Phoebe Friesen is an Assistant Professor at McGill University , jointly appointed in the Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy and the Department of Social Studies of Medicine . She holds an Associate membership in the Departments of Philosophy and Psychiatry. With a PhD in philosophy from the CUNY Graduate Center and an MA from Western University, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ethox Centre, University of Oxford (2018–2019). Fields: Medical ethics, psychiatry, philosophy of science, research ethics Current research: Placebo effect challenges, psychedelics in psychiatry, race disparities in pain research Grants: SSHRC, FRQ-S Teaching : Graduate Bioethical Theory, 4th-year medical elective on Placebo Effect, Medical Ethics & Health Law components. Community Engagement : Leads network for service user/survivor research capacities , advocates for consent in educational pelvic exams (21 US laws passed since 2021).
Fabiola López-Durán serves as Associate Professor of Art History at Rice University, where she also holds leadership roles as Associate Director of the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies and Magister of Hanszen College. Her transnational research examines modern and contemporary European and Latin American art and architecture through interdisciplinary lenses, with particular focus on eugenics, landscape, and the intersections of science and design. López-Durán earned her Ph.D. in History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art from MIT following architectural training at Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela. Her academic journey includes a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Berkeley, establishing her trajectory in transatlantic scholarly exchange. Her research interests prominently feature modern Latin American art and architecture, transnational networks between Latin Europe and Latin America, and critical examinations of the Global South. She investigates how ecological discourses, racial theories, and scientific paradigms shaped architectural modernity, particularly through projects like her award-winning book Eugenics in the Garden which analyzes eugenic ideas in early 20th-century design. Current work extends into race, spatial justice, and the medicalization of urban environments. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent engagement with medicalized landscapes, transnational architectural exchanges, and the material-semiotic relationships between bodies, nature, and built environments. Her scholarship frequently examines Argentina and Brazil while connecting Latin American cases to broader European theoretical frameworks, demonstrating how scientific discourses became embedded in aesthetic and urban practices. Robert Motherwell Book Prize (Dedalus Foundation, 2019) for Eugenics in the Garden SAH-Mellon Author Award (2017) for architectural history scholarship Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award (Rice University, 2018) Race and Anti-Racism Research Fund Award for The Racial Geography Project (2020) Multiple teaching honors including Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Teaching Award Prestigious fellowships from Woodrow Wilson, Fulbright, Kress, and CLIR programs López-Durán maintains active mentorship of graduate students, evidenced by her Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award, and leads significant research initiatives including The Racial Geography Project funded through Rice University's anti-racism initiatives. Her grant portfolio spans major humanities foundations with particular strength in architectural history fellowships. As Associate Director of the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies, she shapes interdisciplinary programming that bridges art history with broader hemispheric studies, fostering collaborations across departments and institutions to advance understanding of Latin American and Latinx cultural production.
Suzanne Lenon is a Professor in the Women & Gender Studies department at the University of Lethbridge, cross-appointed with the Sociology department. Her research bridges law, gender/sexuality, and critical race feminisms, with a focus on socio-legal frameworks, racial capitalism, and pedagogical innovation beyond gender binaries. PhD in Sociology & Equity Studies in Education from OISE/University of Toronto MA in International Affairs from Carleton University BA in Women's Studies from University of Calgary Her research explores: Marriage and Inheritance Law: As state mechanisms of social reproduction and queer exclusion. Law, Culture, and Intimacies: Through feminist discourse analysis and legal history. Racial Capitalism and Geographies of Law: Linking anti-Chinese racism to settler colonial spatial formations. Recent publications include analyses of polygamy legal histories, transgender pedagogy, and queer/redress intersections with race/disability. Awards include the Board of Governors Teaching Chair (2021-2023), Parkland Institute Faculty Research Award, and University of Lethbridge Research Fund grants. She co-authored the manual Teaching Beyond the Gender Binary , informed by trans and gender non-conforming student collaboration. Lenon's work addresses the racialized scaffolding of legal institutions, with methodological expertise in archival research and socio-legal theory.
Clara Iversen serves as a Senior Lecturer at Uppsala University's Department of Social Work, holding the academic merit of Docent. Her work bridges social psychology and practical healthcare applications through rigorous conversation analysis. Her research centers on interaction dynamics across critical domains: suicide prevention helplines where she examines racial discourse and empathy calibration; dementia care involving social robots where she investigates emotional labor and ethical frameworks; and child welfare interviews analyzing agency and disclosure. Her methodology consistently employs conversation analysis to dissect institutional interactions, revealing how professionals navigate tensions between policy constraints and human needs. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2022-2025) shows a pronounced shift toward technology-mediated care (robotics in dementia care) while maintaining core focus on crisis communication . Key thematic clusters include: (1) ethical dilemmas in non-human care agents, (2) anti-racism implementation within unconditional support frameworks, and (3) emotional labor in third-party help-seeking scenarios. Her work increasingly integrates posthumanist perspectives with practical intervention design. Iversen maintains active collaborations with Marcus Persson, David Redmalm, and Marie Flinkfeldt across multiple publications. She has authored the doctoral thesis Making Questions and Answers Work: Negotiating Participation in Interview Interaction (2013) and co-edited Samtal i socialt arbete (2022), establishing herself as a key contributor to conversation-analytic approaches in social work practice.
Juliette Galonnier is an Assistant Professor at CERI, Sciences Po, specializing in the sociology of religion, race, and Muslim minorities. She teaches courses on Religion, Politics, Society; Islam in Europe and North America; and qualitative methods at both Bachelor's and Master's levels. Co-editor of Religions et classes sociales (2023) and Politiques de lutte contre la radicalisation (2022) Recipient of ASA's Best Dissertation Award (2018) for research on Muslim converts in France and the U.S. Co-leader of the Writing Seminar for CERI PhD students Her research explores racial/religious category intersections through ethnographic fieldwork and interviews across India, France, and the U.S. Current projects include studies on French Caribbean migration and Islamic socializations. Scientific Awards: Best Dissertation Award (ASA, 2018) She contributes to journals such as Genèses, Archives de sciences sociales des religions, and Tracés, while maintaining active involvement in research networks like 'Race, religion, secularism' and ANR's 'Islamic socializations' project.
Danielle Irene Rynczak serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School with dual affiliation at the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, conducting clinical work at Worcester Recovery Center & Hospital. Board-certified in Forensic Psychology (ABPP) with dual doctorates in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) and Law (JD), she operates at the critical intersection of mental health and legal systems. Education: BA in Psychology, Rollins College MA in Clinical-Community Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign PsyD in Clinical Psychology, Chicago School of Professional Psychology JD, Florida State University College of Law Her research centers on forensic psychological evaluations including competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and juvenile delinquency, with groundbreaking work integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks into forensic practice. She pioneers anti-racist approaches to expert testimony and mental health assessments, examining systemic inequities in death penalty cases and Adam Walsh Act proceedings while developing culturally humble evaluation protocols that account for racial trauma and prior police contact. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2022-2024) reveals three dominant trajectories: (1) legal-forensic intersections addressing insanity defense boundaries and Miranda evaluation reforms; (2) systemic critiques of racial disparities in capital punishment and sexual violence risk assessment; and (3) transformative educational frameworks for embedding DEIB principles in psychology training. Her work consistently bridges clinical practice, legal scholarship, and social justice advocacy with increasing emphasis on actionable anti-racist methodologies. Scientific Awards: Early Career Achievement Award, American Psychological Association Division 18 Criminal Justice Section (2021) Dr. Rynczak actively mentors psychology interns through UMass/WRCH professional development programs targeting career barriers and self-care, while collaborating with colleagues like Putney and Kavanaugh on national initiatives to transform forensic training. Her clinical-academic role at Worcester Recovery Center positions her at the frontline of public mental health service delivery within forensic contexts, directly informing her research on real-world systemic challenges.
Langston Clark, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the College of Education and Human Development. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in Adapted Physical Education from The Ohio State University, and a B.S. in Physical Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (HBCU). Education: Ph.D. (UT Austin), M.A. (OSU), B.S. (NC A&T) Dr. Clark’s research centers on the training of Black physical educators at HBCUs and the intersections of athletics, race, and education. His work appears in journals like Journal of Teaching in Physical Education , Quest , and Journal of Negro Education , with over 20 publications and 40 national/international presentations. He advocates for social justice through initiatives like Entrepreneurial Appetite , a podcast series supporting Black intellectualism and businesses. Scientific Awards: Mabel Lee Young Professional Award Leroy T. Walker Young Professional Award Dr. Clark actively mentors Black males in higher education via roles such as Alumni Fellow at The Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males and founder of From A&T To Ph.D. , a doctoral support community. At UTSA, he leads the Black Student Initiatives fundraiser, raising over $20,000 for Black student programming.
Carla Hilario serves as Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing within the Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus. Her research program centers on youth mental health equity, with particular focus on pandemic impacts, systemic racism in mental healthcare systems, and interventions for vulnerable adolescent populations including newcomer young men and racialized communities. Dr. Hilario's research interests span youth mental health service utilization, mental health equity frameworks, and the intersection of racism with mental healthcare access. She employs mixed-methods approaches including youth-engaged research, photovoice methodologies, and administrative data analysis to investigate structural barriers in mental health systems. Her work consistently applies intersectional lenses to examine how race, gender, migration status, and socioeconomic factors compound mental health disparities among adolescents. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2024-2025) reveals three dominant trends: (1) Quantitative investigations of pandemic-related disruptions to adolescent mental health services using Alberta administrative data, (2) Qualitative explorations of racism's impact on Chinese-Canadian and other racialized youth mental health, and (3) Systemic analyses of institutional barriers in community mental healthcare delivery. These works collectively emphasize structural determinants of mental health and advocate for equity-centered service redesign. Dr. Hilario currently leads multiple CIHR-funded research initiatives including a $185,600 Operating Grant examining pandemic impacts on youth mental health services (2022-2024) and a $210,000 Early Career Investigator Grant studying racism in youth mental healthcare (2021-2024). She collaborates with national and international researchers across disciplines including psychiatry, public health, and social work. While specific student mentees aren't listed in the source material, her youth-engaged research methodology inherently involves training and mentoring young researchers through participatory design processes. Affiliated with UBC's Search Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, Dr. Hilario contributes to the Research Cluster in Culture, Creativity, Health and Well-Being. Her team integrates community partners including PolicyWise for Children and Families and the Women and Children's Health Research Institute to co-design interventions such as the 'Creating Hope' youth suicide prevention program and the ACE Intervention for HIV stigma reduction.
Amber R. Kelly is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Quinnipiac University's School for Health Sciences. She teaches in the MSW program, specializing in trauma-informed clinical work, contemplative practices, and psychological trauma. Her research focuses on trauma-informed care, mindfulness-based interventions, and social justice advocacy for incarcerated populations. Education: BS, University of Florida MSW, Florida State University PhD, Smith College Dr. Kelly's scholarship emphasizes trauma recovery, systemic violence, and mindfulness applications in clinical settings. She actively collaborates with the Quinnipiac University Prison Project and leads trauma-informed programs in Connecticut prisons. Her work bridges social work education with interprofessional initiatives. Recent publications highlight her contributions to emergency medicine integration , restorative justice , and harm reduction practices . She has received accolades including the Inclusive Excellence Teaching Fellow (2023) and Albert Schweitzer Faculty Fellow (2022). Scientific Awards: Community Foundation for a Greater New Haven Strategy Grant (2018-2019) Inclusive Excellence Teaching Fellow (2023) Capstone Mentor Award (2023) Albert Schweitzer Faculty Fellow (2022) Center for Teaching and Learning Fellow (2019) Dr. Kelly also maintains a private practice focused on survivors of violence and serves on boards like Next Level Empowerment Program. Her expertise spans criminal justice , family violence , and cultural humility in social work.
Emily McCave, PhD, MSW, LCSW is a Professor of Social Work and Associate Chair at Quinnipiac University , where she has been employed since 2013. Her academic work focuses on trauma-informed mental health practice, LGBTQ+ affirmative care, interprofessional healthcare education, and suicide prevention strategies. BSW from Juniata College MSW from Washington University PhD from University of Kansas Her research emphasizes prevention and public health approaches to social work, with a particular interest in game-based learning and cultural humility . She has developed innovative interprofessional simulations involving standardized patients and escape room scenarios to enhance clinical training. Recent publications examine telehealth adaptation post-pandemic (2024), standardized client integration (2024), and DEI implementation in healthcare (2023). Her work also addresses suicide prevention training and gender-affirming care education. McCave actively supervises medical students in capstone research projects and has served as a Certified Adult Mental Health First Aid Trainer since 2015. She previously led the Southern CT Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and organized the Hamden Out of the Darkness Walk, raising over $100,000 in 2016.
Herbert Mwebe is an Associate Professor of Mental Health and Senior Teaching Fellow in the School of Life and Health Sciences at Middlesex University, leading mental health nurse academics in pre/post-registration programmes and CPD delivery. He serves as Specialist Clinical Advisor to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for mental health inspections and Specialist Panel Member for His Majesty's Mental Health Review Tribunal. Education B.Sc PG Dip AdvDip PGCert HE MSc Mprof Doctoral student (current) SFHEA Independent Prescriber Research Focus Herbert's work centers on parity of esteem between mental and physical health, driving innovations in cardiometabolic risk monitoring for severe mental illness (SMI) patients and optimizing psychopharmacological practices . His research bridges clinical gaps through recovery-oriented approaches and physical health integration in psychiatric settings. Concurrently, he addresses systemic inequities via investigations into mental health tribunal processes , workplace racism in the NHS , and culturally specific health promotion for Black/Asian communities, reflecting his commitment to health equity. Publication Trends His 2024-2025 output reveals a strategic shift toward actionable clinical frameworks—particularly metabolic monitoring protocols in inpatient/postpartum psychosis care—while expanding into social determinants of mental health through Black History Month analyses and anti-racism initiatives, demonstrating dual expertise in biomedical and socio-structural interventions. Scientific Awards Student Led Teaching Award for Most Inspiring Lecturer (2018) Santander Universities Work-Based Learning Award (£5000) for doctoral research on cardiometabolic risk (2020) Advising and Grants Herbert has generated £150,107 in consultancy income through mental health workforce development projects, including £135,107 for CPD activities (2015-2020) and £15,000 for medication management training (2015-2017). He mentors secondary school students via NHS England's NextGen Nurse Project and advises doctoral candidates. PMS+ Mental Health Project (2013-2015): Transformed primary care mental health pathways in City and Hackney Medication Awareness Project (2015-2017): Trained BEH mental health professionals in medicine optimization Labs and Teams He leads Middlesex University's mental health nurse academic team and co-directs the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Association UK CIC as Education/Training Lead, spearheading community initiatives including monthly mental health podcasts, menopause awareness webinars with NHS Modern Matrons, and ALIBSA stigma-reduction programmes for aging Black/Asian populations.
Yoon Kyung Pak is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , affiliated with the Education Policy, Organization and Leadership department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Asian American Studies program. Her research focuses on the history of American education in the 20th century, particularly its intersections with racial minorities and immigrant groups. Ph.D., University of Washington, 1999 Her work combines intercultural education , social justice , and systemic racism in educational contexts. Recent publications analyze topics like cultural wars in education, online graduate programs, and diversity in Asian American literature for high school curricula. Current research trends include historical analyses of educational policies, critiques of systemic racism, and investigations into modern pedagogical practices for diversity and inclusion. She also explores the application of mixed-methods studies in educational assessment. She serves as the Head of the Education Policy, Organization and Leadership department and contributes to the Center for Global Studies and Illinois Global Institute .
Lilian Nwanze-Akobo is an Assistant Lecturer at Maynooth University's Department of Adult and Community Education, Faculty of Social Sciences. She is a Nigerian-born Barrister and Solicitor who migrated to Ireland, where she pursued a Masters in International and European Business Law at Trinity College and a Higher Diploma in Further Education at Maynooth University before completing her Doctorate. Her work focuses on anti-racism, cultural competence, and inclusive pedagogies in adult education. Co-Director, Higher Diploma in Further Education Board of Directors member at AONTAS Researcher on racial barriers in Irish education Advocate for universal design in teaching Recipient of multiple educational awards Her research explores the experiences of Black migrant women in Ireland through culturally responsive anti-racist pedagogy, lifelong learning, and diverse epistemologies. Projects include investigating access barriers for asylum seekers in higher education and examining Muslim women's maternity care through a human rights lens. Recent publications highlight digital skills' importance for migrant students, diversity in European higher education, and systemic exclusion in adult learning. She moderates panels on women in leadership and has contributed to policy discussions on educational equity. 2021: A pebble in the shoe: Diversity and Inclusion in University Continuing Education 2023: Can Critical Education Help Address Racial Discrimination in Irish Maternity Settings? 2024: Constructive Exclusion: Critical pedagogical approaches to interrupt the Body out of Place syndrome Scientific awards include the Irish Research Council Scholarship, USI-IRC Why Research Matters Competition win, and Dean's Prize from University of Benin. She serves on the HEA Advisory Group on Anti-Racism in Irish Higher Education and Maynooth University Sanctuary Committee. Grants include €8,000 for Muslim women's maternity care research and Erasmus+ funding for adult educator collaboration. She leads the SMILE project as Principal Researcher and participates in data protection training initiatives. Outreach activities involve Meath African Network (MAN), promoting African community empowerment. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes storytelling and parables to challenge hegemonic ideas in learning environments.
Christine Bacareza Balance is an Associate Professor at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, jointly appointed in Performing & Media Arts and Asian American Studies. Her scholarship interrogates Filipino and Filipino American cultural production through lenses of performance studies, sound analysis, and critical theory. Education Ph.D. in Performance Studies, New York University (2007) M.A. in Performance Studies, New York University (2000) B.A. in Ethnic Studies, University of California Berkeley (1999) Her research traces how Filipino diasporic communities construct cultural memory through musical performance, media representation, and embodied acts. Key projects include analyzing the Marcos regime's sensory politics and mapping digital affective labor in Asian American YouTube content. Current book Making Sense of Martial Law examines cultural critiques of authoritarianism. Scientific Awards 2023 Cornell Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service through Diversity 2018 AAAS Best First Book Award 2014-15 Cornell Society for the Humanities Fellow 2012-13 Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow Balancing academic rigor with creative practice, Balance co-edits artist-scholar anthologies and collaborates with LA-based media organizations. She's also one-eighth of indie rock band The Jack Lords Orchestra, demonstrating interdisciplinary engagement across performance forms.
Ashanté Reese is an Associate Professor in the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts. With a PhD in Anthropology from American University, her work bridges critical food studies, Black geographies, and abolitionist frameworks through ethnographic practice. Current research explores sugar production's carceral and economic implications in Sugar Land, Texas Recipient of 2020 Best Monograph Award from Association for the Study of Food and Society Co-editor of Black Food Matters (2020), a seminal collection on food justice Recipient of 2020 Margaret Mead Award for outstanding anthropological contributions Her methodological interests focus on speculative Black geographies and ethnographic innovation. Recent publications examine food apartheid, spaces of care, and the afterlives of plantation economies. As a committed educator, she received the 2020-21 Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship while teaching courses like Embodied Ethnography and Black Studies Methods. Key awards include: 2020 Best Monograph Award (Association for the Study of Food and Society) 2020 Margaret Mead Award (AAA & Society for Applied Anthropology) 2020-21 Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship
