Faculty Publications and Research Activities - School of Education, Health, and Human Services

Donna R. Barnes, professor emerita of teaching, literacy and leadership, directed the Hofstra Cultural Center symposium Child’s Play, Children’s Pleasures: Interdisciplinary Explorations, a forum for stimulating and disseminating research on the historical, sociological, psychological and educational study of children’s development from infancy to age 12 through play activities, dolls, toys, and games. Dr. Barnes was also the guest curator for Smakelijk Eten at the Westfries Museum in Hoorn, the Netherlands. This exhibition of 17th-century Dutch art was on view from December 9, 2010, through March 13, 2011.

Linda Davey, associate professor of teaching, literacy and leadership, was awarded a $293,000 grant from Farmingdale Union Free School District in support of a New York state universal prekindergarten program there, supervised by Hofstra’s School of Education, Health and Human Services.

Deborah Elkis-Abuhoff ’95, assistant professor of counseling, research, special education and rehabilitation, is primary investigator on a research team that is studying patients with Parkinson’s disease. The team has found that patients working with modeling clay have fewer negative ruminating thoughts as their focus shifts to the activity before them. This allows patients to experience a significant decrease in depression, phobia and obsessive compulsive thinking. Dr. Elkis-Abuhoff was a featured speaker at the Second World Parkinson Congress in Glasgow.

Andrea Garcia, associate professor of teaching, literacy and leadership, and director of the Reading/Writing Learning Clinic at the Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center, received a $5,190 grant from Planned Parenthood of Nassau County to continue the Young Women’s Writing Project, which has been running successfully for seven years in the Roosevelt and Uniondale school districts.

Laurie Johnson

Laurie Johnson, professor, counseling, research, special education and rehabilitation, was named the 2011 Teacher of the Year by graduating students in the School of Education, Health and Human Services. She was recognized at the May 5 Hofstra Gala and at the May 22 commencement activities.

Roberto Joseph, associate professor of teaching, literacy and leadership, was awarded a $53,507 grant from the New York State Education Department for the Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) program, which aims to increase the number of historically underrepresented, economically disadvantaged, and all other individuals interested and committed to working with students in underperforming school districts.

Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald, assistant professor of counseling, research, special education and rehabilitation, was named the 2010 Teacher of the Year by graduating students in the School of Education, Health and Human Services.

Jamie Mitus, associate professor of counseling, research, special education and rehabilitation, was awarded a $149,952 grant from the U.S. Department of Education in support of the project “RSA Long-Term Training – Rehabilitation Counseling.” She also received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for “RSA Long-Term Training – Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Mentally Ill” and a $12,900 grant from the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped for an internship stipend program for graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.

Maureen Murphy, professor of teaching, literacy and leadership and former acting dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Services, received accolades for her work on the editorial board of the newly published Dictionary of Irish Biography, a collaborative project between Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy. Dr. Murphy was the only American to serve on the dictionary’s editorial board.

Katie Sell, assistant professor of health professions and kinesiology, has assisted in the design and implementation of physical fitness programs for firefighters and law enforcement personnel around the country. Through her work as the exercise physiologist on the FireFit committee for wildland firefighting and the NSCA Tactical Strength and Conditioning SIG Executive Council, she has been helping to improve or maintain higher than average levels of physical fitness, significantly decreasing the risk of adverse health responses and injury.

Blidi S. Stemn, assistant professor of teaching, literacy and leadership, established Education First Inc., an organization dedicated to providing quality education and materials to teachers and students. Under his direction, Education First Inc. broke ground to construct a nursery to grade 12 (N-12) school in Harper, Maryland County, Liberia. Once completed, it will be the first N-12 school in the country with emphasis on mathematics, science, and technology. Dr. Stemn is currently organizing various fundraising activities to pay for construction of the school.

Bruce Torff, professor of teaching, literacy and leadership and director of Hofstra’s Doctoral Program in Learning and Teaching, was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Seedworks Fund to analyze data collected in a survey distributed to the student population at Patchogue-Medford High School. The survey, distributed in the wake of the 2009 hate crime slaying of Marcelo Lucero, explored student experiences with various kinds of discrimination.

Genevieve Weber, assistant professor of counseling, research, special education, and rehabilitation, submitted testimony to Congress about the findings of a landmark research study, The 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People, which she co-authored. The study, which surveyed 6,000 students, faculty, staff and administrators who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), indicates that they continue to face significant hurdles, including harassment, safety concerns and isolation on campuses across the country. Dr. Weber was joined by graduate assistant Rebecca Rubinstein, a student in the dual graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling/Mental Health Counseling at Hofstra.

Posted in: Faculty Accomplishments