About:
Gretchen (PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, IBA) is a licensed and board-certified Behavior Analyst, working in behavior analysis since 1998, and in behavioral medicine since 2009. She earned degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno, Northeastern University, and Simmons. Gretchen started her career at Simmons in 2006, became an Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Mentoring and Supervision in 2013, assumed the role of Department Chair in 2022, and was promoted to Professor of Practice in 2023. Gretchen’s research interests include: behavioral medicine, interprofessional education and collaborative practice; evidence-based instruction and design; and performance improvement. She’s the chair of the Behavioral Medicine SIG of ABAI.
Selected Text:
Women in Behavior Science: Observations on Life Inside and Outside the Academy (2023) by Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, Traci M. Cihon, Erin B. Rasmussen (Eds.)
Women in Behavior Science
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About:
Sharon Gallagher is a registered dietitian with over 30 years of experience as a clinician and a
professor. Since joining the Simmons Nutrition Department in 2015, Sharon has been the
Assistant Director of the graduate dietetic internship program where she is involved in
administration as well as curriculum development. She also teaches nutrition at the undergraduate
level. In 2023, Sharon won the Simmons University Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
Award.
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Michelle Obama is not only a former First Lady of the United States, but is also an accomplished lawyer, writer and public speaker. She is a fierce advocate for health and education, two things which I hold dear. Her written works include Becoming (2018) and The Light We Carry (2022). The following quotes from Michelle Obama resonate with me because of the work that I do to prepare students for their careers in dietetics. They include themes of empowerment, resilience, and lifelong learning.
“Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience. Don’t be afraid to fail.”
“Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
“I am still in progress, and I hope that I always will be.”
Becoming
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The Light We Carry
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About:
Dr. Daren Graves is a Professor of Social Work and Education at Simmons University. His research lies at the intersection of critical consciousness, racial identity development, and teacher education. Dr. Graves has reported on his work in a variety of publications including Schooling for Critical Consciousness: Engaging Black and Latinx Youth in Analyzing, Navigating, and Challenging Racial Injustice (Harvard Education Press, 2020). Dr. Graves also serves as co-editor of the forthcoming Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy from Bloomsbury Academic.
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley and Malcolm X
This book showed me the importance and power of minoritized peoples claiming spaces to render their own stories and theories of the world. Malcolm X's story also showed me that education is personal, always political, need not happen inside the walls of schools, and should spark criticality in our consciousness.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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About:
Dr. Hussey joined the SLIS faculty in Fall 2008. While her research and service contributions are strong, it is her teaching that is most important. Teaching is the foundation of her work at Simmons and SLIS, which has included developing or revising several courses and contributing significantly to online course development. In the past year, Dr. Hussey’s received the award for Excellence in Teaching from the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE).
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The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, 3rd Edition by Neal Wyatt and Joyce G. Saricks
It is not only a title I use extensively for my Readers’ Advisory course, but one that represents some of the most important aspects of working in LIS: focusing on the needs of our users, recognizing the unique points of view and interests, and understanding the role of the library in not only fulfilling information needs, but also creating a comfortable space for all library users.
The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction
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About
Amy Pattee has been teaching and working at Simmons since 2004. During this nearly 20-year career, Amy has been privileged to work with colleagues across the university - in the School of Library and Information Science and in the department of Children's Literature - who share her passion for children's literature and research, scholarship, and writing about the same.
Selected Text:
The text I've selected is actually a quote from a letter written by pioneering youth services librarian Caroline M. Hewins to her mentor, Anne Carroll Moore, dated 1898:
"How hungry one grows for one's own kind, and how worn the paths are from some stations to some libraries" (quoted in Lundin [1996, p. 192]).
The history of youth services librarianship is, as many scholars have argued, a women's history, and the development and circulation of children's literature within and outside this professional field is the result of many women's endeavors. As a cis-gendered, white woman who sees herself in this history, I recognize my privilege as a beneficiary of the work of my foremothers who's sense of "one's own kind" was limited but from whom I may find the inspiration to wear new paths from "stations to . . . libraries" and beyond.
Lundin, A. (1996). Anne Carroll Moore (1871-1961): "I have spun out a long thread." In S. Hildenbrand (Ed.), Reclaiming the American library past: Writing the women in (pp. 187-204). Ablex Publishing.
Reclaiming the American Library Past
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About:
Dr. Robinson-Dooley is an LCSW with 20 years of practice and teaching experience. She currently teaches courses in the DSW program. Her research focuses on self-management strategies for Black men dealing with chronic disease and behavioral health. She is the Co-PI on a $700,000 NIH grant, developing a peer-led, self-management curriculum for Black men. She also writes about the intersection of youth sports and mental health. She is the co-author/co-editor of the recent book on Black men’s health. She is also the author of an upcoming children’s book series about the adventures of raising her three beautiful Black boys.
Selected Text:
Black Men’s Health: A Strengths-Based Approach Through a Social Justice Lens for Helping Professions (Dyson, Y., Robinson-Dooley, V. & Watson, J.)
This book is representative of my life's work prioritizing Black men and their health, which started with my PhD dissertation. To also be able to work with and include the work of some of the greatest minds doing work focused on Black men, was the realization of a professional dream.
Black Men's Health
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About:
Kristie A. Thomas, PhD, MSW has extensive practice, teaching, and research expertise in the anti-violence field. Her scholarship focuses on developing community-informed programs for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors and their children. Dr. Thomas is currently conducting a longitudinal, mixed methods evaluation funded by Helmsley Charitable Trust on the impact of emergency housing vouchers and aftercare services for IPV survivors. In addition to a robust portfolio of peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Thomas has authored online trainings and toolkits that are used widely by researchers and practitioners across the country. Dr. Thomas teaches in the MSW and PhD programs, and she is the recipient of two teaching excellence awards.
Selected Text:
Thomas, K. A., Messing, J. T., Ward-Lasher, A.,* & Bones, A. (2020). No easy decisions: Developing an evidence-informed process to allocate Housing Choice Vouchers to survivors of intimate partner violence. Housing Policy Debate, 30, 783-805.
This article underscores how complicated applied social work research is, especially when it is conducted in collaboration with agency partners and focused on seemingly intractable problems such as IPV and homelessness.
