March faculty and staff features

William E. Haver, Ph.D., Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
Haver, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, along with colleagues Aimee Ellington, Ph.D., and Joy Whitenack, Ph.D., presented their work with mathematics specialists at the National Science Foundation Education and Human Resource Lecture series. Mathematics specialists are school-based instructional leaders who coach and provide resources and support for classroom teachers.

The presentation focused on graduate programs that have been implemented across the state, which Haver and his colleagues were integral in developing, and the programs’ impact on future mathematics specialists, teachers and students, as measured by state SOL test scores.

Haver is a founding director of the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition (VMSC). Haver, in conjunction with the VMSC, Virginia Department of Education and VCU, was influential in securing approximately $10 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, to fund a pilot-program to determine the effectiveness of a school-based mathematics specialist program.

Haver, Ellington and Whitenack were also joined by Patricia Campbell, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland who is subcontracted on a VCU grant.

Susie Ganch, Department of Craft/Material Studies
Ganch, assistant professor, was named the third annual Arts Educator of the Year by NICHE Magazine in February. The NICHE awards were presented in a ceremony in Philadelphia during the Buyers Market of American Craft, the nation's largest wholesale crafts show. NICHE Magazine is trade publication for progressive retailers of American craft. 

Domenic Sica, M.D., VCU School of Medicine
Sica, chair of clinical pharmacology and hypertension, co-wrote and edited the fourth edition of "Hypertension Primer: The Essentials of High Blood Pressure: Basic Science, Population Science, and Clinical Management."

The book, considered the gold standard in the discipline, covers pathogenesis, epidemiology, impact and management of hypertension. Experts from all parts of the field contributed to the book, which is geared toward physicians and researchers.

Sica, a nationally recognized hypertension physician, was also involved in the production of the third edition. A specialist in all forms of hypertension, Sica has particular expertise in drug therapies used in the treatment of hypertension and medication-related causes of hypertension, including over-the-counter therapies.

The book was produced by the Council of High Blood Pressure Research, American Heart Association, and supported by an educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, VCU School of Medicine
Executive Director, VCU Institute for Women's Health
Executive Director, VCU Mood Disorders Institute
Kornstein, professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at the VCU School of Medicine, has been named president of the International Association for Women's Mental Health. Kornstein was inaugurated as president at the 3^rd International Congress on Women's Mental Health, held in March in Melbourne, Australia. Kornstein will serve in her new position for three years.

Kornstein recently served as vice president of the International Association of Women's Mental Health and a keynote speaker for the Congress. She received approximately 700 scientific abstracts from mental health researchers in 60 countries around the world.

The International Congress on Women's Mental Health is sponsored by the International Association for Women's Mental Health, along with many supporting organizations, including the World Psychiatric Association, the World Federation of Mental Health, the World Health Organization, the International Menopause Society, and the International Marce Society. The Congress convenes every three years and focuses on issues in women's mental health from a variety of biological, psychosocial and global perspectives.