to care for those with other medical ailments but who are scared of contracting COVID-19. “We have to have some sort of a mechanism by which we can offer people assurance that if they come in, they won’t get sick,†Jha said. “We can’t repeat in the fall what we just did in the spring. It’s terrible for hospitals. It’s terrible for patients.â€
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Providing mental health resources for front-line caregivers who have been deeply affected by their work. The intensity of the work, combined with watching patients suffer and die alone, was immensely taxing.
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Coming up with ways to allow visitors to the hospital. Wachter said the visitor bans in place at many hospitals, though well-intentioned, may have backfired. “When all hell was breaking loose and we were just doing the best we could in the face of a tsunami, it was reasonable to just keep everybody out,†he said. “We didn’t fully understand how important that was for patients, how much it might be contributing to some people not coming in for care when they really should have.â€
Lynam of Northwell said he’s worried about what lies ahead. “You look back on the 1918 Spanish flu and the majority of victims from that died in the second wave. … We don’t know what’s coming on the second wave. There may be some folks who say you’re paranoid, but you’ve got to be prepared for the worst.â€
“MOMENT TO MOVEMENT” EVENT IS A CALL TO ACTION
 “Moment to Movementâ€
BRIDGE invites all in the Evansville area to gather at the C.K. Newsome Center at 6:45 PM, Thursday, June 25, the one-month anniversary of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyds’ recorded murder created a moment of recognition for many people of the long-standing injustice people of color, especially African American men, have suffered at the hands of law enforcement.
Protests across the country, including several rallies in Evansville, have given a legitimate and important outlet to growing community outrage. A diverse coalition of people—all races, ethnicities, and ages—have taken part in this expression of pain and anger.
BRIDGE wants to funnel these emotions now into action for long-term change. Thus, the name of this event: “Moment to Movement.†It will be held on the grassy lawn in front of the C.K. Newsome Community Center at 100 Walnut Street. We ask attendees to wear a face mask, observe safe social-distancing and, if they wish to join in kneeling at one point, bring a small pillow. The event will begin with music and include time for reflection, brief speeches, and a call to action, concluding by 7:30.
BRIDGE (Building Respect and Integrity in Diverse Great Evansville) began 4 years ago. “Believing that bridges are better than walls, BRIDGE seeks to foster positive relationships, understanding, and dialogue across the diverse Evansville community. Partnering with all race, ethnic, and faith groups, BRIDGE will create opportunities for engagement in an atmosphere of respect and openness.†We envision, “a community in which all people are accepted and treated with dignity.†Over the past two years, BRIDGE has held events to help our community understand how implicit bias distorts our individual perspective and how systemic racism continues to create disparate outcomes by race. We worked with the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library last summer and fall on a series of events to help us all begin to see these often-unseen forces and start to work at changing them within each of us and our society.
FOOTNOTE: BRIDGE welcomes other groups to endorse, publicize, and join us at this event. CAJE (Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment) is currently a co-sponsor. The rain date for this event is the following evening, Friday, June 26 at the same time.
Gov. Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19
Gov. Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19
FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 16, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on steps the state is taking to address the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
“Everybody needs to remember that COVID-19 is still out there, it spreads aggressively and it can be deadly. As part of Team Kentucky we all have to do our part and remember there are three things you can do to help stop the spread of COVID,†the Governor said. “No. 1: Socially distance, wash your hands and wear a mask; that’s critically important. No. 2: Make sure you regularly get tested for COVID-19. We need that all over the commonwealth. And No. 3: If you’re contacted by one of our contact tracers, make sure you talk to them. That’s how you protect yourself and everybody around you. If we can do those three things, we can continue to reopen Kentucky, to do it safely and to protect one another.â€
The Governor’s team also offered new information on guidance for public pools and gatherings of up to 50 people.
Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 16, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 12,829 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 203 of which were newly confirmed Tuesday.
Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported seven new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 512 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
“We have come so far, we have sacrificed so much, we have shown so much compassion for one another,†the Governor said. “Let’s continue to be good people, because that’s what’s going to defeat the coronavirus.â€
The deaths reported Tuesday include a 72-year-old man from Allen County; a 43-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman from Boone County; a 77-year-old woman from Green County; an 80-year-old woman from Hardin County; and two women, ages 74 and 89, from Jefferson County.
At least 3,431 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.
Updated Guidance on Pools, Larger Gatherings
On Tuesday, Gov. Beshear’s administration offered updated guidance covering public pools and gatherings of up to 50 people.
Census Update
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians of the critical importance of filling out their U.S. Census forms. Those who have not can fill out the Census at my2020census.gov or by phone at 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish).
More Information
Read about other key updates, actions, and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media account Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
FOOTNOTE: Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).
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Holcomb Appoints New USI Trustee, Reappoints Two To Board
Governor Eric Holcomb has named a new trustee and reappointed two trustees to the Board of Trustees at the University of Southern Indiana. The new trustee is Daniel M. Fuquay of Evansville, and returning trustees are Kenneth L. Sendelweck, of Jasper, Indiana, and Ronald D. Romain of Evansville.
Fuquay is the retired President and Founder of D & F Distributors, Inc., a leading provider of industrial, commercial and municipal pumps and related equipment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University and is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his service in the United State Air Force.
Alongside his wife, Janet, he is a member of the USI President’s Circle and supports students through a Presidential Scholarship Endowment. The Fuquay Welcome Center, a new entrance point on campus for prospective students and visitors, was made possible through the Fuquays’ generous leadership gift to Campaign USI: Elevating Excellence. They received the USI Honorary Alumni Award in 2017 and an honorary doctorate in 2018.
Sendelweck, currently serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees, was reappointed to serve a four-year term. He is Vice President and Financial Advisor for the Indianapolis-based Payne and Mencias Group of Merrill Lynch. He previously worked in a variety of executive positions with German American Bancorp and with Kimball International. He is a 1976 graduate of the University of Southern Indiana and received the USI Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997 and the Distinguished Accountant Award in 2006. He has served on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and on a number of regional boards. He is a member of the USI Foundation Board of Directors Advisory Council and the Romain College of Business Board of Advisors.
Romain was reappointed to serve a four-year term. He is the Owner, President and CEO of United Companies and a former Chair of the Board of Directors of the USI Foundation. He is a 1973 USI graduate and received the USI Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994. He has served on the Romain College of Business Board of Advisors since 1992 and most recently served as Chair of Campaign USI: Elevating Excellence, which closed with total gift commitments reaching $57.1 million.
The USI Board of Trustees has nine trustees and must include one alumni of the University, one current student, and one resident of Vanderburgh County. Trustee terms are for four years, except for the student term, which is two years.
Spiritual Care Staff Carry Out Mission in Uncertain Times At Ascension St. Vincent Evansville
A special thank you to our Spiritual Care staff who continue to carry out our Mission of caring for the whole person – body, mind and spirit. Representing multiple denominations, their work brings the light of God into situations requiring their compassionate care. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, their much needed services have continued in new and innovative ways. Spiritual Care has continued to be provided 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Lynel Beaty, Spiritual Care Manager, states:
“Being called into chaplaincy is a vocation that takes much praying, education and training. Even with all the training, when the pandemic came, chaplains had to quickly respond differently than before. Hospital chaplains are used to seeing patients and their families in the patient rooms, at the bedside. Now we are calling family members and providing care to them over the phone, realizing how difficult it is for them not to be here for their loved ones. In addition to calling, we have also facilitated communications via iPad to connect patients with their families. Some of the most difficult times have been patients being alone and not having family at their bedsides.
These several months have also been challenging for the medical staff that work throughout the hospital. Although chaplains provide ministry to staff, we have been more intentional with that ministry. We check in often with staff making sure they have someone to talk with about their fears, their own families and their spiritual needs. Additionally, we created a Centering Room just for staff to have a quiet place of solace when they need it. In the Centering Room, there is a fountain, soft music, resources such as pocket Bibles, mandalas and a prayer box where staff can place their confidential prayer requests in the locked box that is checked by chaplains.â€
Day shift Spiritual Care staff pictured from left to right are: Chaplain Kevin Morris, Chaplain Linda Joyner, Chaplain Robert Tonkin, Spiritual Care Manager Lynel Beaty and Chaplain Pedro Mendez. Not pictured but also deserving of recognition are the Spiritual Care night shift staff.
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Braun: President Trump Takes The Lead On Safe Policing With Executive Action
Senator Mike Braun released the following statement in support of President Trump’s Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities.
“With this executive order, President Trump is taking a strong lead on progress toward more safe policing for all Americans,†said Senator Mike Braun.
“This order includes results-focused actions to reform police practices, such as DOJ-certified independent organizations to accredit police departments on de-escalation tactics and use of force, an information-sharing system to track and share data on incidents of excessive force, and a ban on chokeholds when an officer’s life is not in immediate danger that I have advocated for.â€
Indiana Directed $300 Million In Federal Funding For The Coronavirus Aid
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Many communities faced unexpected expenses while responding to the coronavirus as they ramped up public health and safety efforts. To help, Indiana directed $300 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economics Security Act to counties and communities for reimbursement of expenses related to the pandemic. Posey County is eligible for $828,614 and Vanderburgh County for $5,871,481 in reimbursement funding. In addition, several local communities are eligible to receive the following amounts: |
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EPA announces FY 2019 Superfund Accomplishments Report
Highlights key Trump Administration accomplishments, focuses on future
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released annual Superfund Accomplishments Report documenting national achievements in the Superfund program during FY 2019. The Superfund program addresses the nation’s most contaminated sites and is a key priority for the Trump Administration. The report also documents improvements to the program as a result of the Superfund Task Force work under EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
“As we celebrate 50 years of EPA’s commitment to protecting human health and the environment, we can take pride in the last 40 years that the Superfund program has contributed to that success,â€Â said EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler. “The Trump Administration is proud to showcase all we have achieved to clean up contaminated sites, protect our communities, and turn these spaces into economic and recreational assets for generations to come.â€
“For the past three years, the Superfund program has been a top priority of the Agency and the Administrator’s Emphasis List continues to be an important tool to elevate tough issues and get site cleanups unstuck and moving againâ€Â said EPA Assistant Administrator Peter Wright. “The cleanup agreement for the Silver Bow Creek site is a testament to the success of the Administrator’s Emphasis List and I’m happy that after years of delay we could deliver a win for the people and environment of Montana.â€
“This report highlights a variety of Superfund successes throughout Region 8, which includes three Superfund sites in Montana, East Helena, Silver Bow Creek Butte Area and Libby. Through this report, we get to showcase the tremendous work that all parties have contributed to the successful clean-ups and community engagement at these sites,â€Â said EPA Region 8 Administrator Gregory Sopkin. “Over its nearly 40-year existence, the Superfund program has made significant improvements in communities across the nation, by cleaning up and deleting sites from the NPL; however, this important work continues until every site on the NPL is cleaned up and deleted.â€
The FY 2019 report highlights achievements to improve site cleanups, protect health, revitalize our communities, innovate through science and technology, and engage communities. Across America, communities continue to experience the benefits of EPA’s Superfund program. Several key community highlights from FY 2019 include:
Launching progress and securing a final cleanup decision at the legacy Silver Bow Creek mine site in Butte, Montana.  The Administrator’s engagement helped move the parties, who had been stuck for over a decade, towards an agreement to conduct significant additional work at the site to address various stormwater and water-quality related issues that resulted from decades of mine waste being dumped into nearby streams and wetlands.
Breathing New Life into East Helena with Schools, Residences, and a Migratory Bird Habitat East Helena, Montana. This cleaned-up site, a former lead smelter, is now home to a new elementary school and future high school, a 300-home subdivision, and a state-of-the-art County Search and Rescue facility. In addition, over 180 acres of the Prickly Pear Creek floodplain and 80 acres of migratory bird habitat have been restored. Overall, 700 acres have been redeveloped or are being prepared for redevelopment. Since 2011, EPA has worked with the local community through workshops and meetings to develop long-term goals and priorities.
Deleting 45-acre area of the Libby Asbestos Site Shows Progress in Libby, Montana. In April 2019, EPA deleted a 45-acre area of the site from the NPL, a significant milestone at a site that ranks among the agency’s most challenging. The partial deletion of the site reflects the progress EPA and its partners continue to make in cleaning up and restoring these properties. EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality determined that all required cleanup activities were completed, and human health and the environment are protected. EPA will continue to maintain regular reviews and continue work on the other portions of the site.
Other key achievements in the report include:
- Finishing the job by deleting all or part of 27 sites from the Superfund’s National Priorities List (NPL), the largest number of deletions in a single year since 2001.
- Targeting sites for the Administrator’s immediate and intense attention, using the Administrator’s Emphasis List to resolve issues delaying cleanups and spur action at sites, that in many cases have been waiting idle amid uncertainty for years.
- Completing 233 removal actions to address imminent and substantial threats to human health and the environment
- Securing more than $570 million from Potentially Responsible Parties to clean up Superfund sites and reimburse the Agency more than $280 million
- Celebrating 20 years of redeveloping more than 1,000 Superfund sites that now support 9,180 businesses generating $58.3 billion in sales and employing more than 208,400 people earning a combined income of more than $14.4 billion
- Expanding the charge for the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council to identify additional opportunities for EPA to engage with communities, expedite cleanups and return sites to productive use.
USI Faculty And Staff Achievements
USI Faculty And Staff Achievements
Dr. Urska Dobersek, Assistant Professor of Psychology, along with an interdisciplinary team, published “Meat and mental health: A systematic review of meat abstention and depression, anxiety, and related phenomena” in the nutrition journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
Joy A. Cook, Associate Professor and Chair of the Radiologic and Imaging Sciences Program, has been appointed magnetic resonance (MR) representative for the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) Practice Standards Council. She will serve as the national representative for the MR discipline for three years. In her role, Cook will chair the MR Practice Standards Subcommittee, where she will lead a group of individuals within this discipline to review and revise MR practice standards.
Cook is a graduate of the University of Southern Indiana, having earned an associate degree in radiologic technology in 1995, bachelor’s degrees in health services and radiologic and imaging sciences in 2003, and a master’s degree in education in 2009. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership from USI.
Peter Whiting, scholarly communication librarian, and Andrea Wright, assistant director of David L. Rice Library, presented “Upcycling a Schol Comm Unit: Building Bridges with Creativity, Reallocations, and Limited Resources” at the 2019 NASIG conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their work was published in The Serials Librarian, a peer-reviewed journal, in January 2020. The Serials Librarian is an international journal focusing on scholarly communication and all aspects of serials and other continuing resources.
Dr. Jinsuk Yang, assistant professor of finance, presented the “Informativeness of Sell-Recommendation” at the Academic Business Research (ABR) Conference.
Rosalie Moffett, assistant professor of English, was recognized in the December 10, 2019 issue of The New York Times. Her work, Nervous System: Poems, was included in the publication’s “New and Noteworthy” section.
“Even as they consider snails and spiders, trees and dreams and weather, tracing the world’s intricate connections, the poems in Moffett’s second collection grapple with the brain injury that has diminished her biologist mother,” the Times says.Â
Jaclyn Dumond, assistant director of Lifelong Learning, co-presented “NACEP Accreditation: Tips and Tricks” at the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, in October 2019.
Dr. Thomas Weber, assistant professor of management, received the Best Reviewer Award at the Academy of International Business – U.S. Southeast Annual Conference in October 2019. He also presented “Caring Organization and Innovation” at the conference.
Dr. Cathy Carey, dean of the Romain College of Business, was a keynote speaker at the Southwest Indiana Chamber’s 2019 Economic Outlook Luncheon presented by Fifth Third Bank on November 12, 2019. This annual event features professionals who predict what they feel the economic future holds for the world, country, state, and region. In attendance were Chamber members, elected and appointed officials, key community leaders, and other strategic partners.
Dr. Belle Cowden, executive director of Online Learning, Larissa Cremeens, senior instructional designer, Christine Nelson, instructional designer, and JD Weagley, instructional designer, was recognized with the Excellence in Instructional Design Award by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association Central Region for the Online Course Development Program (OCDP) in October 2019. The award recognizes a program that serves as a model of instructional design excellence.
The OCDP is a professional development program that supports faculty in the design and development of quality online courses. The program is facilitated by the University’s team of instructional designers in an online course format placing the faculty in the student role as online learners while they are guided through the process of the development of their online courses. Since the inception of the OCDP in 2015, there have been 132 faculty participants that have developed more than 170 online courses that have successfully completed a Quality Matters course review.
Dr. Daria Sevastianova, associate professor of economics, helped organize Economics Camp South, an event co-sponsored by USI’s Center for Economic Education and the Indiana Council for Economic Education at Purdue University to serve local high school economics teachers. During the event, held in September 2019, Sevastianova delivered the keynote speech, “Brexit and EU: Why It Matters to You,” served on the discussion panel, “Cost of Higher Education and Free College Proposals,” and moderated a discussion panel, “Where Can Economics Take You?”
Sevastianova also participated in a Federal Reserve “Women in Economics” podcast in September 2019.
Dr. Quentin Maynard, assistant professor of social work, co-authored the article “Qualitative research skills acquisition within social work doctoral education using project-based learning” that was published in the research journal Qualitative Social Work in October 2019.
Cindi Clayton, instructor in business communication, co-presented “The iGen at Work- an interpretation of data collected in the classroom regarding workplace values” at an Evansville Human Resources Association monthly meeting with student Mollie Knight ʼ19, management, as part of Knight’s honors project. More than 400 USI senior business majors were asked to rank their “work values” from a list of 10. The presentation covered the results of that study, as well as offered additional information about how to recruit and retain the talent of the future.
Clayton also participated in two panels at the annual conference of the Organization for Communication, Language and Gender in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dr. Katie Ehlman, professor of gerontology and director of the USI Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness, presented “USI Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program” at meetings of the Indiana Commission on Aging (COA) and the Indiana CHOICE Board. Both meetings were held in Indianapolis in September 2019. Ehlman’s presentations focused on the efforts of the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), which aims to improve health outcomes for older adults in underserved communities of southwest Indiana by developing a workforce to maximize patient and family engagement and integrate geriatrics into primary care.
The program was implemented at USI through a $3.7 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Srishti Srivastava, assistant professor of computer science, had her article, “Assessing the Integration of Parallel and Distributed Computing in Early Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum Using Unplugged Activities,” published by the IEEE Technical Consortium on High Performance Computing (TCHPC).
Srivastava also presented “Building a Pipeline of Future Coders” to the Evansville Information Executives Group (EIEG). The presentation included information about Girls Who Code, an activity Srivastava is involved with, along with Allison Grabert, director of the Southwest Indiana STEM Resource Center, and Paige Walling, SwiSTEM services coordiator, that develops interest in computer science among K-12 students, and the educational computer science camp they helped organize for elementary school teachers. The meeting was attended by CIOs from local companies, EVSC officials and USI colleagues.
Dr. Dawn Worman, assistant professor of nursing, presented “Preparing Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Students to Reduce Hospital Readmissions and Improve Patient Outcomes” at the 46th annual Professional Nurse Educators Group Conference hosted by Cleveland Clinic in October 2019.
Dr. Jamie Seitz, assistant professor of accounting, presented “Exploring the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 Whistleblower Provisions and Intentions to Blow the Whistle on Financial Statement Fraud: An Empirical Examination of the Factors that Influence Intent Using the Theory of Planned Behavior” at the Institute of Management Accountants annual conference and expo in San Diego, California.
Dr. Leigh Anne Howard, professor of communication studies, and Dr. Susanna Hoeness-Krupsaw, associate professor of English, edited the first edition of Performativity, Cultural Construction, and the Graphic Narrative, published by Routledge. The work draws on performance studies scholarship to understand the social impact of graphic novels and their sociopolitical function.
Dr. Melissa Stacer, associate professor of criminal justice, had her article, “Inmate Attitudes about Prison Tours for Students,” accepted for publication in The Prison Journal. It will be published in December 2020. Stacer’s research interests include institutional corrections, justice-involved veterans, and criminal justice education, as well as reentry initiatives, including faith-based programs and ban the box policies.
Chris Wittmer, learning specialist for reading and supplemental instruction within University Division, will receive the 2019 College Reading and Learning Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award at the organization’s annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in October 2019. This award recognizes a single member of the association who exemplifies teaching and learning as a lifelong journey.
Dr. Cristina Gilstrap, assistant professor of business communication, and Dr. Curt Gilstrap, assistant professor of business communication, co-authored the article, “Stress in International Work: Stressors and Coping Strategies of RNGO International Directors,” which was published in the journal Communication Quarterly. Dr. Cristina Gilstrap also presented “Organizational Sensegiving in Family-Centered Care: How NICU Nurses Help Families Make Sense of the NICU Experience” at the 69th annual International Communication Association Conference in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Brooke Mathna and Dr. Martin Koen, assistant professors of criminal justice, co-authored the paper, “Body-Worn Cameras and Internal Accountability at a Police Agency,” which has been accepted at the American Journal of Qualitative Research.
Dr. Elissa Mitchell, assistant professor of social work, had her article, “Using Debate in an Online Asynchronous Social Policy Course” published in the 2019 OLC Conference Special Issue of the Online Learning Consortium Journal in September 2019.
Dr. Todd Nelson, assistant professor of engineering, co-authored the article, “Normalized Coordinate Equations and an Energy Method for Predicting Natural Curved-Fold Configurations,” published in the ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics. Nelson’s research focuses on origami-inspired mechanisms and compliant mechanisms. His research has applications ranging from medical implants, surgical tools, aerospace applications, automotive airbags, and deployable structures.
Dr. Jack Smothers, associate professor of management, Jeanette Maier-Lytle, instructor in accounting, Dr. Manfen Chen, associate professor of finance, and Dr. Kevin Celuch, professor of marketing, co-authored the article, “Engaging Students Through Activity Design: A Service-Dominant Logic Perspective,” which was published in the Journal of the Academy of Business Education.
Dr. Mary Rock, clinical associate professor of nursing, received the Nursing Professionalism and Practice Award at the annual meeting of the Indiana State Nurse Association (ISNA) on September 20, 2019. A member of the State Board of Nursing, Rock is the lead instructor for USI’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) health policy courses. She promotes political activism by engaging nursing students and nurse leaders. She leads by example and has inspired many to investigate legislation and ways to promote nursing excellence through policy.
Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland, associate professor of history, is currently serving as an executive officer for the American Society for Ethnohistory (ASE). Shefveland helped organize and participated in sessions at the 2019 ASE Annual Meeting in September 2019. The American Society for Ethnohistory is the preeminent international organization in its field. Representing multiple disciplines—cultural anthropology, history, American Indian studies, archaeology, ecology, linguistics, and related fields—the Society is committed to creating a more inclusive picture of the histories of native groups.
Shefveland also participated in the OpEd Project with other scholars working on indigenous history. The OpEd Project is a program that works with universities, think tanks, foundations, nonprofits, corporations, and community organizations across the nation to scout and train under-represented experts (especially women) to take thought leadership positions in their fields.
Dr. David O’Neil, assistant professor of English, had his article, “The Ear, the Foot, the Gut: The Metaphoric Body of the Timer Tradition of Old English Metrics,” published in the peer-reviewed journal, Essays in Medieval Studies. He also co-edited the book,”Proceedings of the Third Purdue Linguistics, Literature, and Second Language Studies Conference.” The article and book were published in the summer of 2019.
Dr. Mikel Hand, associate professor of nursing, received the USI Tenured Faculty Grant to conduct a pilot study, “Death and Dying: Nurses’ Role in Correctional Healthcare,” concerning death and dying and advance directives in correctional healthcare. This collaborative study examines the knowledge, attitudes, experience, and confidence of correctional registered nurses in caring for inmate patients and addressing issues related to advanced healthcare directives. This pilot study involves correctional nurses practicing in New York and California and will serve as the basis for future research at a regional and national level. The United States has the largest population of incarcerated adults in the world with over two million individuals in state and federal correctional custody (International Center for Prison Studies, 2015). Advance directives are an important part of care delivery and the protection of inmate autonomy in determining what kind of healthcare they do and do not want to receive.
Dr. Brian Routh, an instructor in accounting, co-authored the article, “Bank Failures: A Study of Georgia Banks,” which was published in the Journal of Accounting and Finance. He also spoke at the Course Hero Education Summit in Redwood City, California in July 2019.
Dr. Sang Choe, professor of marketing, co-authored “A New Investment Mecca: North Korea for Global Enterprises,” which was published in The Journal of International Business Research and Practice in July 2019.
Dr. Stephen Zehr, professor of sociology, organized three panels on the topic “How has climate change reshaped scientific expertise and the expert?” at the Society for Social Studies of Science Annual Meeting in New Orleans in September 2019. Zehr’s presentation argued for the need to understand climate change journalism as a means for building expertise.
Dr. Melinda Roberts, associate professor of criminal justice, and USI alumna Melanie Belarmino, had their article, “Japanese Gender Role Expectations and Attitudes: A Qualitative Analysis of Gender Inequality,” published in the Journal of International Women’s Studies in August 2019.
Rosalie Moffett, assistant professor of English, was named the winner of the seventh annual Loraine Williams Poetry Prize by The Georgia Review. Her poem, “Giving Away the Dental Hygienist’s Idea for a Patent,” will appear in the publication’s Spring 2020 issue.
Dr. Xue Han, assistant professor of computer science, co-authored the article “Reproducing performance bug reports in server applications: The researchers’ experiences” published in the Journal of Systems and Software.
Dr. Glenna Bower, professor of kinesiology and sport and associate dean of the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education completed the 2019 HERS (Higher Education Resource Services) Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. The HERS Institute is a leadership development program created to “proactively fill the higher education leadership pipelines across the United States with dynamic women” and help participants develop their leadership strengths. Bower was one of 64 women from the US and Canada selected to attend.
Joy Cook, associate professor and program director for the Radiologic and Imaging Sciences program, has been appointed chair of the Bylaws Committee for the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) by the ASRT Speaker of the House. Cook’s one-year term began September 1, 2019, and will end August 31, 2020. As chairperson, Cook will be responsible for facilitating all meetings of the Committee on Bylaws and is required to attend the 2020 Annual Governance and House of Delegates meeting at ASRT headquarters in New Mexico.
Dr. Jason Fertig, associate professor of management, was quoted in the USA Today article, “Why quitting tech and social media is harder than quitting cigarettes,” in August 2019.
Yu-Li Alice Shen, an instructor of English, won STAGEtwo Productions’ Summer Playwriting Workshop original play award for her full-length play, Image May Contain. The award entails the script receiving a world premiere production. The show, directed by Katy Haun, featured performances by USI theatre student Sarai Dinkens Agalaba and local thespians Daryl Fink, Jared Brosmer, Aaron Stofleth, Mikayla Robledo and Diane Marie-Louise. Partially inspired by Shen’s time in Taiwan performing Buddhist funeral rituals for her late father, the play is a darkly comic exploration of racial identity, “life-share” culture and the families we choose. The show took place July 12-14, 2019 after being workshopped at STAGEtwo’s Summer Playwriting Workshop in July 2018 and at the 40th Annual Mid-America Theatre Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in March 2019.
Dr. Jinsuk Yang, assistant professor of finance, received approval for his USI Early Career Faculty Grant proposal, “Does Credit Rating Attenuate Corporate Earning Management?” The proposal received the recommendation of the Faculty Awards for Service, Teaching and Research Committee (FASTRC).
Shannon Hoehn, applications administrator in the Information Technology Department, an adjunct faculty member in Communication Studies and Gender Studies and UNIV 101 instructor, offered the presentations “Using OneDrive to Modernize the Classroom” and “First-Year Experience Courses: Hands-On Demos Make Students Happy and Get Institutions the Data They Want” at Blackboard World, an annual conference hosted by Blackboard. This year’s conference was held in Austin, Texas.
Dr. Melinda R. Roberts, associate professor of criminal justice; Dr. Wendy Turner, associate professor of social work; Dr. Leigh Anne Howard, professor of communication studies; Dr. Erin Gilles, assistant professor of advertising; and Dr. Anne Statham, professor emerita of sociology, had their article, “Gender and Social Justice: An Examination of Attitudes and Behaviors Among Undergraduate Liberal Arts Students” published in Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work.
Dr. Elizabeth Bonham, associate professor of nursing, is a guest editor of the special issue on infant mental health published in June 2019 by the peer-reviewed journal, Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. The special issue is an outcome of the first Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Symposium at the 2016 annual conference of the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) in Minneapolis. The symposium was conceptualized and implemented by Dr. Bonham to offer evidence-based content about infant mental health to various practitioners.
Dr. Urska Dobersek, assistant professor of psychology, and her students presented their research, “Are levels of testosterone, willingness to cheat and exercise motives related?” and “The relationship between facial asymmetry and exercise” at the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity national conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dobersek also received a $10,555 grant from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to conduct a systematic review on “Beef for a Happier and Healthier Life.”
Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, received the Innovative Research on Aging Bronze Award from Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging for the article she co-authored titled “Me time, or we time? Age differences in motivation for exercise.” Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging was created to conduct research for senior living and community-residing older adults.
Dr. Jamie Seitz, assistant professor of accounting, was invited to present “Exploring the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 Whistleblower Provisions and Intentions to Blow the Whistle on Financial Statement Fraud: An Empirical Examination of the Factors that Influence Intent Using the Theory of Planned Behavior” to a University of Mobile auditing class via Zoom. Additionally, Seitz’s USI Early Career Faculty Grant proposal “The Impact of Employee Loyalty on Potential Whistleblower’s Intent to Externally Report Financial Statement Fraud,” was approved. Her publication “Exploring International Whistleblower Behaviors and Legislation,” co-authored by Dr. Brett Bueltel, assistant professor of accounting, was accepted by the Global Journal of Contemporary Research in Accounting, Auditing, and Business Ethics.
Dr. Srishti Srivastava, assistant professor of computer science, presented the paper, “A Container-Based Framework to Facilitate Reproducibility in Employing Stochastic Process Algebra for Modeling Parallel Computing Systems” at the 33rd IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
She also presented “Evaluating Student Engagement towards Integrating Parallel and Distributed Computing (PDC) Topics in Undergraduate Level Computer Science Curriculum” at the ACM Technical Symposium for the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE 2019).
Her book chapter, “Scheduling in Parallel and Distributed Computing Systems,” was published as the 11th chapter in the textbook “Topics in Parallel and Distributed Computing.” This is the first initiative taken by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the IEEE Technical Committee on Parallel Processing (TCPP) towards standardizing text for undergraduate computer science curriculum on topics in parallel and distributed computing.
Dr. Casey Pycior, assistant professor of English, received a $2,000 Indiana Arts Commission Individual Advancement Program Grant to help fund research for his in-progress novel. His essay, “Fear Fact(or), Fear Fiction,” was published by the Eckleburg Review, and another essay has been accepted by The Laurel Review. Additionally, his short story, “Remittance,” has been accepted for publication by the literary journal Exit 7.
Dr. Julia Galbus Kiesel, associate professor of English, had her article “Working (with) History: Marlene Kadar and Louise DeSalvo” published in the journal Auto/Biography Studies.
Dr. Brett Bueltel, assistant professor of accounting, received the 2019 JLTR Outstanding Paper Award for his article, “A Legal Analysis of State Tax Policy for Online Sales: The Recipe from Direct Marketing,” published in the ATA Journal of Legal Tax Research (JLTR). He was recognized at the 2019 American Accounting Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Dr. Abbas Foroughi, professor of computer information systems and chair of the Management and Information Sciences Department, had his paper “Psycho-Social Aspects of Learning in MOOC Courses,” published in the Journal of Management Science in June 2019.
Dr. Silvia Rode, chair of the World Languages and Cultures Program and professor of German, was nominated as Southwest Regional Leader for the Indiana Language Roadmap Project, School of Global and International Studies/Center for the Study of Global Change Indiana University, Bloomington and the State of Indiana, 2018-2019.
Dr. Daniel Bauer, associate professor of anthropology, presented the paper “Crafting Justice and Inclusion: Chambira Weaving in Amazonian Peru” at the 2019 International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Daria Sevastianova, associate professor of economics, presented “The Global Economy—Why It Matters to You” to 26 high school students at Evansville’s Randall T. Shepard Leadership and Law Academy. Â
Dr. Laura Lutgen, assistant professor of criminal justice, presented her work “Recidivism and Drug of Choice for Individuals in a Jail-Based Treatment Program” at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) is an international association established to foster professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice. ACJS promotes criminal justice education, research, and policy analysis within the discipline of criminal justice for both educators and practitioners.
Dr. Todd Schroer, chair of the Criminal Justice Program and associate professor of sociology and criminal justice, has been selected as a fellow for the Holocaust Educational Foundation’s Summer Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The Institute is comprised of intensive seminars on Holocaust studies and related topics conducted by some of the field’s top experts.
Marna Hostetler, Director of Library Services, has been elected to serve a two-year term as president of the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI). ALI represents all academic libraries in accredited, nonprofit institutions of higher education in Indiana. Its 72 members include major research libraries, law and medical libraries, theological school libraries and undergraduate libraries. Hostetler has served two terms as an ALI board member.
Dr. Adrian Gentle, associate professor of mathematics, and Dr. William Wilding, associate professor of mathematics, received the Outstanding Paper Award at the American Society of Engineering Education’s 2019 Illinois-Indiana Section Conference at the University of Evansville for their paper, “Student-Faculty Connection and STEM Identity in the Flipped Classroom.” Â
Jane Friona, executive director of Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC), has been named the recipient of 2019 Behind the Scenes Award from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). This national award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to promote ENA’s mission of advocating for patient safety and excellence in emergency nursing practice. Friona will receive the award on October 1, 2019, during the Emergency Nursing 2019 conference in Austin, Texas.
David O’Neil, assistant professor of English, presented the paper, “Continuity and Bifurcation: A Metrical Study of Piers Plowman and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” at the 54th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. The panel, The Places and Spaces of Alliterative Verse, was jointly sponsored by the International Piers Plowman Society and the Pearl-Poet Society.
Dr. Sang Choe, professor of marketing, presented “A New Investment Mecca: North Korea for Global Enterprises” at the MBAA International Conference in Chicago, Illinois.Â
Dr. Trent Engbers, assistant professor of political science and director of the Master of Public Administration program, was selected as one of two Youth Resources’ Outstanding Alumni for 2019. This award recognizes Engbers’ involvement in Youth Resources and the organization’s broader contribution to the community. Youth Resources is a local youth-serving nonprofit that encourages responsible decision-making and positive life choices.
Dr. Srishti Srivastava, assistant professor of computer science, was named USI’s “Student Organization Adviser of the Year” for her work as a faculty adviser for the student organization, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Brian Routh, instructor in accounting, and Dr. Mark McKnight, associate professor of accounting, along with Alyssa Moore, graduate assistant, co-authored “Disclosing Tax Consequences of a LIFO Repeal: Considerations Toward an Ethical Decision-Making Model Based on Potential Convergence of IFRS and U.S. GAAP”, which was published by the Journal of Theoretical Accounting Research.
Dr. Melinda Roberts, associate professor of criminal justice and assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Dr. Marthinus Koen, assistant professor of criminal justice, along with Gabrielle Wy ’19 and Dr. Bryce Newell of the University of Kentucky, presented “A Case Study of Administrator Perceptions and Experiences with the Implementation of Body-Worn Cameras” at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Koen and Wy also presented “Making Sense of Body-Worn Cameras: An In-Depth Examination of Special Units Across Two Agencies.”
Dr. Curt Gilstrap, assistant professor of business communication, had his research paper “Exploring m-leader affordances: team leaders and mobile technologies” published by Emerald Insight. The paper aims to examine how mobile technologies impact virtual team leaders and provides insight into how mobile technologies afford leaders varied capacity to accomplish their teamwork.
Dr. Melissa Stacer, associate professor of criminal justice, presented “Students Touring Prisons: An Examination of Inmate Attitudes” at the North Central Sociological Association conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. States/provinces represented by the NCSA include eastern Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Leigh Anne Howard, professor of communication studies, published the article, “Performance, Pedagogy, Potential: Utopian Performance as Community-Based Education,” in the Winter 2019 volume of Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning. The article discusses a research project based on a student service-learning project in Howard’s performance studies courses.
John Morris, instructor of radio/tv and general manager of WSWI (95.7 The Spin), will retain his position as president of College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) following CBI board elections. CBI is a member-driven organization serving students and advisers of college and high school electronic media outlets.
Amy Montz, associate professor of English, had her article, “Unbinding the Victorian Girl: Corsetry and Neo-Victorian Young Adult Literature,” published in Children’s Literature Association Quarterly.
Dr. Jack Smothers, associate professor of management and Masters of Business Administration director, received the 2018 Best Paper Award from the Journal of Management History for his co-authored piece, “Social Enterprise in Antebellum America: The Case of Nashoba (1824-1829).”
Oana Popescu Sandu, associate professor of English, wrote the article “Staging the Postsocialist Woman: Saviana Stanescu’s Alternative Translations” which appeared in the journal Twentieth-Century Literature (Vol. 65, Numbers 1-2, March 2019), published by Duke University Press. The article is part of a special issue entitled “Postsocialist Literatures in the United States.”Â
Dr. Doris Mohr, associate professor of mathematics, recently published an edited book for K-8 teachers entitled Mathematical Thinking: From Assessment Items to Challenging Tasks. The book is available from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Dr. Mark Creager, assistant professor of mathematics, served as a chapter editor and author of several activities. Dr. Mohr and her colleagues were also featured in an Author Talk webinar about the book hosted by NCTM.
Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, presented a webinar on open science to Philippine Researchers for Open Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman Department of Psychology in Manila, Philippines.
Dr. Darrin Sorrells, learning assistance specialist and adjunct instructor of psychology, was recognized as a Distinguished Educator by Phil Delta Kappa. Sorrells is among more than 70 initial educators from across the nation this year to receive the honor based on his years of service to the education profession and his commitment to the Phi Delta Kappa Association’s core values of research, service, and leadership.
Tim Bryan, an instructor in accounting, discussed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with the Evansville Area Fundraising Council. His presentation focused on changes with the standard deduction and itemized deductions and their potential impact on charities receiving donations. He also expanded into strategies to mitigate any negative impact.
Dr. Virginia Weiler, instructor in marketing, presented “The Good, The Bad and the The Ugly: Marketing in the Global Space” at USI’s Global Salon Series.
Dr. Alyssa Weatherholt, assistant professor of exercise science, presented her research project, “Cardiovascular responses to light-intensity exercise with and without blood flow restriction in healthy 30-60 year olds” at the annual American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting.
Dr. Jennifer Evans, assistant professor of nursing, and Dr. Susan Seibert, instructor in nursing, will offer the podium presentation, “Bridging the Gap: Linking Academia and Practice,” at Sigma’s 45th Biennial Convention in Washington, D.C., in November 2019. Their presentation will be one of three at a symposium highlighting nursing research outcomes from the Healthcare Research Consortium, an academic-collaborative partnership involving schools of nursing and healthcare organizations within the Tri-State. More than 2,000 Sigma members and global leaders in nursing are expected at the convention.
Marthinus Koen, assistant professor of criminal justice, co-authored the peer-reviewed article, “Making sense of body-worn cameras in a police organization: a technological frames analysis” which was published in Police Practice and Research: An International Journal.
Dr. Abbas Foroughi, professor of computer information systems and chair of the Management and Information Sciences Department, Dr. Jack Smothers, associate professor of management and director of the Master of Business Administration program, Dr. Dinko BaÄić, assistant professor of computer information systems, and Dr. Mohammed Khayum, provost and professor of economics, co-authored the article, “Launching an Accelerated Online MBA Program: Assuring Quality with Scale, Based on Principles of Effective Course Design,” which was published in the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, Volume 18(6), 2018.
Dr. Austin Anderson, associate professor of kinesiology and sport and program director of sport management, was presented the 2019 NIRSA Research and Assessment Award at the NIRSA Conference in Boston, Massachusetts in February 2019. The award recognizes NIRSA members who have made extraordinary contributions towards advancing research and assessment initiatives on their campus and/or for NIRSA. The award is based on significant personal advocacy, development or implementation of assessment efforts.Â
Dr. Melanie Lee, assistant professor of English, co-authored the chapter, “Towards a Researcherly Ethos: Building Authority with Inquiry in Information Literacy and Writing,” published in Purdue University Press’s Teaching Information Literacy and Writing Studies: Vol. 2, Upper-Level and Graduate Courses, an edited collection that is part of Purdue’s Information Literacy Handbook Series.
Dr. Elizabeth Bonham, associate professor of nursing, presented “Using Online Wikis for Assessment Transforms Student Articulation of Learning” at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Master’s in Education Conference on February 22, 2019, in Tampa, Florida. Bonham teaches in USI’s online graduate nursing program.
Dr. Perry Burnett, associate professor of economics, presented “Welcome to the Bubble Age: Asset Collapse, Fake News and Euphoria” at a luncheon for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
Dr. Melissa Stacer, associate professor of criminal justice studies, and Lydia Moll ’18, criminal justice and sociology, presented “‘I expected something different…’: Students’ perceptions and realizations after correctional tours” at the Western Society of Criminology conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, in February 2019. Dr. Stacer and Moll, who is pursuing her master’s degree in social work at USI, have been conducting research on the impact a prison or jail tour has on students and student learning for several years.
Dr. Todd Nelson, assistant professor of engineering, co-authored the article “Developable Mechanisms on Developable Surfaces” which was published in Science Robotics, a leading academic journal for research related to the field of robotics. Dr. Nelson’s research focuses on origami-inspired mechanisms and compliant mechanisms. His research has diverse applications including medical implants, surgical tools, aerospace applications, automotive airbags and deployable structures.
Drs. Brett Bueltel and Jamie Seitz, assistant professors of accounting, co-authored the publication “Exploring International Whistleblower Behaviors and Legislation” which was accepted by the Global Journal of Contemporary Research in Accounting, Auditing and Business Ethics.
Dr. Dinko Bacic, assistant professor of computer information systems, co-authored a publication which has been accepted by the AIS (Association for Information Systems) Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction journal. The publication is titled “Task-Representation Fit’s Impact on Cognitive Effort in the Context of Decision Timeliness and Accuracy: A Cognitive Fit Perspective.”
Tim Bryan, an instructor in accounting, presented his dissertation proposal, “Accounting Conservatism or Earnings Manipulation: A Study of the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Bad Debt Expense,” at the Engaged Management Scholarship Conference at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, as well as at the conference poster session.
Dr. Timberly Baker, assistant professor of teacher education, presented her co-authored paper “Continued disparate discipline: Theorizing state takeover districts’ impact on the continued oppression of Black girls” at the International School Choice and Reform Conference is Lisbon, Portugal, on January 12, 2019. The goal of the conference is to connect scholars who engage in rigorous research about school choice in ways that illuminate current policy debates.
Dr. Srishti Srivastava, assistant professor of computer science, presented “An Analysis of Stochastic Process Algebra Models of Resource Allocations in Parallel and Distributed Computing” at the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the Indian Institute of Technology (IITK), an esteemed research institution in Kanpur, India.
Rob Millard-Mendez, professor of art, won a Juror’s Award on January 10, 2019, at the Regional Juried Exhibition at ArtLink Gallery in Fort Wayne, IN. The competitive exhibition includes work from Indiana and its neighboring states. Millard-Mendez has shown work in more than 510 professional exhibitions. He has won more than 80 awards for his art, teaching and university/community service.
Dr. Casey Pycior, assistant professor of English, published “On Being Red Assed,” a creative nonfiction essay about baseball, potential, failure and taking a ground ball to the face (!) in BULL: Men’s Fiction in December 2018
Dr. Khaled Elkhal, associate professor of finance, presented “Resurrection of Capital Asset Pricing Models: A Practical Test with Active Management Approach” at the Financial Management Association conference, in San Diego, CA.
Dr. Jill Oeding, assistant professor of business law, presented the ethics session for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)-Evansville Chapter. Attendees earned continuing professional education (CPE) credit.
Dr. Gabriela Mustata Wilson, chair of the Health Informatics and Information Management Department and associate professor, was recently featured in the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) online series, “Women in Health IT” and “The Digital Healthcare Podcast.”
Lenny Dowhie, professor emeritus and founder/director of the New Harmony Clay Project (NHCP), has been selected as a recipient of the 2019 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Excellence in Teaching Award. This award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in teaching as well as in their own creative work, have previous recognition for and a history of awards in teaching, and have highly visible former students in the field.
Andrea Wright, assistant director and head of public services in the David L. Rice Library, co-authored a chapter in the new book “OER: A Field Guide for Academic Librarians”, published in December 2018. The chapter, Interinstitutional Collaborations to Forge Intracampus Connections: A Case Study from the Duke Endowment Libraries, was co-authored with Sarah Hare (Indiana University), Christy Allen (Furman University), Geneen E. Clinkscales (Johnson C. Smith University) and Julie Reed (Central Piedmont Community College) to share their experience designing a multi-campus awareness campaign on Open Education Resources (OER).
Cindi Clayton, an instructor in business communication, presented “Examining the Marginalization of the Birth Mother in Adoption Narratives†during the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender Annual Conference in South Lake Tahoe, CA, on October 5, 2018.
Chris Wittmer, reading instructor, and Lori Saxby, reading specialist, in Academic Skills presented the roundtable session “En Route to Online Academic Reading Success” at the College Reading and Learning Association Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 26, 2018. CRLA is a group of student-oriented professionals active in the fields of reading, learning assistance, developmental education, tutoring, and mentoring at the college/adult level.Â
Dr. Sudesh Mujumdar, chair of the Economics & Marketing Department and professor of economics, was a panelist at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Luncheon, an annual event where an invited group of panelists discusses the economic outlook for the global, national, Indiana, and Evansville economies.
Dr. Jamie Seitz, assistant professor of accounting, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled *Exploring the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 Whistleblower Provisions and intentions to blow the whistle on financial statement fraud: An empirical examination of the factors that influence intent using the theory of planned behavior*.
Dr. Linda L. M. Bennett, professor emerita of political science and president emerita, will be named a laureate of the Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame at a breakfast held at 7 a.m. Thursday, March 14, 2019, at the Old National Events Plaza in downtown Evansville.
Dr. Srishti Srivastava, assistant professor of computer science, has had the article “PEPA Based Performance Modeling for Robust Resource Allocations Amid Varying Processor Availability†published in IEEE Xplore in Proceeding of the IEEE International Symposium on Parallel and Distributed Computing (ISPDC).
Lori Saxby, reading specialist, was named the 2018 recipient of the Robert Griffin Award from the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). This prestigious award recognizes a current CRLA member with at least ten years of membership in CRLA with service at the state/regional level or national/international level.
Dr. Melissa Stacer, associate professor of criminal justice, and Lydia Moll (current MSW student) presented their research titled “Dirty and smelly: Student expectations of jails and prisons” at the annual meeting of the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences held at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, IN.
Dr. Melinda Roberts, associate professor of criminal justice and assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts, along with Melanie Belarmino ’17, recently had “Japanese gender role expectations and attitudes: A qualitative analysis of gender inequality'” accepted for publication by the Journal of International Women’s Studies.
Dr. Todd Schroer, associate professor of sociology & criminal justice and chair of Criminal Justice, presented his research titled “The Effects of the Charlottesville Killing on the Alt-Right” at the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences annual meeting held at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, IN.Â
Dr. David O’Neil, assistant professor of English, presented the following research during the month of October: “The Space in the Middle: An Argument for Continuity in the English Alliterative Tradition” at the Medieval Association of the Midwest Conference, “Medieval Problem, Digital Solution” at Writing Research Without Walls: A Symposium for Interdisciplinary Writing and Collaboration, and “The Poets are Revolting: Scholarly Identity in the Field of Old English Metrics” at the Indiana College English Association Conference.
Dr. Andrew Dill, assistant professor of accounting, presented “The Theory of Unintended Amoral Behavior: The Effect of Bounded Ethicality on Managerial Decision-Making Under System 1 and System 2 Thinking” at the 2018 American Accounting Association Annual Conference.
Dr. Linda L. M. Bennett, professor emerita of political science and president emerita, will present “Higher Education: America’s Troubled Dream Machine” as the 2018 Stephens-Otterson Lecture at 2 p.m. Sunday, October 14 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Evansville. Bennett’s presentation will use Frank Bruni’s book Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be as a foundation for the analysis of the relationship between higher education and the American public.
Dr. Dinko BaÄić, assistant professor of computer information systems, will have his article “Task-representation fit’s impact on cognitive effort in the context of decision timeliness and accuracy: a cognitive fit perspective” published in the AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction journal.
Dr. Khaled Elkhal, associate professor of finance, presented “When Business Risk is High, Managers Want to Borrow, Creditors Refuse to Lend?” at the Academy of Finance, MBAA International Conference in Chicago.
Dr. Marie Bussing, contract assistant professor of economics, was named to the Federal Reserve Educational Advisory Board, Louisville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Members of the Educator Advisory Board strengthen economic education specialists’ connections to schools and universities through contact with teachers, administration, professors, and department of education representatives.
Amy Wilson, clinical associate professor of diagnostic medical sonography and chair of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, presented a new webinar for the International Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) to serve as a “clinical refresher” on the SDMS website. In her presentation, “Lower Extremity Venous – Femoral,” she summarizes the protocols for performing an ultrasound on the femoral vein, a large vein in the thigh which is responsible for returning venous flow from the lower extremity to the heart.
Dr. Daria Sevastianova, associate professor of economics, presented “Trade War: What is it Good For?” as the keynote speaker for Camp Economics, a workshop for high school economics teachers in Santa Claus, Indiana sponsored by the Indiana Council for Economic Education.
Jennifer Palmer, nurse planner in College of Nursing and Health Professions Lifelong Learning, served as the program planning committee chairperson for the 27th Annual Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Doug Goeppner, ADA coordinator in Human Resources, has been selected to serve as one of the presenters at the “Accessible Health Care for All Training Workshop†being held at the Deaconess Health Sciences Building in Evansville on September 20th, 2018. The event is sponsored by the IU Center for Health Equity and supported by the Indiana Department of Health. He will be leading a session titled “Accessibility 101 for Healthcare Providers: A Quick Introduction to Accessibility in Healthcare Facilities.”
Dr. Curt Gilstrap, assistant professor of business, had his article, “Exploring M-Leader Affordances: Team Leaders and Mobile Technologies” formally accepted (in late August)Â for publication in the impact factor journal Team Performance Management.
Dr. Gabriela Mustata Wilson, chair of the Health Informatics and Information Management Program at USI, was recently elected a member of the TIGER International Taskforce, which includes 58 members and liaisons representing 25 countries.
TIGERÂ (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform)Â is part of HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information and technology.
She has served HIMSS in numerous leadership positions with the Indiana Chapter, including president and director of the board; past Chair of the Sponsorship Committee; and member of the Scholarships and Speakers Committee. Under her leadership as president, the Indiana Chapter received the 2018 HIMSS Chapter of the Year Award.
Dr. David O’Neil joined USI as an assistant professor of English in August. His paper, “English as the Lingua Franca of International Publishing,” was published in the June issue of World Englishes.
Dr. Dinko BaÄić, assistant professor of computer information systems, presented a paper at the Americas’ Conference on Information Systems, a leading conference for presenting the broadest variety of research done by and for IS/IT academicians in the Western Hemisphere. The work will be published in AMCIS 2019 Conference Proceedings.
Dr. Casey Pycior, assistant professor of English, was a Visiting Writer for Murray State University’s MFA Summer Residency, where he gave a reading and delivered a craft talk called, “Dear Fiction Editor: A Primer on Submitting.”
Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, co-authored the article “Do Others Understand Us? Fighting Game Community member perceptions of others’ views of the FGC,†which was published in Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice.
Dr. Brett Bueltel, assistant professor of accounting, had his article “A Legal Analysis of State Tax Policy for Online Sales: The Recipe from Direct Marketing†published in the ATA Journal of Legal Tax Research which is an American Accounting Association journal. Â
Dr. Dan Bauer, associate professor of anthropology, had his book, Identity, Development, and the Politics of the Past: An Ethnography of Continuity and Change in a Coastal Ecuadorian Community, published by University Press of Colorado. It is available for purchase online.
Dr. Virginia, Weiler, instructor in marketing, presented, “Going Paperless and Increasing Retention in University Undergraduates: Blackboard as a Retention Tool in a Traditional Classroom Setting,” at the BbWorld 2018 Conference in Orlando, which is Blackboard’s annual conference.
Dr. Casey Pycior, assistant professor of English, is a finalist in the Short Story category of the 2018 American Book Awards for his book, The Spoils.
Dr. Dinko BaÄić, assistant professor of the computer information system, had his article ““Biometrics & Business Information Visualization: Re-search Review, Agenda & Opportunities†accepted to a leading Human-Computer Interaction conference (HCI International) and will be published in Springer Computer Science Lecture Notes.
Dr. Rick Hudson, associate professor of mathematics and chair of the Mathematics Department, recently co-authored two papers and presented at the 10th International Conference on Teaching Statistics in Kyoto, Japan that took place July 8-13. The titles of the papers were “Developing E-Modules to Support Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Statistical Thinking†and “Students’ Reasoning about Association of Categorical Variables.†Both papers are products from a National Science Foundation grant entitled “Enhancing Statistics Teacher Education with E-Modules,†or ESTEEM. He is also a co-PI on the grant with collaborators at North Carolina State University, Eastern Michigan University, and the Concord Consortium.
Matthew Graham, professor of English, has had three new poems, “Dick and Jane,†“Oh, Baltimore†and “The Sadness of Dogs,†published in the summer issue of the Free State Literary Review.
Dr. Mary Ann Shifflet, assistant professor of economics, presented her paper titled, “Improving Quality Improvement in Public Health” at the 12th International Conference on Health Care Systems at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England.
Dr. Sarah Wannemuehler, director of Early Field Experience, in the Teacher Education Department, recently gave two presentations at the 16th Annual Education Law Symposium held in Louisville, Kentucky.  Dr. Wannemuehler is a national lecturer on the topic of Education Law and is considered an expert on the topic of educational policy and school handbooks.
Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, co-authored the article “The Psychological Science Accelerator: Advancing Psychology through a Distributed Collaborative Network,†to be published in Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science.
Dr. Tamara Hunt, professor of history and director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program, wrote a winning grant proposal to the Institute for Museum and Library Services that garnered nearly $100,000 for projects that linked USI and the Evansville African-American Museum in 2011. Her co-authored article, “Rediscovering ‘Baptistown’: A Historical Geography Project on Local African-American History,” which describes one of the projects funded by the grant was published by the peer-reviewed journal, The History Teacher.
Dr. Sherif Rashad, associate professor of computer science, had his paper titled “Behavior-Based Security for Mobile Devices using Machine Learning†accepted for publication in the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence & Applications.
Dr. Kenneth Shemroske, associate professor of computer information systems, gave a presentation about USI’s Cyber Security Certificate program at the Indiana Chamber’s Cybersecurity Conference.
Dr. Urska Dobersek, assistant professor of psychology, had her manuscript, “Self-Objectification in the Fitness Center Environment: A Qualitative Perspective,†published in the Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences.
Dr. Guoyuan Huang, professor of kinesiology and sport, co-authored a study, “Living High-Training Low” improved weight loss and glucagon-like peptide-1 level in a 4-week weight loss program in adolescents with obesity: A pilot study†that was published in the Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Jill Raisor, assistant professor of education, will be serving as the interim chair of teacher education.
Ms. Christy Baker, associate professor of social work, has been appointed chair of the Social Work Department.
Dr. Jack Smothers, assistant professor of management, co-authored an article “Social enterprise in Antebellum America: the case of Nashoba (1824-1829),” The article was published in Emerald Insight.
AL Holen, associate professor of ceramics, was invited to participate in the American Pottery Festival. Her artwork also appeared on the cover of their catalog.
Dr. Thomas Weber, assistant professor of management, co-authored the article “Institutional origins of WOFS formal contracting: A Judicial arbitrariness perspective.†The article was published in the International Business Review.
Dr. Urska Dobersek, assistant professor of psychology, had her manuscript, “Self-Objectification in the Fitness Center Environment: A Qualitative Perspective,†published in the Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences.
Wes Phy, chair of the Respiratory Therapy Program, has given three presentations at USI since the beginning of 2018. In January, he gave a podium presentation, “The Effects and Outcomes on Low Fidelity Clinical Simulation for Respiratory Therapy Students,†at the USI Teaching and Learning Symposium. His poster, “The Effects and Outcomes on Low Fidelity Clinical Simulation for Respiratory Therapy Students,†was part of the 22nd Annual Research, Evidence-Based Practice and Performance Improvement in Health Care Conference in April. In May, he gave a podium presentation, “Imaging the Intubated Patient,†at the Regional Conference on Thoracic Disorders and Imaging, an interprofessional collaboration conference with the Indiana Society of Radiologic Technologists.
Dr. Melinda Roberts, associate professor of criminal justice, co-authored the paper, “Japanese women and critical feminism: A qualitative study” with Melanie Belarmino, a USI alumna. The paper was published in the Social Science Review, an international journal.
Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, had her paper titled “Justify Your Alpha†published in Nature (International journal of science.) Her article received coverage in NOVA Next, Science Alert, Science Magazine, and Nature News. Her article is available online.
Dr. Amie McKibban, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, presented “Three years later: Reflections on Map Evansville and LGBTQA inclusivity†at Midwest Eco in East Lansing, Michigan.
Dr. Mark McKnight, associate professor of accounting, and Shawn Robey, adjunct professor, co-authored the publication, “Spending Surges: Considerations Toward a Proposed Model for Explaining Budgetary Slack in Expiring Budgets.†It was published in the International Journal of Accounting and Financial Reporting.
Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, has presented her research at the following conferences this past year:
“Gamers as individuals and communities: Perspectives of fighting game players,†presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
“Obstacles and solutions to emerging challenges in qualitative research,†a roundtable presentation at the Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
“Community psychology online: Virtual sense of community among gamers.†symposium presented at Midwest Eco in East Lansing, Michigan.
Dr. Jennifer M. Williams, assistant professor of health services and administration, served as chair and moderator for a national conference in Washington, D.C. with guests from the Department of Justice -Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
This conference convened and brought Industry Leaders together from the healthcare sector to include: academia, industry, government, and regulatory agencies from across the nation. Some of the topics covered included misbranding and adulteration as it relates to pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies and to include the opioid crisis. Dr. Williams chaired day two of the program and presented information on misbranding and providing solutions to remain compliant. She also served on two panels – one with Eli Lilly attorney John Paul Benitez.
Cindi Clayton, an instructor in business communication, was the recipient of the Spirit of the Eagle Award in the alumni category from the Student Government Association
This award is presented to a USI student, student organization, alumni, and faculty or staff. The recipients of each of these awards are dedicated to creating a better USI; be it in national recognition, community service, school spirit, or campus leadership.
Matthew Graham, professor of English, has had his fourth book of poetry, The Geography of Home, accepted for publication by the Galileo Press. The publication date is January 1, 2019.
Dr. Perry Burnett, associate professor in economics, had his article, “Overpopulation, Optimal City Size and the Efficiency of Urban Sprawl,” ranked in the Review of Urban & Regional Development Studies as one of the journal’s top 20 most downloaded papers.
Burnett also received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching this year.
Dr. Cristina Gilstrap, assistant professor of business communication, received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research.
Dr. Lionel Phelps II, adjunct professor in psychology, presented “Adverse Childhood Experiences: Relationship to Substance Abuse and the Family” at Kentucky Rehabilitation Association Annual Conference in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Dr. Daria Sevastianova, associate professor of economics, received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service.
Dr. Julie Evey, adjunct professor of psychology, received the Peer Reviewer Extraordinaire Award for Merlot Psychology Editorial Review Board Member.
Dr. Jennifer M. Williams, assistant professor of health administration, was appointed to the Journal of Health Administration Education Reviewer Panel by the Leadership Development Committee of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. Her term of service begins on July 1, 2018, and runs through June 30, 2021.
The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals, and organizations dedicated to the improvement of health and healthcare delivery through excellence in healthcare management and policy education. Its mission is to foster excellence and drive innovation in health management and policy education and promote the value of university-based management education for leadership roles in the health sector. It is the only non-profit entity of its kind that works to improve the delivery of health services – and thus the health of citizens – throughout the world by educating professional managers.
Williams’ global healthcare experience encompasses leading and working within various healthcare organizations in a number of professional capacities over the course of her career, she has gained invaluable experience within hospital organizations, regulatory agencies, academic institutions and the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.
Dr. Urska Dobersek, assistant professor of psychology, had the following articles published over the past academic year:
“A meta-analysis of mental imagery affects on post-injury functional mobility perceived pain, and self-efficacy,†co-authored by Dobersak for the Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Available online.
“Examining shyness and self-esteem in athletes and non-athletes,†co-authored by Dobersak for the American Journal of Psychological Research. Available online.
Dr. Amie McKibban, associate professor of psychology, and Alex Kessler, USI alumnus presented “Transgender awareness: obstacles and opportunities in the Evansville area†for the community Cultural Conversations lecture series at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science.
Dr. Srikanth Dandotkar, assistant professor of psychology, to present his paper, “Role of Students’ Epistemologies in Evaluation of Arguments” at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse in Brighton, UK.
Dr. Crystal Steltenpohl, assistant professor of psychology, had her paper “Me Time, or We Time? Age Differences in Motivation for Exercise†accepted to The Gerontologist. It is available online.
Nick Bebout, systems administrator in Information Technology will be giving a presentation “SSH Authentication Using GPG Smart Cards” at the SouthEast LinuxFest in Charlotte, North Carolina in June.
Dr. Martin Koen, assistant professor of criminal justice, recently had an article accepted at Policing and Society, a journal published by Taylor and Francis. The article is titled “The Effects of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Organization and Practice: A Theory-Based Analysis.” The co-authors are James J. Willis and Stephen D. Mastrofski, professors at George Mason University.
Dr. Todd Schroer, associate professor and chair of criminal justice, has been accepted to attend the 2018 Curt C. and Else Silberman Faculty Seminar in Washington, D.C. June 4-15, 2018. The seminar this year is titled “Racial Practice: Theory, Policy, and Execution in Nazi Germany and the Jim Crow South.” Seminar participants will be introduced to Holocaust-related sources in the Museum’s unique film, oral history, testimony, recorded sound, archival, and photography collections, and the International Tracing Service Digital Archive. They will also meet staff scholars with expertise in various Holocaust-related topics with whom they can discuss their work.
Dr. Clarissa Willis, associate chair and associate professor of Teacher Education co-wrote a curriculum with Lui Tong and Walter Gilliam of Yale University. She launches it as the keynote speaker at the Shanghai Early Childhood Conference in China.
Doug Goeppner, ADA coordinator in Human Resources, has been selected to serve as a presenter at the 18th Annual Multiple Perspectives Conference on Access, Inclusion, and Disability being held at the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio during the week of April 16th. He will be leading a 90-minute interactive session titled “Who Wants to be a Disability Expert?”
Dr. Becky Sparks-Thissen, assistant professor of biology, was awarded the 2018 Indiana Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (IBASM) Academic Scientific Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Heidi Gregori-Gahan, assistant provost for International Programs and Services, co-facilitated a workshop hosted by the Fulbright Commission in Finland.
Dr. Stella Ress, assistant professor of history, presented her co-authored work, “‘Beam Us Up, Scotty!’: Using Pop Culture to Discover User-Friendly Hand Gestures and Body Movements for Embodied Interaction” at the 2018 National Conference for the Pop Culture Association in Indianapolis, Indiana. The individuals who comprise the PCA are a group of scholars and enthusiasts who study popular culture. The Popular Culture Association (formally the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association) is a 501c3 which offers a venue to come together and share ideas and interests about the field or about a particular subject within the field. It also provides publication opportunities and sponsors the PCA Endowment.
Ress has presented and published in the area of popular culture since 2008. Her latest research on the topic is a collaborative effort with faculty at the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI in which researchers identify familiar gestures from popular culture in order to facilitate full-body interactive displays at museums.
Joan DeJong, assistant dean of College of Liberal Arts and professor of art, and John McNaughton, professor emeritus of art, collaborated on a sculpture remembering the 1937 Ohio River flood. This work was recently unveiled and can be seen at 220 S. Fulton Avenue next to the Levee Authority Office in Evansville.
Dr. Melissa Stacer, associate professor of criminal justice, and Lydia Moll, criminal justice and sociology major at USI, had an article published in The Journal of Criminal Justice Education. The pair collaborated on the article “New opportunities or closing doors? How correctional facility tours impact students’ thoughts about careers.â€