University of New England

Faculty & Staff News

This faculty and staff news page is updated each week. If you have UNE faculty or staff news to report, please email  it to Dick Buhr at dbuhr@une.edu

December 17 - 23, 2006

Ali Ahmida, Ph. D., chair of the Department of Political Science, recently went to Tripoli, Libya to chair an international conference on the Italian colonial concentration camps in Libya. For three years Ahmida has advocated and organized the themes for the conference. The conference hosted scholars from the USA, Italy, France  and Libya, and papers were delivered in English, Arabic and Italian languages. The Center of Libyan Studies and the Italian Historical Society of the Memory of the Republic co-sponsored the conference, which took place between December 12-14, 2006. Ahmida's keynote address was on "Folk poetry and oral history as a source for the history of the concentration camps-1929-33."  The conference established an International Committee for the study of the camps and Ahmida was invited to be a member of this committee, which will meet once a year in either Italy, Libya or the USA.

Ahmida also chaired the oral thesis's exam of his Libyan student Afaf al-Basha. Her thesis is "Libyan Historiography in the 19th Century" She passed her exam with distinction and the examining committee said the thesis is the best one in the last ten years in Libya, It was recommended for publication by the University of Zawia Press.

December 3 - 9

Susan McHugh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of English, has been awarded the 2006 Schachterle Prize for the best published essay on Literature and Science by an untenured scholar.  The award is given by the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts, whose 2007 annual conference will be held in Portland, Maine and co-sponsored by UNE along with Bowdoin and Dartmouth Colleges.  For more information about this upcoming event, contact Dr. McHugh directly at smchugh@une.edu

November 26 - December 2

Below are the faculty promotions for both campuses:

College of Health Professions: 
Dennis Leighton to associate professor, Amy Coha  to associate professor in the clinical track, Nona Spear to associate professor in the clinical track, Jane O'Brien to associate professor.

College of Arts and Sciences: 
Stine Brown to professor, Paul Burlin to professor, Richard Peterson to associate professor.
 
College of Osteopathic Medicine: 
Ian Meng to associate professor.

Sue Stableford, M.P.H., M.S.B., director of UNE's AHEC Health Literacy Center in COM's Division of Community Programs, was selected as one of 10 recipients nationally of the Pfizer-sponsored Health Literacy Visiting Professorship.  Stableford conducted her professorship November 6-8, 2006 including a two-day plain language skills workshop and a third day presenting to medical school faculty, students, and community preceptors at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.


November 19 - 25

Rev. Reuben P. Bell, DO, MS, MDiv, UNECOM associate professor of Family Medicine and Director of Medical Humanities, was invited to speak on Business Ethics at the York County Business Conference, one of the Governor's Regional Conferences on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on Friday, November 17, 2006. The title of his presentation was "Ethics is a Verb," and the lecture was followed by a workshop on process in ethical decision making. The conference was held at the York County Community College.

November 12 - 18

The November 2006 issue of Poesia News, a newsletter of the journal Poesia: A Literary Quarterly, has a short article on David Livingston Smith, Ph.D., Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and his book Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and The Unconscious Mind. The article titled "On Philosophers on Poets and Politicians and The Lie, The Lies and Poetry of War," is online at http://www.indianbaypress.com/index.php?pages/news_letters/news_letter_0611

November 5 - 11, 2006

On Friday, November 3, 2006, Ruth Collard, R.D.H., clinical instructor in the Dental Hygiene Program, was awarded the "Maine Dental Hygienist of the Year" by the Maine Dental Hygiene Association.

Ruth was honored for her commitment and dedication to the dental hygiene profession.  Over the years, Ruth has held many CPR training sessions, as well as served as liaison between the UNE Dental Hygiene Program and the Maine Dental Hygiene Association. 

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ruth has served as the advisor to the Student American Dental Hygiene Association chapter here at UNE for many years. 

Ruth serves as a role model and mentor to both students and alumni of the Dental Hygiene Program. 


Michael Beaudoin, Ed.D., professor of education, served as lead panelist at a session on dialogue in online courses and the impact of 'invisible' instructors on the participation of students at the European Distance E-learning Network research workshop in Barcelona. He also facilitated a discussion on distance education ethics. The event brought together 175 scholars worldwide to share their recent research and writing in the field of distance education.

The College of Health Professions' Interdisciplinary Geriatric Education Program (IGEP), housed in the Physician Assistant program, was highlighted at the recent American Public Health Association's meeting in Boston.  Interdisciplinary team members Anne Summer, RN, PA; Carl Toney, PA; Elisabeth Rudenberg, DO, MSPH; Nancy MacRae, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA; and Joseph Wolfberg, MS participated in a roundtable presentation on the IGEP program. The theme of their presentation was "Turf, team and town: Learning an interdisciplinary team approach to relationship-centered care for the elderly."

Emily Rines, MPH, CHES, director of the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition, Division of Community Programs, UNECOM, presented a session on "Strategies in Obesity Prevention for Children" at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in Boston, MA on November 6, 2006. Emily presented on the Starting Young Obesity Project, which is a collaborative project with Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition, the Maine Harvard Prevention Research Center and York County Head Start.

October 29 - November 4, 2006

India Broyles, Ed.D., College of Osteopathic Medicine, and her colleagues from Maine Medical Center Department of Family Practice - Julie Schirmer LCSW, Cynthia Cartwright RN M.S.Ed., Ann Skelton M.D., Christina Holt M.D., and Rebecca Hitchcock NP-C - presented a seminar session “A Family Residency Book Group:  Developing Reflective Practice and Building Community” at the annual meeting of the North East Society for Teaching in Family Medicine in Danvers, Mass., Oct. 27, 2006

Emily Rines, MPH, CHES, director of the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition located in the Division of Community Programs at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, recently received the American Cancer Society Cancer Control Life Saver Award. Emily was given the award at the annual volunteer recognition dinner on October 24th. Emily has been an American Cancer Society volunteer both in Maine and South Carolina for close to 10 years. This award is presented to outstanding volunteers in Advocacy, Cancer Control, Prevention and Detection.

Emily was selected last spring to be a State of Maine American Cancer Society (ACS) Ambassador and as a result of this role received this award. As a State of Maine Ambassador Emily worked along side 10 other ACS Ambassadors to build relationships with Maine's congressional delegation to advocate on behalf of cancer prevention, treatment and control issues. In September ACS brought the ambassadors to Washington DC for the Celebration on the Hill event, where in a single day, every congressional district across the country was visited by an ACS Ambassador. Emily, and the team of other ACS volunteers, met with the four members of the Maine delegation and were successful in getting them to sign onto the Congressional Cancer Promise and garnered support for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Reauthorization Act.

This is Emily's second time as an American Cancer Society State of Maine Ambassador. She was selected through a competitive application process and has agreed to serve an 18-month commitment with the Cancer Society in the capacity of a grassroots advocate working on local, state and national policy agendas.

October 22 - 28

I am pleased to announce that Holly Korda, M.A., Ph.D., has accepted the position of associate dean of community programs, part of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Korda replaces Meredith Tipton, Ph.D., who developed and directed our successful graduate public health programs. In addition to overseeing our MPH programs, Dr. Korda is also responsible for the Coastal Community Healthy Coalitions, the AHEC, the Health Literacy Center and the Geriatric Education Center.
 
A Maine native, Dr. Korda comes to UNE from Washington, D.C. with more than 25 years of experience in the design, development and evaluation of public health programs, policies and systems of care, with particular expertise in the development of public-private partnerships and campaigns at the local, state and national levels.  She has extensive experience with U.S. Public Health Serviceprograms and agencies and has served as a senior executive and advisor on a range of healthcare issues in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.  Dr. Korda received her Ph.D. in health services research at Tufts University and looks forward to working with students and faculty in UNE's Graduate Public Health Programs. Dr. Korda began her duties on Monday, October 23, 2006.  Her office is located in room 120 of Stella Maris Hall and her extension is 2353.  Please feel free to stop by and welcome her to the University Community.

- Boyd Buser, UNECOM dean and vice president for health services (interim)

Matt Haas, assistant vice president of Campus Services, was invited to speak at the 2006 NACAS (National Association  of College Auxiliary Services) National Conference in San Diego, Calif. on October 15, 2006.  The presentation, "A Comprehensive Service Organization for Higher Education - The Department of Campus Services" was presented during the Showcase of Innovations.

Please welcome Barbara Norton and Laurie-Ann Prescott to the Dental Hygiene Program.  Barbara will serve as our half-time administrative assistant and can be reached at extension 4900.  Laurie-Ann will serve as Office Manager and can be reached at extension 4277. 

India Broyles, Ed.D, UNECOM associate professor for medical education, presented a session on “The Ethics of Care:  Implications for Curriculum and Teaching” at the annual meeting of the American Association for Curriculum and Teaching in Charlotte, NC, October 12, 2006.  Dr. Broyles serves on the Executive Council for the association and on its Editorial Board for the journal "Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue".

October 15-21

Paul Burlin, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will speak on "Imperial Maine and Hawai’i," Tuesday, Oct. 24, 12:00 p.m. at the Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St., Portland. The discussion will be an exploration of the strong and suggestive connections between Maine and Hawaii in the nineteenth century. Drawing on his new book, Imperial Maine and Hawai'i, Interpretative Essays in the History of Nineteenth-Century American Expansion (Lexington Books 2006), Burlin will examine the surprising role that Maine played in the United States’ imperial expansion into the Pacific. This program is free and open to the public. RSVP requested but not required. For more information, visit www.mainehistory.org

Rev. Reuben P. Bell, DO, MS, MDiv, UNECOM associate professor of Family Medicine and Director of Medical Humanities, was invited to speak at the Palliative Care CME program at the American Osteopathic Association's 2006 National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, October 16, 2006. His presentation, "Death Be Not Proud: The Role of Spirituality in Palliative Care," was part of the half-day seminar on end-of-life care. He also participated in an interactive panel discussion with the other invited speakers and the osteopathic physicians in attendance.


October 8 - 14

An interview withDavid Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, will be published in the Brazilian weekly magazine Veja on Saturday.  With a circulation of over 1,300,000, Veja is the 4th largest weekly magazine in the world.

Please join us in extending a very warm welcome to Peggy Warden (formerly from the Department of Physical Therapy) to Enrollment Services on the Westbrook College Campus.

Peggy has accepted the position of Associate Director of Graduate Admissions, WCC. If you have questions regarding Graduate Admissions for our College of Health Professions programs, Peggy may be reached at ext. 4225 or via email at pwarden@une.edu.

October 1 - 7

John Lemons, Ph.D., professor of Biology and Environmental Science in the Department of Environmental Studies, is a coauthor of a comprehensive report on the "Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change." A preliminary draft of the report will be published and released at the forthcoming UNFCCC COP 12 meeting 2006 November 12 in Nairobi, Kenya. The current draft of the report includes input from a large contingent of Brazilian scientists and policy makers during a meeting in early September in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in which Lemons participated. Previously, Lemons was the lead author on a recent article published in the journal "Climate Policy" which summarized some of the main points of the forthcoming report. The report is available from Lemons in pdf format for individuals interested in climate change, and the interrelationships between science, policy and ethics.

Elizabeth De Wolfe, Ph.D., chair and associate professor in the Department of History, and Co-Director of Women's Studies, was recently elected to the post of Vice-President of the Communal Studies Association, a scholarly organization dedicated to the study of intentional communities past and present. At the recent CSA conference in Marshall, California (the site of the former Synanon community), Dr. De Wolfe organized and led a panel on the topic of "Writing Communal History." Authors of award-winning books on communal history discussed the opportunities and challenges of writing in this field. Dr. De Wolfe discussed her work, Shaking the Faith, which received the Communal Studies Association Outstanding Book Award in 2003.

John Lemons, Ph.D., professor of Biology and Environmental Science in the Department of Environmental Studies, recently had a short commentary article titled "Desert Science and Policy" published online by "SciDev.Net," which is supported and founded by AAAS's "Science," by the UK Royal Academy of Sciences, by "Nature" and by the Third World Academy of Sciences. "SciDev.Net" has a science and policy focus on Southern nations. Dr. Lemons also serves on the advisory board for the deserts section of SciDev.Net (www.scidev.net/desertscience).

On behalf of the faculty, staff and students in the Department of Physical Therapy, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Peggy Warden for her invaluable assistance to the Department over the past few years.  Please join us in wishing Peggy the best of success in her new role as Associate Director of Graduate Admissions.  We know she will become an equally invaluable addition to their staff.

Regards,

Michael R. Sheldon, PT, MS
Associate Professor and Program Director
Department of Physical Therapy

John Lemons, Ph.D., professor of Biology and Environmental Science in the Department of Environmental Studies, has had an invited book chapter titled "Nature Diminished or Nature Managed: Applying Rolston's Environmental Ethics in National Parks" published in Nature, Value, Duty: Life on Earth With Holmes Rolston, III, (pgs. 203–220) by Springer (2006) and edited by Christopher J. Preston and Wayne Ouderkirk. Rolston is considered by many to be the "founder" of environmental ethics and one of the most prolific contributors to the development of the field. The contributors to the book critically analyze Rolston's environmental ethics developed over four decades of his professional life. In his chapter, Dr. Lemons analyzes whether, and to what extent, Rolston's ethics and the science he uses can help foster practical decision and policy making in public lands such as national parks.


September 24 - 30

Ali Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, was invited to contribute to the five-volume reference work New Encyclopedia of Africa, Second Edition.  Intended for college, high school and public libraries, and will be part of Scribner's esteemed series of reference works on world history, which includes the Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (2002) and the Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture (1995).

Comprising more than 1,200 articles on many aspects of African cultures, societies, and history, this new edition of the encyclopedia seeks to break down the artificial and misleading distinctions between Africanist studies and conventional academic disciplines. NEA will expand the coverage of the first edition to include North Africa and to present Africa in relation to its place in the world at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

September 17 - 23

Jennifer Tuttle, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of English, recently delivered a paper titled "Unsettled Borders and Nervous Bodies:  Citizenship and Exclusion in Sui Sin Far's Chinese California" at the New England American Studies Association's annual conference in Portland, September 15-16.

September 3 - 9

Jennifer Tuttle, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of English, is now co-editor of Legacy:  A Journal of American Women Writers, a major peer-reviewed journal that publishes essays on American women writers, texts and material culture from the 17th through the mid-20th centuries.

Diana Crowell, Ph.D. will serve in the interim position of Director of Nursing and HSM beginning September 5, 2006. Diana Crowell  comes to UNE with a wealth of experience in practice and administration. She has taught at the University of New Hampshire and the University of Connecticut. Dr. Crowell's specialty is psychiatric-mental health nursing.

Reuben P. Bell, DO, MS, MDiv, UNECOM associate professor of Family Medicine and Director of Medical Humanities, was invited to speak at the 9th International Symposium on Traditional Osteopathy, sponsored by the Canadian College of Osteopathy, Toronto, August 24-28. The symposium topic was “Spirituality in Osteopathy,” and the title of his presentation was “Jacob’s Ladder: An Osteopathic Model of the Spiritual-Natural Human.” Dr. Bell also served as President of CCO’s International Faculty Jury for thesis presentations by graduating CCO students. 

The Office of Graduate Medical Education would like to welcome Cathy Lamirande, Staff Assistant & Rotations Scheduling.  Cathy previously was in Student Activities at the UC Campus Center as Administrative Assistant.  Her office is located in the basement of the Petts Health Center.


August 27 - September 2

"Natural Born Liars," an essay by David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies,  has been included in the 8th edition of the English composition textbook Fields of Reading: Motives for Writing (Ed. Comley, N. R. et al. New York: Bedford, Freeman & Worth ) Cynthia Bates, of the University of California, Davis, writes “Fields of Reading offers an excellent range of selections in each of the disciplines — classic or contemporary, they demonstrate the breadth of academic essay writing.”

The Office of Medical Education would like you to welcome Parise Skoczenski as the new Assistant to the Director of Graduate Medical Education. You can reach Parise at extension 2454.


August 19 - 26

Charles W. Ford, Ph.D., Professor of Health Sciences spoke to the River Hills Community Men's Group on August 3, 2006, Lake Wylie, S.C..  The subject of his address was "Israel: Past, Present, and Future."