VCU news

Emilie E. Raymond, Ph.D., Department of History
Raymond, assistant professor of history, has co-edited a book about the influence of the Hollywood film industry on American politics, “Hollywood and Politics: A Sourcebook.”

The book covers the relationship between Hollywood celebrities and politics from the 1920s through today and features elections, trials, speeches and memoranda, some never before published.

“Hollywood and Politics: A Sourcebook” was published by Routledge in May 2009. Raymond co-edited the book with Donald T. Critchlow, Ph.D., professor of history, Saint Louis University.

Raymond researches America’s postwar political culture, with an emphasis on neoconservatism, social movements and women’s history. She also wrote “From My Cold Dead Hands: Charlton Heston and American Politics.”

Jason K. Levy, Ph.D., L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
Levy, associate professor of homeland security and emergency preparedness and faculty associate of VCU’s National Homeland Security Project, co-edited a special issue of the “Group Decision and Negotiation” journal. The July 2009 issue focuses on group decision making and negotiating processes in reducing disaster risks in the post 9/11 security environment.

In addition to co-editing the introduction to the issue, Levy was lead writer for “Advances in Drama Theory for Managing Global Disasters. Part I: Theoretical Formation,” which examines the role “drama theory” in helping groups redefine issues and individual roles until a satisfactory resolution can be reached.

Levy was also lead writer for “Advances in Drama Theory for Managing Global Hazards and Disasters. Part II: Coping with Global Climate Change and Environmental Catastrophe,” which explored decision making issues for reducing global environmental risk, with particular focus on the political dynamics surrounding international agreements on climate change. 

Levy also co-wrote “Enhancing National Security and Energy Security in the Post-911 Era: Group Decision Support for Strategic Policy Analysis under Conditions of Conflict” and “A Model of Bargaining over Hazardous Waste Cleanup.”

Levy’s research focuses on security and preparedness issues related to terrorism, technologic risks, pandemic threats and natural hazards.  Levy has worked with leading disaster and crisis management centers around the world.

William L. Dewey, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
Dewey, professor and interim chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, received the 2009 Distinguished Service Award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.

For more than 40 years, Dewey’s work has focused on the mechanisms through which drugs alter brain chemistry as they produce addiction, respiratory depression, relief of pain and changes to the cardiovascular system. Dewey’s early findings have established major research agendas for academia and industry that continue today.

In 2003, Dewey was presented with Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist Lifetime Achievement award and honored as a top contributor in science by the Science Museum of Virginia and former Gov. Mark Warner for the discovery of a breakthrough treatment for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Dewey, together with his colleague, Edwin Myer, M.D., formerly of VCU’s Neurology Department, found that infants at risk for SIDS have an overactive endorphin system. The treatment that they co-developed has been used internationally.

Throughout his career, Dewey has presided over and held other leadership roles in many national and international scholarly societies and has worked successfully with both state and federal government to improve funding and other conditions affecting biomedical research.

The College on Problems of Drug Dependence is the largest and oldest organization for the scientific study of drug dependence and addiction.

The award was presented during the 2009 College on Problems of Drug Dependence 71st Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada, on June 24.