USF Faculty Members Publish Academic Journal Articles

Joliet, Ill. – Three USF faculty members in the College of Arts & Sciences were recently published in academic journals in their respective fields of study.

Dr. Jackie Wittke-Thompson

Dr. Jackie Wittke-Thompson, professor of biology, had two articles published in notable journals in the biology education community. She is a member of FlyCURE and the Genomics Education Partnership.

“FlyCURE is a group of geneticists from across the USA that are working to locate specific mutations that were created in the fruit fly by Dr. Jacob Kagey (PI). All the research work is done by undergraduate students under the supervision of a faculty member. USF students in my BIOL151 Beginning Investigative Experiences in Biology and BIOL255 Genetics courses have been part of this project,” she explained.

“The Genomics Education Partnership is a group of geneticists, bioinformaticists, biochemists, and more that are working together to annotate genes in different eukaryotic organisms (such as fruit fly, parasitoid wasps, and the Puerto Rican parrot). All the work is done by undergraduate students under the supervision of a faculty member. USF students in BIOL255 Genetics, BIOL322 Molecular Biology, and BIOL375/376 Advanced Investigative Experiences in Biology have been part of this project,” she added.

Both publications are focused on the impact of these course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) on undergraduate students.

Read “Fly-CURE, a multi-institutional CURE using Drosophila, increases students’ confidence, sense of belonging, and persistence” at https://www.stfrancis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/merkle-et-al-2023-fly-cure-a-multi-institutional-cure-using-drosophila-increases-students-confidence-sense-of-belonging.pdf.

Read “Supporting the democratization of science during a pandemic genomics Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) as an effective remote learning strategy” at https://www.stfrancis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/lopatto-et-al-2023-supporting-the-democratization-of-science-during-a-pandemic-genomics-course-based-undergraduate.pdf.

Dr. Laura Honegger

Dr. Laura Honegger, associate professor of social work, co-authored a journal article with former USF professor Stacy Dewald and several members of the Will County Problem-Solving Court. Honegger and her team have been working together for the past few years and were thrilled that the article, about their collaborative research partnership and lessons learned, was published.

“The article describes an interdisciplinary researcher-practitioner partnership between the Will County Problem-Solving Courts and the University of St. Francis’s Departments of Criminal & Social Justice and Social Work. Collaborators reflect on the mutually beneficial relationship that produced policy-informed research, new internships, and enriched classroom experiences,” Honegger said.

Read “An interdisciplinary researcher-practitioner partnership: lessons and perspectives from researchers and problem-solving court personnel” at https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/CHVPQY25WNC7C8F2QKPV/full?target=10.1080/1478601X.2024.2306351.

Dr. Anna Ioanes

Dr. Anna Ioanes, assistant professor of English at USF, authored a journal article titled “Everybody’s Kathy: Acker, Laing, and the Autofictional Turn” published in the journal Women’s Studies. The article was about the literary influence of novelist Kathy Acker on contemporary autofiction.

“This work analyzes the contemporary attention being paid to late-twentieth-century feminist avant-garde author Kathy Acker. Critical and creative attention to Acker’s work is taking shape in conversation with the development of autofiction and auto theory as important contemporary genres,” Ioanes said.

“Analyzing one particularly significant example, Olivia Laing’s autofictional novel Crudo, the essay demonstrates that Acker’s paranoid disposition and appropriative aesthetic techniques meet a contemporary moment shaped by digital media, resurgent white supremacist political violence, and debates about the relationship between critics and artworks,” Ioanes added.

Read “Everybody’s Kathy: Acker, Laing, and the autofictional Turn” at bit.ly/3U3B4KN.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF Faculty Members Publish Article in the Journal of Forensic Social Work

Dr. Laura Honegger and Dr. Stacy Dewald
Joliet, Ill. – University of St. Francis (USF) faculty members Laura N. Honegger, Ph.D., MSSW (assistant professor and department chair, Department of Social Work) and Stacy Dewald, Ph.D. (assistant professor, Department of Criminal and Social Justice) recently published an article in the Journal of Forensic Social Work on people in the criminal justice system with trauma histories. The article, Making a Case for Gender-Responsive, Trauma-Informed Mental Health Courts: An Exploration of Participant Trauma Histories, takes a closer look at the disproportionate number of people in the criminal justice system with trauma histories, in conjunction with the disproportionate number of people with mental illness who have experienced trauma, examining the trauma histories of mental health court (MHC) participants. Through their study, Honegger and Dewald aimed to describe the lifetime prevalence of traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis among a sample of 163 participants within a Northeastern U.S. MHC. “The findings from our study underscore the importance of understanding the breadth and scope of trauma-informed, gender-responsive approaches within mental health courts. In response, Dr. Dewald and I are working on a research survey that will provide an update on the current status of mental health courts across the United States, with a subset of our survey questions pertaining to how individual courts address trauma among their participants,” said Honegger. Honegger and Dewald’s study concludes that, “in addition to providing in-house services or linkages to counseling, case management, housing, and other ancillary services, MHC participants would likely benefit from embedding a trauma-informed approach, which would be well aligned with the principle of therapeutic jurisprudence.” It adds that, “while the cost of adding gender-responsive, trauma-informed curriculum may be cost prohibitive for many MHC programs, we contend that all MHC programs should work towards the intentional adoption of a trauma-informed approach that includes free and accessible trauma screening tools, as well as modification of existing policies and procedures to reflect the values of safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.” The full article can be accessed at https://journals.shareok.org/jofsw/article/view/109/94. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #
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Assistant Professors Present on Partnership with Will County Problem Solving Courts

Joliet, Ill. – University of St. Francis instructors Stacy Dewald, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal and social justice, and Laura Honegger, Ph.D., LCSW, assistant professor of social work, presented at the Illinois Association of Problem-Solving Courts Conference on Friday October 21, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott in Normal, Ill. The presentation, which included Dr. Scott DuBois and Mitch Crandall from the Will County State’s Attorney’s office, was titled, “Demystifying the Research Process: Collaborating with Universities.” The session discussed the three-year researcher-practitioner relationship between the Will County Problem-Solving Courts (PSC) and the USF Social Work and Criminal & Social Justice Departments. This session also explained how to forge a relationship with a university and discussed the opportunities and benefits of doing so. “This partnership has been mutually beneficial. Universities have professors with the expertise, resources, and desire to conduct research, which can benefit a PSC that lacks the financial means or ability to conduct such research. At the same time, universities can benefit from partnering with PSCs, which can offer internships, service-learning projects, and opportunities for students to connect with the local community. Conducting research not only contributes to improving a Problem-Solving Court but opens up the opportunities for innovative ideas and grant funding,” said Dewald. Visit stfrancis.edu/arts-sciences for more information on USF’s criminal and social justice program, and social work program. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #
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