The Academic Minute for 2021.12.20-2021.12.24

The Academic Minute from 12.20 – 12.24

Monday, December 20th
Susan McKelvey – Virginia Commonwealth University
Giving Students with Disabilities a Chance to Fulfill their Career Goals
Susan McKelvey is a research assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University where she serves as the Director of Research and Evaluation for the Transition Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC). Her research at the RRTC focuses on: pre-employment training for young students with disabilities; students with disabilities who are making the transition from school to post-secondary education or from school to work; and training for university personnel who work with students with disabilities. She holds a Ph.D. in Education, with a concentration in Research and Evaluation from VCU.

Tuesday, December 21st
Neel Shah – Harvard Medical College
Prenatal Care Visits
Dr. Neel Shah is the chief medical officer of Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, an OB-GYN at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School.

He is a globally recognized expert in designing solutions that improve health care, and is listed among the “40 smartest people in health care” by the Becker’s Hospital Review. Dr. Shah founded Costs of Care, an NGO that curates insights from clinicians and patients to help delivery systems provide better care. In 2017, he co-founded the March for Moms Association, a coalition of more than 20 leading organizations, to increase public and private investment in the wellbeing of mothers. Dr. Shah serves on the advisory board of the National Institutes of Health, Office of Women’s Health Research.

Wednesday, December 22nd
Nolan Fahrenkopf – University at Albany
The Security of Arms Transfers During the War on Terror
Nolan Fahrenkopf is a research fellow at the Center for Policy Research (CPR), at the University at Albany. He has extensive policy and research experience with international security, weapons proliferation and military power, and strategic trade controls. Through his work, Dr Fahrenkopf has led seminars and conducted consultations with governments in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Georgia, Indonesia, and others on topics related to nonproliferation and international security. Dr. Fahrenkopf holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany.

Thursday, December 23rd
Mark West – University of North Carolina Charlotte
How Theodore Roosevelt’s Reading Contributed to His Support for Immigrants
Mark I. West is a Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he has taught since 1984.

Friday, December 24th
Lisa Bitel – University of Southern California Dornsife
The Real St. Nick
Lisa Bitel is a professor of history and religion whose studies focus on the social, cultural and religious histories of medieval Europe. Her publications have focused on gender and religion in medieval Europe and religious visions in contemporary California.