Mary Baldwin Faculty Achievements

Delivered an invited address titled “Issues in Sexuality” for the Grand Rounds — Continuing Medical Education session, Western State Hospital, April 2.

Attended the College English Association’s annual conference in Baltimore at the end of March, where he read his original short story “Free Range” at a creative writing session; also served as chair for a second creative writing session and another session on teaching composition long-distance.

Attended the annual Comparative Drama Conference — for which she served as the resident dramaturg for the conference’s New Play Staged Reading series — in early April. This year she dramaturged three new plays: Alvin Eng’s The Imperial Image; Rich Espey’s The Revelation of Bobby Pritchard; and Stuart Stelly’s Home Wars. In recognition of her redesign of the Staged Reading Series and of her creative and academic work, she was invited to serve on the Board of the Comparative Drama Conference.

One of the first two recipients of grants from the new High-Impact Engaged Education Fund awarded by the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement. She participated in the Alternate Spring Break/Service Learning Trip to Cherident, Haiti, where she and students conducted a community needs assessment with leaders and residents of three communities. Dodson is partnering with Kai Kennedy, physical therapy clinical director at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences, on an interdisciplinary research plan to use this data to guide future service learning trips to Haiti, including further collaboration between the two programs and ultimately a social work field practicum.

Presented a paper, “Field Work in Developing Countries: How race, faith and economics impact minority students completing field placements in Honduras,” the Baccalaureate Social Work Program Director’s Conference, March 2014.

Presented a poster, “Ignorance is bliss: The effect of task-relevance on proactive interference,” the Cognitive Neuroscience Society’s annual conference.

Invited (but didn’t go because of inclement weather) to present a paper, “Urbanization, New Wars and Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa,” at the International Studies Association meeting in Toronto, March 26–29.

Chaired a panel, “Ticket to ride: partisanship in local elections,” and served as discussant for “Where the Streets Have No Name: Public Service Provision and Accountability in Africa”, the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, April 3–6. Two seniors, Holly Johnston and Stephanie Cabacoy, also presented posters there.

An article, “War and Peace in Africa: Using Film as a Teaching Tool,” published in the Newsletter of the African Politics Conference Group, vol. 10, no. 2.

An article, “The Ever-Changing CNDD-FDD and Prospects for the Future of Burundi: 2015 and Beyond,” published in the Newsletter of the Africa Research Institute.

An invited talk, “Burundi on the Brink,” the Conflict in Africa: Rwanda, Burundi & DRC Conference at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, April 10.

A chapter on Nichiren — the 13th century founder of Japan’s only authentic school of Buddhism and patron saint of modern socio-political movements like the Soka Gakkai — will appear in the soon-to-be-published Routledge book, The Buddhist World.

Two entries, “Sociology of Medicine” and “Sociology in Medicine,” in the The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior and Society.

Continues to serve on The Board of Rebuilding Together; also continues to expand fieldwork contracts, has completed Phase 1 of a study using virtual reality at UVA with CVA Clients, and has submitted a publication.

Presented at the VCU Reasons for Hope Essential Tremor Education, March 1, and to the Charlottesville Parkinson’s Support Group on OT and PD, March 21. Also met with students at the University of St. Augustine (Florida and California classes on Ethics and OT), March 3 and 20; the University of Buffalo (about trends in OT), April 7; and participated in the AOTA National Program Directors meeting in Baltimore, April 1–2.

Herz, Allison Ellington, and Murphy Deming’s newest faculty member, Dr. Lisa Burns, all participated in the AOTA National Conference, Baltimore.

Spoke at Drexel University, Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program, April 1. His topic was Child Abuse and Neglect — Beyond the Bruises in the Biopsychosocial Issues in Patient Care Series.

Busy this winter/spring attending various graduate career fairs, including University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University, to increase the visibility of Murphy Deming College of Health Science’s developing doctor of physical therapy program, as well as talking with students about the opportunities in the physical therapy profession.

Attended the national Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, Las Vegas, NV, February. She was able to provide information about the developing DPT program and network with potential faculty, as well as participate in continuing education activities.

Presented on her current research titled “Physical Therapy Direct Access Utilization Patterns in Virginia and Patient’s Satisfaction about the Physical Therapy Direct Access Care Provided,” the Virginia Physical Therapy’s Annual Retreat, the Boar’s Head Inn, Charlottesville.

A presentation, “Today’s Adult Learners — Who are they; Putting the pieces together,” the ACHE Mid-Atlantic Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, March 28.

Elected Mid-Atlantic regional treasurer, Association for Continuing Higher Education.