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Tidings: From the Director
"On Looking at the Many Ways Hatred Serves as Political Impulse (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)"
Accomplishments
Mary Beth Dunkenberger
Yugasha Bakshi
Eric Bendfeldt
Aziz Ardic
Danny White
Sarah Lyon-Hill
Max Stephenson Jr.
Neda Moayerian
Project Updates
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Understanding Language Access in the Public Behavioral Health System in the Commonwealth of Virginia: A Comprehensive Needs Assessment
- Leadership and Management Pathways Program (LAMPP)
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Hidden in Plain Sight Library Exhibit
Conferences & Events
- 2024 SAMSHA CCBHC-E Program Regional Grantee Meeting
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Dr. Ariel Otruba & Violent Infrastructures
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Center for European Union and Transatlantic Studies Symposium: Europe at a Crossroads
- VTIPG Spring Open House
- Virginia Tech and UVA Collaborate to Explore Maré
- CCC Faculty Forum with Dr. Solmaz Yadollahi, Brandenburg University of Technology
Announcements & Opportunities
- IPG and Virginia Tech's 2024 Giving Day
- People of IPG: Laura York
Commentaries, Essays & Publications
- Soundings
- Five Pieces Worth Reading
- Recent Books
- Recent Articles and Conference Papers
- Books, Articles, Chapters and Reviews Under Review/Forthcoming
Faculty Spotlight
Alexandra Hanlon, Director of the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science and Professor of Practice in the Department of Statistics, Virginia Tech
Graduate Student Spotlight
Yugasha Bakshi, PhD student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization
Alumni Spotlight
Nada Berrada, International Project Coordinator, Education Development Center, Washington D.C.
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TIDINGS: FROM THE DIRECTOR | | |
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"On Looking at the Many Ways Hatred Serves as Political Impulse (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)"
BY MAX O. STEPHENSON, JR.
Director, Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance
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As a community of scholars dedicated foremost to the vibrancy of American democratic politics, all of us associated with the Institute follow our nation’s public scene carefully, and the ongoing ascendance of Donald Trump in the Republican Party and his authoritarian bias have created a crisis in our nation’s politics. Trump has also continually degraded our public life. Indeed, many analysts and scholars have wondered aloud in recent days how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could possibly stoop any lower in his public behavior, but he continues to do so, as this partial list indicates:
- He now owes more than $454 million in a civil fraud judgment for repeatedly lying in his business dealings;
- He has repeatedly called other Americans “Communists and nation haters” and argued they are deliberately undermining the country on no evidence whatsoever;
- He has constantly maligned those Americans serving in the U.S. federal civil service as constituting a swamp of inefficacy and called for firing them and replacing them with personal loyalists; again, on no evidence whatsoever;
- He demands that all individuals applying for positions with the Republican National Committee (RNC) agree to the lie that the 2020 national election was “stolen” from him;
- He has publicly made it clear that all funds raised by the RNC will now be used first to defray his own massive and mounting legal bills for the many criminal and civil indictments he now confronts;
- He has repeatedly contended that those who desecrated the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 and murdered and maimed in doing so while trying, at his behest, to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in our nation, are “patriots” and “heroes” whom he will pardon if elected President. Approximately 467 of those individuals are now in prison while more than 1,200 others have been charged with federal offenses;
- He has prevented action on a comprehensive immigration reform bill negotiated by his own party’s representatives to continue to be able to campaign on the issue of immigration and immigrants, whom he has dehumanized as “animals,” and as constituting a malignant force soon to undermine the United States—on no evidence whatsoever;
- He has repeatedly undermined U.S. efforts to support a democratic Ukraine in its defense of its national sovereignty in the face of an unprovoked invasion by Russia, launched by its dictator, Vladimir Putin;
- And finally, he has been shown to be a serial liar not only by the many criminal convictions of those whom he has labeled heroes and the mendacity revealed in the above bullet points, but also by the fact that Fox media, a major purveyor of Trump falsehoods, paid $787 million in a defamation case settlement with Dominion Voting Systems last year. The company maintained, correctly, there was no evidence whatsoever to support Trump and Fox’s claims that voting was somehow “rigged” in the 2020 national election via its machines.
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Mary Beth Dunkenberger, Institute Deputy Director, will be recognized at the "Celebrating Innovation" award ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on April 10th hosted by the Innovation & Partnerships team at Virginia Tech. The ceremony honors individuals who worked to translate their innovations to the marketplace to increase their social and economic impact.
Congratulations, Mary Beth!
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Yugasha Bakshi, PhD student in the Planning, Governance, and Globalization (PGG) program, successfully defended her dissertation proposal on March 1. Her next step is to undertake her field work, including data collection and analysis. Special thanks to her committee: Dr. Ralph Hall, Chair and Professor, Urban Affairs and Planning (UAP), Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., IPG Director and Professor, School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Dr. Kris Wernstedt, Professor Emeritus, UAP and SPIA, and Dr. Alasdair Cohen, Assistant Professor, Population Health Sciences.
Yugasha also co-hosts the Institute's Social Science for Public Good podcast, along with fellow PGG PhD student Brad Stephens. You may read more about her in the graduate student spotlight section below.
Congratulations, Yugasha!
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Dr. Eric Bendfeldt, Extension Specialist and Associate Director for VT's Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation (CFST), will present "The Ecotonal Nature of Community Food Work: A Case Study of Trauma-Informed Care and Mutual Aid for Social and Health Equity," at the 2024 Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society Conference, to be held June 5-8 in Syracuse, NY. His co-authors include IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., Dr. Kim Niewolny of the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) and CFSCT Director, Dr. Tom Archibald, Executive Director, Center for International Research, Education, and Development and Anne Stewart, Professor of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University.
Congratulations, Eric!
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Aziz Ardic, Visiting Graduate Fellow at VTIPG, participated in the recent 2024 Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) Conference, "Reimagining Relationality." The event included graduate students from across the nation. Aziz co-presented a paper entitled, "Rethinking the Right to the City through the Historical Unrecognized Cultural Capital of the Subaltern" along with ASPECT PhD student Armin Firouzi.
Aziz has been working with Institute Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. during this academic year as he pursues a PhD in philosophy from the University of Istanbul (Turkey). You may read more about his Fellowship here.
Congratulations, Aziz!
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Dr. Danny White has been promoted to a new role, Executive Associate Athletic Director for Administration and Support Programs for Virginia Tech Athletics. He oversees the sport performance and student-athlete support units, including sports nutrition, academic support, and sports psychology. Additionally, he is the sport administrator for football and the men's and women's swimming and diving programs.
Dr. White graduated from the Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD program in 2020. VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. chaired his doctoral committee, which focused on his work in Kigali, Rwanda teaching study abroad courses featuring sports.
Congratulations, Danny!
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Dr. Sarah Lyon-Hill is serving in a new role as the Director of Research Development at the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE). In her new position, she oversees CECE's portfolio of applied research and community/economic development projects.
Dr. Lyon-Hill graduated from the Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD program in 2019. VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. chaired her doctoral committee. Her dissertation analyzed the 50-year evolution of Appalshop, a Central Appalachian organization that works to create space for individual and collective imagining and reimagining of communities through art and cultural activities.
Congratulations, Sarah!
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Drs. Max Stephenson Jr. and Neda Moayerian recently had an article entitled, "Plus Ça Change: The Politics of Alterity, and Italian and Maltese Responses to Recent Migration Challenges,” accepted for publication in the Athens Journal of Politics and International Affairs. The article is forthcoming, so stay tuned for publication details.
Dr. Moayerian is an Assistant Professor with the University of Tehran (Iran) School of Urban Planning in addition to serving as a Non-Resident Research Associate at VTIPG. She and Dr. Stephenson have collaborated on several research projects, including as members of the Maré Research Group.
Congratulations, Max and Neda!
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Understanding Language Access in the Public Behavioral Health System in the Commonwealth of Virginia: A Comprehensive Needs Assessment | |
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Richmond SPIA is partnering with the Office of Behavioral Health Wellness at the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to assess language access services that are currently being offered throughout the state and to develop a language access plan for the Commonwealth for the future. The goals of the project are to determine:
- DBHDS and Community Services Boards (CSB) employees' understanding of language access policies and standards.
- How language access policies are being implemented at the local and state levels.
- Training and qualifications of language access service providers (interpreters and translators) who are assisting behavioral health care teams.
- Common language access barriers in providing behavioral health services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals at the local and state levels.
- Existing language access resources in the different geographic areas and facilities, including resource utilization and gaps.
- Experiences, challenges, and best practices of providers, staff, and clients when using language access services.
The following faculty and staff will be contributing to this project: Cecily Peeples Rodriguez, Anne Zobel Walters, Andrea Briceno Mosquera, Hilal Yalcin, Laura York, and Lara Nagle, Mary Beth Dunkenberger, and David Moore.
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Leadership and Management Pathways Program (LAMPP) | |
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Richmond SPIA will work with Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation (VCBR) staff to deliver a five-day training partnership designed to explore the unique challenges and dynamics of leadership and management within a sex offender treatment facility. Topics to be addressed include ethical considerations, understanding the offender population, and effective communication strategies. Participants will learn how to manage crises effectively and to lead their teams in challenging situations. VT faculty Cecily Peeples Rodriguez and Anne Zobel Walters will engage participants in such topics as crisis response protocols, decision-making under pressure, and supporting staff and residents during difficult times. Participants will also discuss the importance of self-care and resilience.
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Hidden in Plain Sight Library Exhibit | |
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Dr. Laura Zanotti, Professor of Political Science at Virginia Tech and affiliated researcher with IPG, and Zuleka Woods, graduate research assistant for the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies have collaborated on an interactive exhibit based on their research entitled "Hidden in Plain Sight: The Politics of Memorialization of Slavery in Charleston, S.C.," which is now on display on the second floor of Newman Library. Dr. Zanotti and Woods were able to create this display with the help of Virginia Tech Exhibit Program Manager and Environments Librarian Scott Fralin. Mark Schmidt and Elianto Zanotti Matteini assisted with field research.
You may find a virtual version of the exhibit here. It was also featured in the March 26th edition of VT News.
Presented in partnership with the Black Cultural Center, Dean Niles Scholarship, Department of Political Science, Juneteenth Scholarship, and University Libraries at Virginia Tech. Photo credit: Jack Micallef of Virginia Tech.
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2024 SAMSHA CCBHC-E Program Regional Grantee Meeting | |
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Mary Beth Dunkenberger, Liz Allen, and Laura York attended the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)'s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Expansion (CCBHC-E) Program In-Person Regional Grantee Meeting from February 27-28, 2024, in Washington, DC. The VTIPG team serves as CCBHC program evaluators for two local Community Services Boards, Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS) and New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS). The regional gathering provided an opportunity for grantees to get to know each other, benefit from peer-to-peer sharing of experience and expertise, and engage in mutual learning to deepen knowledge of the CCBHC model. SAMHSA and other federal staff technical experts shared program-related information and attendees were also able to leverage connections made and information gleaned for on-going networking with colleagues across the region.
Photo from left to right: James Pritchett (NRVCS), Liz Allen (IPG), Laura York (IPG), Melanie Adkins (NRVCS), Leslie Sharp (NRVCS), Laura Davis (MRCS), Sandy Bryant (MRCS), KJ Holbrook (MRCS), Mary Beth Dunkenberger (IPG).
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Dr. Ariel Otruba & Violent Infrastructures | |
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Dr. Ariel Otruba, Feminist political geographer and faculty member in the Department of Historical and Political Studies at Arcadia University and Non-Resident Research Associate at the Institute was invited to the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies at Miami University (Oxford, OH) on February 29, 2024, to present the traveling photovoice exhibition, "Violent Infrastructure: Ecologies of Decay and Displacement." The exhibit, displayed at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2023, features photos taken by internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Republic of Georgia that depict the slow violence and emotional effects of protracted displacement under abject housing conditions.
In addition, Arcadia Exhibitions, in cooperation with the Landman Library, at Arcadia University (Glenside, PA) will host “Violent Infrastructure: Ecologies of Decay and Displacement" from March 25 – May 5, 2024. Dr. Otruba presented a curatorial lecture entitled, "Protracted Displacement in Georgia’s Abandoned Soviet Spas," on March 28, 2024 in that university’s Beaver College Room. Part of “Violent Infrastructure: Ecologies of Decay and Displacement" will also be on display in the foyer of the Kirby Hall for Civil Rights at Lafayette College (Easton, PA) from March 27 – April 3, 2024. Dr. Otruba will deliver a lecture concerning the exhibit at Lafayette on April 3, 2024 at 6:30 PM in Kirby Hall 104.
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Center for European Union and Transatlantic Studies Symposium: Europe at a Crossroads | |
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VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. spoke at a Center for European Union and Transatlantic Studies event for regional high school students at Virginia Tech's Graduate Life Center on March 11th. Dr. Stephenson's comments focused on "The European Union and Immigration." He addressed approximately 130 juniors and seniors from AP classes and Honors programs at four area high schools in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Roanoke, and Floyd County.
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Thank you to everyone who came to IPG's open house on March 21! We are grateful to Research Associate Liz Allen for planning the event with the support of Grants and Fiscal Manager Megan Notter and Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam. We are also grateful to our many guests for attending! Please visit our website to see additional photos from the event.
Photo credit: Billy Parvatam
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Virginia Tech and UVA Collaborate to Explore Maré | |
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For the second consecutive year, Dr. Vanessa Guerra, Assistant Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Architecture and IPG Non-Resident Research Associate, will visit Blacksburg on April 4 along with her international studio, "Planning and Design," to share their research on urban resilience in Maré, Rio de Janeiro, a diverse neighborhood in the North Zone of that Brazilian city. The students will present their work in the Creativity and Innovation District (CID) building on campus. Redes de Maré representatives Andreza Jorge (also an ASPECT PhD student) and Henrique Gomes and VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. will provide feedback to the presenting students.
Dr. Guerra is a Virginia Tech alumna who completed her PhD in 2020. Dr. Stephenson served as a member of her dissertation committee, and this connection led to her joining the Institute officially as a Non-Resident Research Associate in 2023. She has also participated in the VT-based Maré Research Group, which has collaborated with Redes de Maré to provide support for that non-governmental organization and to develop relevant scholarship.
Photo credit: K and V Photography
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CCC Faculty Forum with Dr. Solmaz Yadollahi, Brandenburg University of Technology | |
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The Community Change Collaborative will soon welcome Dr. Solmaz Yadollahi for a Faculty Forum entitled, "On Urban Heritage Planning in Tehran and Beyond- A Dialogue of Hope and Responsibility." Dr. Yadollahi is a research fellow at the German Research Foundation Research Training Group 1913 at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg in Germany.
The event will be held on April 5 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. You may find details here. Please contact Brad Stephens (bas615@vt.edu) with any questions.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES | |
IPG and Virginia Tech's 2024 Giving Day | |
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Thank you to everyone who donated to IPG during this year's Giving Day! We were able to raise more than $2,000 toward strategic initiatives, and professional development for students, staff, and faculty.
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People of IPG: Laura York | |
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We are pleased to share the latest installment of the People of IPG series featuring Public Health Program & Policy Research Associate Laura York, who has been with the Institute full-time since 2021. Laura discusses her career at IPG and more in this conversation with Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam, here.
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COMMENTARIES, ESSAYS & PUBLICATIONS | |
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Five Pieces Worth Reading
A weekly news summary series curated by VTIPG Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam can be accessed here.
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Recent Books
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Cathy Grimes, Eds. Conversations in Community Change: More Voices from the Field. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Lyusyena Kirakosyan, Eds., Re: Reflections and Explorations: Volume 3. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Yannis A. Stivachtis, Eds., Policy and Politics of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Eastern Mediterranean States: National and Institutional Perspectives, E-International Relations, Bristol, U.K., 2023.
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Recent Articles and Conference Papers
Journal Articles
Published
Andrea Briceno Mosquera. (2023). Admissions Officers' Perceptions When Undocumented Students Seek In-State Resident Tuition Policy. Educational Policy. https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048231201789
Andrea Briceno Mosquera. (2023). 'They asked for more, more and more paperwork:' Administrative Burdens When Undocumented Youth Claim In-State Resident Tuition Policy Benefits." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737231182672
Andrea Briceno Mosquera. (2023). Learning, Compliance, and Psychological Burdens when Undocumented Youth claim In-State Tuition Policy. Research in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-023-09749-4
Elizabeth Bucklen. (2023). Book Review: Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom. Community Change, 4(2), 2.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v4i2.a.46
Mary Beth Dunkenberger, David Moore, Lara Nagle, and Sam Rasoul. (2023). Building a Recovery Ecosystem for the Catawba Region. Richmond Public Interest Law Review, 27(1). https://scholarship.richmond.edu/pilr/vol27/iss1/5/
Lesly Joseph, Max Stephenson Jr., Laura Zanotti, and Scutt Ricot. (2023). Sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty in Haiti: sharing knowledge and shaping understanding of food systems at the University of Fondwa. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1230763
Lia Kelinsky-Jones, Kim Niewolny, and Max Stephenson, Jr. (2023). Building Agroecological Traction: Engaging discourse, the Imaginary, and Critical Praxis for Food System Transformation. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1128430
Molly Kwitny, Quinn Richards, Natalie Cann, Jasmine Lewis, Kayla Vaught, Arushi Bejoy, Fernanda Gutierrez Matos, Grace DiGirolamo, Chloe Loving, Teagan Neveldine, Sakina Weekes, and Sophie Wenzel. (2023). People of a Pandemic. Community Change 4(2): 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v4i2.a.51
Farhad Hassan Abdullah Mamshai. (2023). Climate Change as a 'Threat Multiplier:' Security and Communal Implications for Iraq. Community Change, 4(2), 1.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v4i2.a.41
Neda Moayerian, Max Stephenson Jr., Muddather Jameel-Abu Karaki and Renad Abbadi (2023). Exploring Syrian Refugees' Access to Medical and Social Support Services Using a Trauma-Informed Analytic Framework, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032031.
Neda Moayerian, Desiree Poets, Max Stephenson, Jr., Cathy Grimes (2023). The Arts and Individual and Collective Agency: A Brazilian Favela Case Study. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies. 10(4), 58–80. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1407
Aditya Sai Phutane (2023). Communication of Uncertainty in AI Regulations. Community Change, 4(2), 3.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v4i2.a.50
Desiree Poets, Cathy Grimes, Max Stephenson, Jr., Neda Moayerian. (2023). Community Capacity, Agency, and Community Newspapers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case from the Global South, World Development Perspectives. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292923000243?dgcid=author
Brad Stephens, Max Stephenson, Jr., Chris Stephenson. (2024). The Black Radical Imagination in a Rural Forgotten Space, MetroPolitics. https://metropolitics.org/The-Black-Radical-Imagination-in-a-Rural-Forgotten-Space.html
Max Stephenson Jr. and Neda Moayerian (2024). Storytelling, Performing Arts, and Collective Capacity in One Rio Favela. The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts 19 (1): 75-95. doi:10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v19i01/75-95.
Recent Conference Papers
Eric Bendfeldt, Kim Niewolny, Max Stephenson, Jr., Tom Archibald, and Anne Stewart. "The Ecotonal Nature of Community Food Work: A Case Study of Trauma-Informed Care and Mutual Aid for Social and Health Equity," for 2023 Joint Annual Conference of: The Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), Agriculture, Food & Human Values Society (AFHVS), Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS), Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition (SAFN), May 31-June 3, 2023, Boston, Massachusetts.
Max Stephenson, Jr., Neda Moayerian, Vanessa Guerra, and Desiree Poets. "Countering Persistent Alterity: Fostering Advocacy and Agency," for the 15th annual conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, May 29-31, 2023, Toronto, Canada.
Max Stephenson Jr., Neda Moayerian, and Desiree Poets. "Storytelling, Performing Arts and Collective Capacity in One Rio Favela," for annual conference of the International Studies Association, March 15-18, 2023, Montreal, Canada.
Forthcoming Conference Papers
Max Stephenson Jr., Neda Moayerian, and Brad Stephens. "Revisiting the Social Role of Radical Imagination Amidst Widespread Democratic Erosion," for the 16th biannual International Conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research, July 16-19, 2024, Antwerp, Belgium.
Brad Stephens and Yugasha Bakshi. "Trust: Exploring Why Urban Researchers and Institutions Should Care," for the International Conference on Urban Affairs, April 24-27, 2024, New York, New York.
Vanessa Guerra, Cathy Grimes, and Max Stephenson Jr. "From Crisis to Empowerment: The Role of Community-led Solutions Journalism in Maré and Rocinha Favelas Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic," for the International Conference on Urban Affairs, April 24-27, 2024, New York, New York.
Eric Bendfeldt, Kim Niewolny, Max Stephenson Jr., Tom Archibald, and Anne Stewart. "The Ecotonal Nature of Community Food Work: A Case Study of Trauma-Informed Care and Mutual Aid for Social and Health Equity," for the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society Conference, June 5-8, 2024 Syracuse, New York.
Books, Articles, Chapters and Reviews Under Review/Forthcoming
*Corresponding author
Articles and Book Chapters
“Countering Persistent Alterity: Fostering Advocacy and Agency,” At Voluntas, Requested revision submitted March 4, 2024. Max Stephenson Jr.*, Desiree Poets, Vanessa Guerra, Henrique Gomes.
“The Contributions of Community Newspapers to the Resilience of the Citizenries of Rio’s Maré and Rocinha Favelas During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Requested revision submitted March 8, 2024. At the Journal of Urban Affairs. Vanessa Guerra*, Max Stephenson Jr., Desiree Poets, and Molly Todd.
“Plus Ça Change: The Politics of Alterity, and Italian and Maltese Responses to Recent Migration Challenges,” Athens Journal of Politics and International Affairs, Accepted April 1, 2024, Forthcoming, Max Stephenson Jr.* and Neda Moayerian.
Books
Violent Infrastructures: Protracted Displacement and Housing (In)Justice in the South Caucasus and Beyond, for VT Publishing, Blacksburg, VA. Eds. Ariel Otruba, Max Stephenson Jr., Yannis Stivachtiis and Neda Moayerian, 2024.
The Politics of Alterity and the Syrian Displacement Crisis: The Cases of Malta and Cyprus, Max Stephenson Jr., Yannis Stivachtis and Neda Moayerian, For Berghahn Books, Oxford, England. 2025.
Special Journal Issues
“Entangled Ontologies, Decoloniality and Decolonization,” accepted for Interventions. In preparation for 2024 submission. Desiree Poets, Max Stephenson Jr., Laura Zanotti and Anthony Szczurek.
"Exploring the Long-Lived Effects and Competing Perspectives Addressing Decolonization Politics and Policy," for Community Change Journal, Submitted February 20, 2024. 3 articles and introduction. Desiree Poets, Max Stephenson Jr. and Laura Zanotti.
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Dr. Alexandra Hanlon is a Professor of Practice and the Director of the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science (CBHDS) at Virginia Tech. The Center is academically housed in the College of Science, specifically the Department of Statistics, with offices located on the Health and Technology Campus in Roanoke. The mission of the Center is to achieve excellence in Virginia Tech’s health- and medically-related research portfolio through fostering collaborations across biostatistics, data science, health analytics, computer science, engineering, bioinformatics, clinical practice, translation and policy. To achieve this mission, her team contributes expertise to health-related research projects carried out by investigators at Virginia Tech and beyond. Dr. Hanlon also serves as co-Director of the NIH-funded integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV) Research Methods Core. iTHRIV is a cross-Commonwealth collaboration between Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Carilion Clinic, and the Inova Health System, uniting their research infrastructure with the latest advances in data science to accelerate innovation in health-related research and foster the next generation of collaborative health research professionals.
Dr. Hanlon has more than 30 years of experience collaborating with clinical investigators on studies involving population health, health disparities, addiction, mental health, cancer, aging and transitions, sleep, and more. Her work focuses on the application of contemporary and sophisticated methods to address research questions within a team science framework, including longitudinal data analysis, propensity score modeling, and machine learning methods. She is a fellow of the American Statistical Association, a member of the PCORI scientific review panel since its inception, and a statistical reviewer for various high-impact peer-reviewed journals. Her collaborative work has garnered an impressive funding record and more than 400 published peer-reviewed journal articles. She is committed to reducing systemic inequities in the health sciences and was recently awarded a $1.25 million grant from the NIH for a summer program (CUBE) aimed at promoting and diversifying the field of collaborative biostatistics. She serves as an active leader in many professional organizations, including the American Statistical Association and the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Special Interest Group.
Dr. Hanlon has been working with the Institute for Policy and Governance (IPG) since she arrived at Virginia Tech. Their first collaborative project was Connection to Care (2019 – 2023), which focused on linking individuals with Substance Use Disorder to critical harm reduction and treatment services in the Roanoke Valley and Piedmont regions, and leveraged a case management tool developed by CBHDS for the Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition and the Hope Initiative of the Bradley Free Clinic. A second ongoing endeavor, Studies to Advance Recovery Supports (STARS) in Central Appalachia (2020 – 2025), is led by East Tennessee State University to build a network of Peer Recovery Support Specialists and clinics providing Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), enhancing research on PRSS and MOUD service awareness and efficacy. Looking ahead, their interdisciplinary collaboration will develop a data dashboard for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHDs) Impactful Community Engagement & Planning (ICEP) project (2023 – 2026), which aims to assess and enhance the agency’s community engagement practices across various demographics. Additionally, the team from CBHDS will support modeling for the Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS) Crisis Care Center Expansion (2024 – 2027), slated to commence in May 2024 with a USDA Rural Health grant to evaluate the expansion's impact on behavioral health provision and broader health outcomes in the region.
When she is not working, Dr. Hanlon enjoys biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and spending time with her family, friends, and flock of furry felines.
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GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | |
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Yugasha Bakshi is a third-year PhD candidate in the Planning, Governance, and Globalization program at the School of Public and International Affairs. She earned a Master’s in Urban Management and a Bachelor’s in Architecture and also has 6 years of professional experience in the water and sanitation sector in India. Her previous work was at the intersection of designing and implementing programs for safe and inclusive infrastructure in cities, creating effective data systems for monitoring and evaluation, developing responsive governance, and fostering sustainable development in collaboration with the community, private, and non-profit sectors. For her PhD dissertation, she is focusing on understanding the relationship between risk perception and trust in shaping a household's willingness to cooperate with their water authority.
VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. serves on Yugasha’s dissertation committee. Additionally, Yugasha is a co-host of the Institute's, Social Science for the Public Good podcast series. After wrapping up the ‘Trust’ and ‘Power’ episodes last Fall, Yugasha is looking forward to exploring more social theories in the series' second season. She has also contributed to an episode of the Trustees Without Borders podcast.
In her spare time, Yugasha enjoys playing racquet sports.
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Dr. Nada Berrada currently holds the position of International Project Coordinator at the Education Development Center (EDC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing education, well-being, and economic opportunities globally. Within EDC, Nada contributes to managing the Youth and Workforce Development teams.
One of Nada's significant contributions involves shaping and advancing the organization's climate initiative, "Our World, Our Work," which aims to support at least one million young people pursuing inclusive and quality jobs in the green and blue sectors during a 10-year timeframe. As part of her work, she has developed a curriculum module on climate change and green economies, that has so far reached hundreds of out-of-school youths in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Additionally, Nada managed EDC's inaugural participation at COP28 (United Nations Climate Change Conference), where she shared insights on two panels focused on green skilling alongside Rwanda's Minister of Environment and the CEO of the Nature Conservancy. She stressed the importance of inclusive green transition in her remarks.
Nada is presently serving on the advisory committee for two large events: the Global Youth Economic Opportunities (GYEO) 2024 Summit on Youth, Climate Change, and the Green Economy and the Education for Employment (EFE) Youth and Employment Summit in the Middle East and North Africa.
Dr. Berrada occasionally participates in class sessions, most recently speaking to students at the University of Michigan’s Washington, D.C. Campus and is eager to teach more in the future.
Continuing her life-long learning quest, Nada recently completed a foundational course certificate on sociological regeneration with RegenIntel, as part of its inaugural cohort.
Dr. Berrada was privileged to have VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. chair her doctoral advisory committee leading to her graduation in 2021. In addition to pursuing her PhD in ASPECT, she served as the President of the Community Change Collaborative (CCC) from 2019-2021, participated in four podcast episodes with CCC, and was part of the founding membership of the Maré Research Group.
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Institute for Policy and Governance
201 W. Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
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