August Faculty Features

Etti Baranoff, Ph.D., School of Business
Baranoff – an associate professor in the Department of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate – was presented the Shin Research Award by the International Insurance Society at the organization's annual research conference in London. Her paper, co-authored with Dr. Thomas W. Sager, professor of statistics at the University of Texas at Austin, was titled "Who's Running Life Insurers' Asset Allocation Decisions? Regulation, Financial Rating Owners/Manager Conflicts or Other Determinants?" Drs. Baranoff and Sager have collaborated on more than a dozen insurance papers. The Shin Research Award was initiated and funded by the late Yong-Ho Shin, Kyobo Life Insurance Co., Seoul, Korea.

Brien Riley, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry
Riley, assistant professor of psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University, is the recipient of a two-year $60,000 Young Investigator Award from The National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) -- the largest donor-supported organization in the world devoted exclusively to funding scientific research on psychiatric disorders. Riley will use the award to study gene variants in schizophrenia in African populations. Riley says besides providing valuable information about schizophrenia risk factors in this group, the study could lead to shortcuts in understanding schizophrenia pathogenesis. NARSAD's Young Investigator Award Program provides support for the most promising young scientists conducting neurobiological research. Basic and/or clinical investigators are supported, but research must be relevant to schizophrenia, major affective disorders or other serious mental illnesses.

David J. Urban, Ph.D., School of Business, Marketing and Business Law
Urban, professor of marketing in VCU’s School of Business, won the 2003-04 Rotarian of the Year Award from the Rotary Club of Innsbrook. Urban received the award at the club's 15th annual Officer Installation Banquet based upon his commitment to Rotary, and in particular, his leadership in the Open World Project — an education program that focuses on economic development and entrepreneurship. Urban’s involvement in the Open World project included last November’s eight-day visit by a group of five Russian business leaders and their translator. Urban and a team of Rotarians hosted the group and led the guests in daily activities including a welcome luncheon at the new Short Pump Town Center and a tour of the facility; a meeting with retail experts and a tour of Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and CarMax. The visit also included a meeting at VCU with President Eugene P. Trani.

David Fauri, Ph.D., School of Social Work
Fauri has been elected to chair the Hanover County Board of Social Services, which is responsible for the operation of the Hanover County Department of Social Services. The Board is composed of seven members, each appointed from one of the county's magisterial districts, on recommendation of each district's elected Supervisor. He succeeds Grant Revell, who works at the VCU Rehabilitating Research and Training Center. Fauri teaches in the VCU School of Social Work's three degree programs (BSW, MSW, Ph.D.) and his scholarship areas include end-of-life care, bereavement services, and case teaching method. "It is an honor to be able to work with a truly excellent public social service department, its staff and Board," said Fauri. "I feel privileged to be able to use my professional background in social work and public administration to contribute to Hanover's excellent reputation for good government."

Julie Linker, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry
Linker, associate director, Commonwealth Institute for Child and Family Services and associate professor in VCU's Department of Psychiatry, has been appointed to Governor Warner's Statewide Terrorism and Disaster Behavioral Health Advisory Council (TADBHAC). The group is a joint effort of the Virginia Department of Health and the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. As part of the council, Linker and other members will coordinate behavioral health preparedness and response to any future disaster or terrorist acts within the Commonwealth by providing guidance to the Virginia Departments of Health and Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services and other key disaster response entities. The Council represents the development of an important partnership and planning process among federal, state, and local agencies and organizations coordinating behavioral health and public health preparedness and emergency response within the Commonwealth.