Mr. Wright's work has appeared in nationally and internationally competitive design annuals and compendiums such as PRINT Regional Annual, Creativity 35, New Logo World (published in Tokyo), and American Corporate Identity (2004, 2005 and 2006). One of his logos was selected to be published in Kodansha Famous Schools Creative Art Course textbook published in Japan as an "example of excellent logo concept and execution." He has also designed posters shown in competitions and exhibitions around the world including: Warsaw, Poland; Brno, the Czech Republic; Kyunggido, South Korea; the 10th International Biennial of the Poster in Mexico; the Mark X International Poster Invitational in the Republic of China; the Golden Bee 7 in Moscow, Russia; and the 56th Annual Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington Show in Washington, D.C.. He was asked by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad to submit 5 posters to the "Sailing in Qingdao Poster Annual" as part of the celebrations leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games. He also participated in the 15th Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE) the premier poster exhibition in the United States and has been invited to participate in the 16th CIIPE. Recently he was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2nd International Socio-Political Poster Biennale in Auschwitz, Poland.

Dr. Mgbodile's foundation, The Maria Regina Foundation (MRF), is a non-profit organization that delivers health services to the most vulnerable and poorest segments of Africa and Alabama.  They also provide educational opportunities to children and adolescents. With the brief yet poignant history of the MRF, Dr. Mgbodile established a solid mission that is dedicated to mobilizing resources to empower poor communities in Africa.  Education and improved access to health care services are critical in empowering people to escape the cycle of poverty and become independent. The foundation’s first education project will include summer and fall education programs for children in grades K-6.  The foundation’s focus will be on increasing children’s mastery of basic reading, writing, and math skills; raising student academic expectations and self-esteem; and empowering parents to develop effective mentoring relationships with their children. For children and adolescents in grades 7-12, the focus will be on providing remedial instructions for students performing below grade level.  This will help prepare these learners to take the West African Examination Certificate (WAEC) and increase the odds that they will pass it. These projects highlight the foundation’s ultimate mission: “We strive to serve communities by creating schools and bolstering existing ones. We provide basic medical and mental health services to less privileged undeserved communities.”

Dr. Cormier is a cultural anthropologist who has had rather diverse research interests, but has a concentration in the study of human and wild primate interactions. Her book Kinship with Monkeys: The Guaja Foragers of Eastern Amazonia (Columbia University Press 2003), explored a hunting and gathering group's relationships with monkeys in ecological, social, and symbolic domains of their culture. For the past several years, she has been investigating host-switching in human, ape, and monkey malarias from prehistory to present, with particular emphasis on environmental changes fostering malarial proliferation in all primates since the agricultural revolution.Her latest book release centered on this topic is entitled, "The 10,000 Year Fever: The Historical Ecology of Human and Wild Primate Malarias."

Dr. Sharlach's fields are comparative politics (with a regional emphasis on Africa), international relations, and women's studies. The focus of her research is the intersection of ethnicity, gender, and political violence (particularly terrorism, torture, and genocide).

Dr. Mumford participates in archaeological excavations and surveys in Canada, USA, and the Middle East from 1985 through the present, including prehistoric and historic sites, with a particular focus on pharaonic Egypt. Beginning in 1999, directing excavations at a Late Period (ca. 664-332 BCE) port town at Tell Tebilla (East Delta) and a late Old Kingdom (ca. 2200 BCE) fort at Ras Budran in South Sinai (Egypt). Dr. Mumford's research interests are in cross-cultural relations and trade between Egypt and its neighbours, focusing on Syria-Palestine, but including Nubia, the Aegean, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia during the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Babylonian-Persian periods (ca.3200-332 BCE). He has further interest in the late Old Kingdom through First Intermediate Period (ca. 2300-2040 BCE) and the Late Period (ca.664-332 BCE), relating to current excavation projects in Egypt. His current research focuses on the incense trade and Red Sea region in general.

Dr. Kyle is the author of “Feeding Chilapa: The birth, life, and death of a Mexican region” (University of Oklahoma Press, 2008), the coeditor (with Rani T. Alexander) of “Beyond the Hacienda: Agrarian relations and socioeconomic change in rural Mesoamerica” (special theme issue of Ethnohistory, 2003), and the author of several articles on economic and political aspects of rural Mexico. Dr. Kyle is currently engaged in research in two areas. The first involves the establishment of European-style towns and cities in sixteenth century New Spain (contemporary Mexico), particularly in regions where Augustinian friars established convents amid large indigenous populations. The second involves contemporary economic and political processes in southern Mexico. This work addresses the sociocultural consequences of newly enacted legislation that was designed to reorganize and strengthen the historically ineffectual Mexican legal system.

Dr. Conley is a specialist in British and Irish history and her research focuses on the social history of criminal violence. She has published three books, The Unwritten Law: Criminal Justice in Victorian Kent (Oxford, 1991); Melancholy Accidents: The Meaning of Violence in Post-Famine Ireland (Lexington Books, 1999); Certain Other Countries: Homicide, Gender and National Identity in Late Nineteenth Century England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (Ohio State University Press, 2007).

Dr. Price's music has been performed in Europe, South America, Asia, and throughout the United States. His works have been featured prominently at such venues and events as the International Clarinet Association International Conference, the World Saxophone Congress, the National SEAMUS Conference, the National Society of Composers Conference, the Music Teachers National Association Conference, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Chamber Music Festival in Singapore, and the NoiseFloor Festival in Stafford, England.

Dr. Hwang teaches courses on China and population problems.

His recent publications include

:Xi, J. and S.S. Hwang. “Relocation Stress, Coping, and Sense of Control among Resettlers Resulting from China’s Three Gorges Dam Project.”  Social Indicators Research.
:Hwang, S.S., Y. Cao, and J. Xi. 2011. “The Short-Term Impact of Involuntary Migration in China's Three Gorges: A Prospective Study.” Social Indicators Research. 101: 73-92.
:Xi, J. and S.S. Hwang. 2011. “Unmet Expectation and Depression among the Three Gorges Project Re-settlers.” Social Science Research 40:245-56.

Dr. Corbetta teaches courses in International Relations and Methodology. His current research focuses on conflict expansion, networks in international relations, major power states in international politics, and international environmental law.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) – Shanghai asked Dr. McCarthy, who just rolled off the NSCA Board of Directors, to come teach a five-day exam preparation class for 31 sports scientists from various universities and professional sports coaches in 2011. These candidates were recently registered as new members of NSCA-Shanghai and were being prepped to take the international exam to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. McCarthy was just one of two American professors asked to teach the course.

Dr. Geiger represents the American Association for Health Education (AAHE), a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) engaged in planning improvements to public policy for global health issues. He has also participated in meetings of international delegates from NGOs related to implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in NYC, Melbourne, Australia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dr. Geiger has also provided input about health and wellbeing related to sustainable development within the Rio+20 Compilation Document representing views of Member States, Major Groups including Civil Society, and UN System.

Dr. Schwebel collaborates with colleagues around the world on various projects. He is co-author on a forthcoming manual from the World Health Organization on pedestrian safety worldwide and recently co-authored three articles in Lancet with the Global Burden of Disease project.  He regularly collaborates with colleagues from Kermanshah University, Iran, to study suicide prevention among women in Southern Iran. He is conducting research with UAB graduate student Jiabin Shen concerning dog bite prevention in rural China.  He maintains ongoing contacts in South Africa and has conducted research on kerosene safety in that country.  He also works closely with colleagues in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other nations on global child injury prevention.

Dr. Neiva’s career extends from South America to the United States and then Europe. Dr. Neiva published academic output is comprised of more than 60 articles, as well as 10 books. They were mainly written in either Portuguese or English, but his articles have been translated into Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian. His most recent texts are: Dicionário Houaiss de Comunicação and Jogos de Comunicação: Em Busca dos Fundamentos da Cultura which was published in 2009. In terms of teaching experience, Dr. Neiva has taught Communication Studies in Brazil (his native country), the United States, and Portugal. With an experience of more than two decades on the academic world of more than one culture, Eduardo Neiva brings a valuable cross-cultural asset to any world-class academic center.

Dr. Orihuela's area of specialization is Latin American literature with an emphasis in Latin American Contemporary Literature, Indigenous Cultures and Literatures, and Afro-Hispanic Literatures.

His most recent book, Abordajes y Aproximaciones. Ensayos sobre Literatura Peruana del Siglo XX (1950-2001),  is a collection of essays analyzing those authors who reveal most profoundly the social and cultural complexity of contemporary Peru.  Other recent publications include  “La representación del negro en la poesía de Nicomedes Santa Cruz”  in  “Escribir” la identidad: Creación cultural y negritud en el Perú;  “La poesía peruana de los 60 y 70: Dos etapas en la ruta hacia el sujeto descentrado y la conversacionalidad” in A contra corriente. A Journal on Social History and Literature in Latin America;  and  “The Poetics of Nicomedes Santa Cruz and Its Challenge to the Canon of Peruvian Hegemonic Literature" in Afro-Hispanic Review.

Dr. Charnetta Gadling Cole is a Scholar in the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care and also serves as the assistant director for the UAB Office of Global Social Service Research. She has conducted international research for persons living with HIV/AIDS and their Caregivers in Kenya, Haiti and South Africa. She has served as the CO-PI of a research project funded through the UAB Minority International Health Research Training Program, Gender Based Violence Among HIV Positive Women in Kenya, and is currently the PI of a development grant funded through the Center for AIDS Research, A Culturally Competent Family Group Conferencing Intervention for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Alabama's Black Belt.  She primarily conducts research and publishes in the areas of gerontology, caregiving and international social work.

Dr. Turan’s research examines the mechanisms underlying the relationship between social bonds and well-being across the life-span. One area of focus is understanding how people use (or do not use) supportive relationships effectively at times of stress and how this affects emotional and physical health. A second area of focus is the effects of negative social evaluation on psychological and physical well-being (particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cortisol reactivity).

Dr. Turan collaborates with researchers in Turkey on studies on the effects of psycho-social variables on diabetes-related outcomes.

Dr. Grace Jepkemboi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education. Her teaching and research interest include child development and family relations, curriculum development, working with children and families affected by HIV/AIDS, orphaned and vulnerable children, and policy in Kenya since independence and its impact on literacy, poverty eradication, gender empowerment, health, and other well-being indicators.

Jepkemboi founded the Kenya Heritage Foundation (KHF), with a goal to 'give every child a chance at life.' The organization supports children and families affected by HIV/AIDS through education—providing children with school supplies, shoes and clothing, power breakfasts, and financial assistance to stay in school. In addition, it encourages community empowerment and poverty eradication by helping families become self-sufficient through sustainable projects. It also promotes health through partnerships with local hospitals to provide medicine and home-based care to people with HIV/AIDS, provides adequate nutrition to people affected by HIV/AIDS, and works to improve food and water security.

Dr. Saag completed his residency in infectious disease and molecular virology fellowship training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During the last 6 months of his fellowship, Dr. Saag conceived the concept of a comprehensive HIV outpatient (1917) clinic dedicated to the provision of comprehensive patient care in conjunction with the conduct of high quality clinic trials, basic science, and clinical outcomes research.  Within the clinic structure, he established a clinical trials unit, a data management center, and a Clinical Specimen Repository designed to support the activities of the newly established Center for AIDS Research at UAB.  In essence, the clinic became a “hub” for the clinical, basic science, and behavioral science investigators within the Center by creating a dynamic interface between the patients and the investigators.

Since the establishment of the clinic, Dr. Saag has participated in many studies of antiretroviral therapy as well as novel treatments for opportunistic infections.  He has published over 260 articles in peer reviewed journals, including the first description of the use of viral load in clinical practice (Science, 1993), the first description of the rapid dynamics of viral replication (Nature, 1995), the first guidelines for use of viral load in practice (Nature Medicine, 1996), the first proof of concept of fusion inhibition as a therapeutic option (Nature Medicine, 1998), and directed the ‘first-in- patient’ studies of 7 of the 25 antiretroviral drugs currently on the market (including indinavir, efavirenz, abacavir, and enfuvirtide).  Dr. Saag has contributed over 50 chapters to medical textbooks, has served on the Editorial Board of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, Co-Edited a textbook entitled AIDS Therapy (Churchill Livingston, now in its 3rd edition), and currently serves as an Editor of the Sanford Guide for Antimicrobial Agents and the Sanford HIV Guide.  He recently served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine (and as Chair of the Infectious Disease Subspecialty Board), has twice served as a member of the HIV Disease Committee of the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program for the American College of Physicians, and has served recently on the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council. Dr. Saag currently serves on the International AIDS Society-USA Board of Directors, is President-elect of the HIV Medical Association, is a member of the HHS Guidelines Panel on Antiretroviral Therapy, and serves on numerous state, local, and national committees. 

Dr. Celaya supports the many activities emanating from the Center for Health Services Continuing Education and is involved in the Executive Doctoral Program and the Department’s International Healthcare Management Education initiatives.

Dr. Jolly serves as the Director of the UAB Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) Program.  Her laboratory research focuses on the mechanisms of pathogenesis of lentiviruses, especially of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), specifically in the area of immune responses to infection. Dr. Jolly also conducts research on the suppression of the immune system by aflatoxin and its effects on HIV disease progress in Ghana. In addition to her laboratory research, Dr. Jolly conducts field research on the prevalence and risk factors for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly in pregnant women and STD clinic attendees in Jamaica and voluntary counseling and testing for HIV in pregnancy and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Ghana. More recently, Dr. Jolly has been studying the genetics of hypertension among Mayans in Guatemala.

As Vice Provost for Student and Faculty Success, Dr. Suzanne Austin leads the Office of Student Life, both university libraries and several faculty and student support units that focus on student and faculty development, retention and enrichment.  She published numerous books, translations and articles on global issues with a focus on world epidemics and disease, including Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador, which has been translated into Spanish.

Dr. Gohlke conducted a lessons learned seminar in Accra, Ghana on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  She also mentors a Fulbright student from Ghana, and is Co-I on an application with Dr. Sathiakumar for work in India on disasters.

Dr. Wozencraft has taught and presented throughout Vietnam, Malawi, Hong Kong, Seoul, and at multiple locations in the US.  His current international work is centered in Malawi and Vietnam, with efforts directed toward economic and policy determinants of access to and development of palliative medicine.  

Dr. Hasan was awarded a $5,000 Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Award for providing free online courses to rural and disadvantaged students in Bangladesh and India. Hasan’s program, known as the Shikkhok Project, was one of 30 organizations selected from 18 countries around the world. The Google RISE Awards seek out projects that develop science and technology education in less privileged areas. The Shikkhok Project — “shikkhok” means “teacher” in the Bengali language — provides online learning through YouTube and similar free technologies in areas such as computer science, biotechnology, mathematics and even cooking and chess playing. Hasan started the website in August 2012 and now has 20,000 registered users. He says 3,000 students learn from 25 courses daily in their native Bengali language thanks to volunteer instructors located around the world.

Dr. Bidez is currently a UAB Professor and Graduate Program Director of the MEng in Advanced Safety Engineering and Management. In 1997, she moved into the private sector as the founding President and CEO of BioHorizons, Inc., an international oral reconstructive device manufacturing company with a flagship product line based upon patented technology developed within Dr. Bidez’ UAB laboratory. Her personal entrepreneurial story of becoming the first female CEO in the global medical device manufacturing industry has inspired audiences worldwide. Furthermore, Dr. Bidez has published extensively, provided 30 international invited presentations and workshops in 13 countries, and participated actively in public policy advocacy at the local, national and international levels, particularly related to consumer safety and women’s issues. In 2011, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) named Dr. Bidez as one of “100 Women” (living or dead) who have made the greatest contributions to global safety. Most recently, the International System Safety Society designated Dr. Bidez as “2011 Educator of the Year.”

Dr. Berner is the Director of the Center for Health Informatics for Patient Safety/Quality in the School of Health Professions.  UAB was one of five universities who collaborated to develop a set of health information technology curriculum materials. These materials are free for individuals to download and use. They have been downloaded by educators in over 70 countries on six continents. 

Laura Debiasi has been a WHOCC Scholar since 2012. As a newly appointed WHO Scholar, she serves as Chair of a task force that is working to improve and increase the emphasis on global health at UAB School of Nursing.

Ms. Debiasi is involved with the International Nursing and Health Care Leadership and Management Program both as a host family and by working with the various students from around the world who would enroll in this summer course. Her continuing interest in global work revolves around providing opportunities for global health involvement for current students at the School of Nursing. She also offers a summer Study Away in Ecuador elective for students. 
 

Carolynn Jones has been a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center Scholar since 2011.  She is currently a faculty instructor at UABSON leading the Clinical Research Management Specialty Option while at the same time working on her Doctorate of Nursing Practice.  In tandem with her faculty position, she has served as lead instructor/researcher on a National Institute of Health Challenge Grant entitled "Promoting Enhanced Research Capacity for Global Health (The PERC Study)."

In her role with PERC, she traveled to Peru in 2011 to promote distance learning and help students at the Universidad de Peru Cayetano develop research study plans.  She has published numerous training programs for research coordinators and their staff.

Dr. Ryan's primary interests include cancer disparities, women's cancers, and medical services provided to the underserved in developing nations (especially Zambia, India, and Nepal). She has also done some work with autism spectrum disorders, specifically in examining the disparities in recognizing and treating these disorders in the developing world.

Dr. Ryan is also a contributing writer for the AACR publication Cancer Today and frequently conducts research and publishes articles on health care programs in other cultures that attempt to bridge differences in cultural beliefs and practices, accessibility of resources, etc.