For the Record, Feb. 27, 2026

For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent presentations, publications, honors and memorials include the following:

Presentations

Trevor A. Dawes, the vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University Librarian, presented the final report and recommendations of the "Information Access and Sharing in the Digital Age" Working Group that he cochaired with Yuko Takahashi, president of Tsuda University in Japan. The presentation was delivered at CULCON31 in Okinawa, Japan, on Feb. 19, 2026. The working group focused on expanding access to scholarly resources between the U.S. and Japan, two countries with a deep and vital cultural and educational relationship. As cochairs of the working group and fellow CULCON panelists, Takahashi and Dawes have spent the last four years building bridges across systems, institutions and borders. The two will now lead the task force to implement the recommendations.

Rudi Matthee, John and Dorothy Munroe Distinguished Professor of History, was invited by the History Department of the University at Buffalo to help celebrate the publication of department member Hani Khafipour, Mantle of the Sufi Kings: Political Sufism and the Rise of Early Modern Iran (Cambridge UP), by commenting on the book and delivering a lecture on the Safavids, the rulers during the period in Iranian history the work deals with, Feb. 20.

Publications

Melanie Rojas, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences and manager of the College of Health Sciences Demonstration Kitchen, led a systematic review recently published in Nutrition Reviews that examined how the timing and types of complementary foods influence the developing gut microbiome in infants up to 12 months of age. The review analyzed data from 17 studies and found that an infant's background liquid diet, such as breast milk or infant formula, appears to play a significant role in how solid foods shape the gut microbiome. Dairy and dairy-based foods were most often associated with lower levels of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial gut bacteria common in infants, though findings varied widely across studies. Additional intervention studies comparing types of foods are needed to further elucidate these findings. The publication was completed as part of Rojas' master's scholarly project under the mentorship of co-authors Jillian Trabulsi, interim dean of the College of Health Sciences and professor of health behavior and nutrition sciences, and Alisha Rovner, associate professor of health behavior and nutrition sciences. Lynn Ferro, who earned her doctorate in nutrition science from UD and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute, also coauthored the publication. Her dissertation research on infant diet interventions and their influence on the gut microbiome laid critical groundwork for the project.

Stephanie Raible, associate professor of entrepreneurship, has coauthored a new chapter with F. Aragón-Guiller in The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Leadership and Organizational Change. The chapter, "Leading social innovation through business and cross-sectoral collaboration," examines the leadership capacities, collaborative practices and systems-thinking approaches necessary to address complex social and environmental challenges.

Kassra Oskooii, associate professor of political science and international relations, is bringing the power of political science directly into the real world. As one of fewer than 10 faculty members nationwide whose redistricting plans have actually been adopted, his work has had a tangible impact on representation and governance. Most recently, a map he designed for Utah's Congressional seats was adopted by a judge, who determined that the state's previous map violated the state constitution. Just over a year ago, a federal court approved a state legislative map he drew for Washington state, creating a Latino voter majority district. Both maps are currently in effect, demonstrating the real-world consequences of careful redistricting work. Oskooii's involvement goes far beyond producing research. He is actively shaping policy and participating in legal and civic processes. For students, this offers a rare chance to learn from a faculty member whose expertise directly influences elections and communities. His experience shows how political science can move from theory to practice, giving students insight into a career path that is both academically rigorous and civically impactful. Read more about his work in Utah here and Washington State here.

Erin Cassese, professor of political science and international relations, coauthored the 2025 report Missing in Action: Writing a New Narrative for Women in Midlife on the Big Screen with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The report examines how midlife women, and experiences like menopause, are represented in mainstream film, revealing that these stories remain largely absent or oversimplified. Through an analysis of top-grossing U.S. films and survey data, the study shows that midlife women are often portrayed through stereotypes rather than as fully realized characters, despite audience interest in more authentic, empowering narratives. The authors provide actionable recommendations for filmmakers to broaden representation, offering richer, more realistic depictions of women in midlife. Read the full report.

Joanne M. Miller, professor of political science and international relations, continues to make significant contributions to the study of political psychology and democratic attitudes. Her 2025 article, coauthored with Christina E. Farhart and Kyle L. Saunders, "Losers' Conspiracy: Elections and Conspiracism," published in Political Behavior, examines how electoral defeat can fuel conspiracy thinking among those on the losing side of elections, offering important insights into democratic resilience and public trust. In addition, Miller coauthored a forthcoming article in Research & Politics with recent University of Delaware Ph.D. graduate Sumeyye Mine Iltekin titled "White Americans' Loser Perceptions and Redistributive Policy Preferences in the United States," which explores how perceptions of group status loss shape policy attitudes. Miller has also secured two competitive research grants: one from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (with co-PI Dannagal Young, professor of communication) for the project "Adolescent Wellbeing, Socialization, and American Democratic Health," and another from the Institute for Humane Studies for "Coming of Age in a Declining Democracy: Effects on Young Adults' Political Attitudes and Behaviors."

Alisha Fletcher, director of the Delaware Network for Excellence in Autism (DNEA), housed in the College of Education and Human Development's (CEHD) Center for Disabilities Studies, wrote about her work to strengthen communication between autistic people and first responders in "Leading Beyond the Disability System," issue 17 of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities Bulletin. She wrote about three impactful DNEA programs serving Delaware communities, including its first responder training program, its practice traffic stop events for autistic drivers and its participation in the Blue Envelope Program, a Delaware partnership that promotes safe, clear and respectful communication between law enforcement and drivers with autism and other disabilities.

Anjana Bhat, professor of physical therapy, published "Differences in Executive Functioning Performance and Cortical Activation Between Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth During an fNIRS Flanker Task: A Pilot Study" in Volume 16, Issue 1 of Brain Sciences in December 2025. Coauthors include Jacob Corey, an alumnus of the Biomechanics and Movement Science Interdisciplinary (BIOMS) PhD program.

Airelle Giordano, associate professor of physical therapy and director of clinical services and residency training, published a scoping review titled "Outcome measures used for evaluating the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a scoping review" in Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology Arthroscopy in January 2026.

Karin Grävare Silbernagel, associate chair and professor of physical therapy, published "Two-week cumulative tendon load estimated from insole sensor contact forces is associated with plantar flexor function in Achilles tendinopathy" in Scientific Reports in February 2026. Coauthors include Andy Smith, a biomechanics and movement science doctoral student and alumnus of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and Ryan Pohlig, director of the biostatistics core and associate professor of epidemiology. Silbernagel also published "Exploring the digital landscape: A scoping review of Achilles tendinopathy education on public websites and in randomised controlled trials" in Clinical Rehabilitation in December 2025. Coauthors include Morgan Potter, a BIOMS doctoral candidate, and Hayley Powell Smitheman, an alumna of the BIOMS PhD program. In Janaary 2026, Silbernagel coauthored "Impact of COVID-19 on patellar tendon properties over the first year after infection" in Scientific Reports. Coauthors include João Luiz Quaglioti Durigan and Rita de Cássia Marqueti Durigan, associate professors at the University of Brasília, who spent a year as visiting researchers at UD. Silbernagel published a cross-sectional study, "Structure and Function of the Achilles Tendon and Plantarflexors after Non-Surgical Management of Achilles Tendon Rupture," in Musculoskeletal Science and Practice in November 2025.

Jaclyn "Megan" Sions, associate professor of physical therapy, published "Strengths and Challenges of Sustaining Health Professional Education Programs: A Thematic Analysis for the Orthotic and Prosthetic Profession" in BMC Medical Education in January 2026. Sions also published "Development and Reliability of a Systematic Method to Evaluate Lumbar Paraspinal Muscle Size and Quality in Computed Tomography Images" in the North American Spine Society Journal in December 2025.

Samantha Stauffer, an alumna of the BIOMS PhD program, published "Modifiable Factors Associated with Elevated Mean Arterial Pressure and Wide Pulse Pressure after Lower-Limb Loss" in the Journal of Vascular Diseases in December. 2025, with Sions and Pohlig as coauthors.

Honors

Kelsey Cummings, academic program manager in CEHD, was selected as a "Most Valuable Professor" (MVP) by women's basketball student athletes. She was recognized with other MVPs at a basketball game on Feb. 12.

Amber Stokes, a recent UD graduate who majored in meteorology and climate science, received the Outstanding Student Poster award from the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Student Conference at this year's AMS annual meeting. Stokes, who also worked with the Center for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (CEMA) during her time at UD, was one of three students chosen for this honor from over 300 posters submitted. Her poster was titled "An Investigation of the North Atlantic Oscillation's Impact on Extreme Snowfall Events on Mount Washington" and was based on work she did while working at Mount Washington Observatory, one of the most well-known high-elevation weather observatories in the world. To read more about Stokes and her time at UD, check out a profile featured on the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment site.

In Memoriam

Pamela Haley, an administrative assistant at UD since 2013, most recently with NIIMBL, passed away Jan. 3, 2026.

Barbara Laber, an associate Help Center consultant who came to UD in 1994, passed away Feb. 11, 2026.

Richard Dean Shippy, professor emeritus and former associate dean of agricultural economics, passed away on Feb. 16, 2026. He joined the UD faculty in 1961 and retired in 1999.

Teresa Twohig,an academic program coordinator for the Mathematical Sciences Graduate Program, passed away Nov. 15, 2025. She joined the UD staff in 2006.

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