SU Celebrates Recent Faculty Successes

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University celebrates the following recent faculty successes:

Agarwal Publishes Monograph

Medical Humanism, Chronic Illness and the Body in Pain: An Ecology of Wholeness, a monograph by Dr. Vinita Agarwal, associate professor of communication, is scheduled for publication by Rowman & Littlefield in August.

In the book, Agarwal proposes an integrative premise of being whole through revising the fundamental definitions of humanism, rethinking the self/body/environment, and recognizing alternative ways of organizing knowledge and human experience as the ecological wholeness model pushes the intersections of patient-centered care and sustainable health ethics. In the spirit of SU’s mission of engaged service, teaching and scholarship, Agarwal plans to include the work in health and wellness courses and workshops to make a positive difference in the SU and Eastern Shore communities.

She conducted research for the publication in India during an undertaking partially funded by grants from SU’s Building Research Excellence program; the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts; and the SU Foundation, Inc., with additional support from the Communication Department.

Barfield Earns Duke University Distinguished Alumnus Award

Dr. Elizabeth Barfield, professor emerita and former dean of SU’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences, earned the Duke University School of Nursing’s 2020 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The honor is presented to a Duke alum whose nursing or health care careers have been distinctive for their impacts regionally, nationally and internationally.

At SU, Barfield implemented a mentoring project to recruit and retain diverse students, extending that commitment later in her career at California State University. She also guided SU’s nursing education programs through undergraduate curriculum revisions and the development of a nationally accredited master’s program.

In addition, Barfield chaired the Maryland Governor’s Nursing Validation Committee, which developed an articulation model to help registered nurses earn bachelor’s degrees. She also served as the principal investigator for a 1984 grant for SU’s Rural Health Nursing master’s program, which earned the Maryland Association for Higher Education Distinguished Academic Program Award.

Dean Named to National Andersen Award Committee

Dr. Patty Dean, associate professor of early and elementary education, has been selected as one of five members of the 2020-22 U.S. Board for Books for Young People Hans Christian Andersen Award Committee.

The award is presented biennially to a living author and illustrator whose body of work has impacted young people through children’s literature. The international honor is selected from nominees submitted by national sections of the International Board for Books for Young People (IBBY). Winners will be awarded at the Biennial IBBY Congress in Malaysia in September 2022.

Garmon Discusses ‘Twilight’ Saga Research Connections

Dr. Lance Garmon, associate professor of psychology, recently discussed research and scholarship connections to the popular Twilight book and movie saga — including some of his own research — on the podcast Scholars Ship. The program connects psychology research with fictional media, which, in turn, often has its own psychological influence.  

Topics in Garmon’s episode, included the family dynamic of main character Bella Swan, the love triangle between her and supernatural suitors Edward Cullen and Jacob Black and what makes the series appealing as a whole.

The episode is available at available online.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.