Faculty and Staff Highlights: Dribben, Hulsizer, McFarlan, Stiles, Weber, Woolf

Webster University faculty and staff highlights offers a roundup of recent Webster faculty and staff activity and achievements.

Hulsizer Leads Team at Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree 

College of Science and Health Dean Michael Hulsizer attended the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia at the end of July. Hulsizer worked in the STEM Quest area and led a team of six educators and scientists from across the country including Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, and Maryland in teaching Scouts about DNA.  

The STEM Quest group consisted of hands-on activities in areas such as biology, chemistry, robotics, engineering, programming, mining, and physics. Hulsizer taught scouts about DNA and the scientific method as they extracted DNA from strawberries, used origami to create DNA, and performed an experiment to determine which SPF level in sunscreen (0, 30, 100) worked best to protect DNA. Several thousand scouts came through the area. 

Hulsizer displayed Webster signage and Gorloks in the STEM Quest area. This led to several conversations with adult attendees and leaders who shared they had attended Webster in other parts of the country. 

Pictured at top: Hulsizer at the entrance to the National Jamboree. 

At bottom left: Boy Scouts working on a hands-on activity with Webster signage in the background. 

At bottom right: Hulsizer with his team in the DNA area. 

 

Dribben, McFarlan, and Weber Present at Nursing Education Accreditation Conference

Faculty from the Nursing Department in Webster’s College of Science & Health presented at the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) Nursing Education Accreditation Conference on July 20 in Atlanta, GA. Stephanie Dribben, DNP, RN, AGACNP-BC; Cami Weber, Ph.D., MBA, RN; and Sue McFarlan, DNP, RN, NE-BC shared their recent experiences as part of a presentation titled, "Moving from Crisis Mode to Innovation: Recruiting & Retaining Students and Faculty in an MSN Program.”

The nursing faculty discussed how the Master's of Science of Nursing (MSN) program that once served a market of students desiring face-to-face learning pivoted and moved to synchronous Zoom during the 2020 pandemic, like many other programs. After two years, it was decided that face-to-face learning was no longer the best option for the nursing students. The faculty implemented a unique hybrid learning model known as Live Virtual.

Dribben, Weber, and McFarlan described the process of the MSN programs transition from decision making through full implementation. They presented recent data collected from students and faculty regarding their experience with Live Virtual, and lessons learned along the way. Their next step is to continue with data collection and publish the results. 

From left to right: Stephanie Dribben, Cami Weber, and Sue McFarlan at the ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference. 

 

Webster Professors, Graduates, and Students Present at American Psychological Association Conference  

Webster University Applied Educational Psychology (AEP) Professor Deborah Stiles and AEP graduate Keary Ritchie presented as part of a symposium at the American Psychological Association (APA) Conference, titled “International interventions and research about trauma faced by refugees and migrants.” Stiles and Ritchie presented alongside experts from across the globe.  

The symposium was sponsored by the Refugee Mental Health Resource Network, founded by Elizabeth Carll.

Third from right: Webster University Professor Deborah Stiles. Far right: Webster AEP graduate Keary Ritchie. 

Stiles, joined by AEP graduate Jessica Brown and AEP students Diana Carvajal and Michelle Gestring were presenters in a symposium at the APA Conference, titled “Ways to Study the Uvalde School Shootings without Traumatizing Anyone: A Pilot Study.” 
 
The presentation was dedicated to Fierce Madres, the group of mothers from Uvalde, Texas who banded together after the Robb Elementary School shooting and became activists who supported each other and their community. 

From left to right: Deborah Stiles, Jessica Brown, Diana Carvajal, and Michelle Gestring.

Linda M. Woolf, Webster professor of psychology and international human rights, was part of several presentations at the APA Convention. As co-chair of APA's Indigenous Apology Work Group, she participated in a session entitled, "APA's Offer of an Apology to Indigenous Peoples: Process, Content, and Recommendations."  The Offer of Apology was formally delivered by APA leadership to the Society of Indian Psychologists this past June at their annual convention/retreat. The text of the apology, report, and formal recommendations was approved by APA Council of Representatives (APA's legislative body) last February. 
 
Woolf serves on the Ethics Code Task Force, a multi-year project within the APA which has been charged with "drafting a transformational new Ethics Code" for psychologists. Consequently, she participated in the session, "A Substantive Discussion of the APA Ethics Code Revision." 
 
At the convention, Woolf participated in a number of international events, including a round-table discussion, dinner, and various receptions as a member of APA's Committee for Global Psychology.  
 
Woolf was recently elected to serve on APA's Council of Representatives.  Her three-year term will begin in January of 2024. 

 

Woolf Included in Several Publications

Linda M. Woolf, Webster professor of psychology and international human rights, recently had articles published in the Teaching of Psychology journal, APA’s Psychology Teacher Network, APA’s Global Insights Newsletter, and as part of APA’s Psychological Contributions to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.