KINGSTON, R.I. — November 26, 2002 — The following honors and appointments involving University of Rhode Island faculty or staff were recently announced:
Marlene Dufault, professor of nursing and Narragansett resident, was honored by the American Cancer Society and the Rhode Island Cancer Pain Initiative on Tuesday, Oct. 29 for her research on pain management. She was among three health care professionals honored during the 21st Century Pain Management Program at the Radisson Hotel, Warwick. Dufault recently completed a pain management study that directly affected patients in home care agencies in South County, Providence and Woonsocket.
Maria Garrido, adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island, chaired “Latino Psychology 2002: Bridging Our Diversity and Our Communities” during October. The three-day conference, held in Providence and sponsored by URI’s Psychology Dept., Multicultural Center, and the R.I. Psychology Association, provided a forum for 220 Latino mental health scholars, graduate students, and practitioners from across the country. Attendees presented papers, exchanged ideas, and developed knowledge to address the behavioral health needs of the growing and diverse Latino community in the U.S. In addition, they were able to share numerous networking and professional development opportunities.
Wakefield resident Diane M. Horm, professor of human development and family studies and associate dean of the College of Human Science and Services, was recently elected to the governing board of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. The association represents nearly 700 early childhood teacher educators worldwide. The purpose of the association is to promote the professional growth of early childhood teacher educators and to advocate for improvement in the field of early childhood teacher education.
Kingston resident Nir Kshetri, a doctoral candidate in marketing and e-commerce areas at the College of Business Administration had his prize-winning essay “What Determines Internet Diffusion Loci in Developing Countries: Evidence from China and India” published in the 2002 first quarter issue of Pacific Telecommunications Review. Kshetri was awarded $2000 cash and $1500 toward travel reimbursement to present his paper. He also won the 2001 Association for Consumer Research/Sheth Foundation Dissertation Award for “best cross-cultural research dissertation proposal” and was awarded a cash prize of $3000. The dissertation abstract has been published in the 2002 winter issue of the ACR Newsletter, which is also available online at http://www.acr-news.org/PHD.html.
Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr. of North Kingstown, distinguished scholar-in-residence at the University of Rhode Island and director of its Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, is the recipient of the Whitney N. Young Jr. Service Award. The award was presented by the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America and recognizes individuals for their outstanding service to low-income, urban youth. The Narragansett Council Scout Reach Committee selected LaFayette for the award. LaFayette was cited for being a role model to young people, devoting his life to creating nonviolent social change, and for constantly working to improve the lives of young people.
Richmond resident Ruth Waldman, associate dean of the College of Nursing, has received a Distinguished Alumna Award from the School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The award was presented in October on Alumni Day. Waldman was honored with a plaque for her lifetime contributions to nursing and nursing education.