The College of Education and Health Professions welcomed 20 new faculty members this year, whose research interests range from school bullying and mental health to aging and end-of-life care.

"We're thrilled to welcome these outstanding new faculty members," said Dean Kate Mamiseishvili. "Each brings unique research interests and expertise to prepare our students for thriving careers in the caring professions."

Twelve are tenure-track faculty, five of whom were hired as part of the college's "Whole Schools" cluster hire, an action item from its WE CARE strategic plan. The aim is to promote collaboration across the college's education and health programs and lead innovation to improve education and health outcomes among children and youth. The five faculty members in the cluster — Jennifer Cowhy, Anqi Deng, Matthew Peck, Melissa Savage and James Sinclair — will advance study in the emergent signature research area of "Whole Schools" and represent the fields of educational leadership, exercise science, counseling and special education.

Cowhy, who recently completed her doctoral work at Northwestern University, is an assistant professor of educational leadership committed to understanding and improving the implementation of education policies, including special education. Her research aims to "disrupt persistent inequities and to understand and improve educational policies, experiences, conditions and outcomes for students with disabilities and/or learning differences, their families and the educators who work tirelessly to support them."

Deng is an assistant professor of exercise science in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation. Her research is deeply rooted in her experiences as a professional badminton player, where she learned first-hand the critical connection between physical and mental conditioning. With previous training in kinesiology and psychology, her research explores how integrating these disciplines can enhance long-term physical activity engagement, particularly among youth in school and community settings.

"My approach emphasizes the importance of body-mind integration, recognizing that motivation, confidence and knowledge are just as crucial as physical ability in sustaining an active lifestyle," she said.

Matthew Peck, an assistant professor of counselor education in the Department of Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods, studies school bullying. "There's a ripple effect to bullying that enables its nasty effects to extend far beyond the individual to other classmates, peers, families, communities and, with social media, even across the world," he said. "However, training one student to stand up and defend against school bullying creates an even more significant ripple effect. It stops bullying in its tracks and puts in its place a caring, prosocial environment for students."

Peck emphasized that training parents, teachers, coaches and community members alongside students will further enhance this effect, leading to healthier schools and communities that change lives for years to come.

Melissa Savage and James Sinclair, who are in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction's special education program, round out the Whole Schools group. Savage studies increasing engagement and independence in physical health behaviors and inclusive community participation for transition-age youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sinclair's research centers around supporting high school students with disabilities who also experience mental health concerns.

"I am looking to understand the intersection of students with disabilities and what systemic and individual factors impact their well-being," said Sinclair, who joined the college after serving as a researcher in the Center on Human Development at the University of Oregon. "This specific research focus is couched under a larger umbrella research agenda of preparing high school students with disabilities for the adult world and transitioning to a life they have a desire to live."

Savage and Sinclair will create unique collaborative opportunities among the college's special education, exercise science and counseling programs, leveraging the existing strengths of each.

Other faculty who are also tenure-track include Divya Bhagianadh, who comes to the college following a postdoctoral research associate position at Rutgers University and whose research focuses on aging and end-of-life care in the U.S.; Josh McGee, a leader in educator labor markets, education finance, program impact evaluation and research-practice partnerships; Emma McMain, who most recently served as a postdoctoral teaching associate at Washington State University and uses advanced qualitative methods to study social and emotional learning; Harry Patrinos, the new head of the Department of Education Reform following a successful career at the World Bank; Megan Rosa-Caldwell, who studies muscle biology and joined the college following a postdoctoral stint in the Department of Neurology at Harvard Medical School; Steven Wheeler, new head of the Department of Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy who specializes in traumatic brain injury recovery; and Jihong Zhang, who developed his research expertise in educational statistics, psychometric modeling and psychological network analysis at the University of Iowa.

Additional new faculty members include Hannah Denker, who most recently served in a postdoctoral position at the University of Virginia and specializes in early childhood education policy; Michael Hensley, a former principal who will teach educational leadership; Simeon Hinsey, who has expertise in athletic identity and the development of communities through recreation and sports; and Cindy Watson, who specializes in communication disorders in children. The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing also gained several new faculty members, including Jaclyn Johnson, Megan Kumpe, Nikki Madden and Alyssa Parsley.

The college will help acclimate these new team members through New Faculty Engagement and Networking Series programs. There will be learning sessions, hikes, a pizza-making class with the leadership team and a visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

"We're excited to support our new faculty and empower them to flourish in our college," Mamiseishvili said.

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About the College of Education and Health Professions: The College of Education and Health Professions' six departments prepare students for a wide range of careers in education and health, including teaching, nursing, counseling, educational leadership and policy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, public health, exercise science, and many more. The college has approximately 360 faculty and staff members, serves more than 6,000 students and supports over 20 research and service units. Guided by the WE CARE strategic plan, the college strives to advance impactful research that improves people's lives, increase transformative learning opportunities for its students, engage in meaningful partnerships across Arkansas and beyond, and embrace a culture of caring that empowers people to thrive in all aspects of life.