Faculty Research Interests

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Colleen Chancler 260x300

My research interest includes analyzing the effects of hospitalization and discharge on older adults from a biopsychosocial perspective.  Specifically, I am interested in the social determinants of health as related to the ability to return to a full and active lifestyle after acute illness for older adults. Additionally, since joining the Widener PT faculty, I have developed an interest in teaching pedagogy and how to share classroom and lab experiences for improved learning.

Sushma Chaubey Profile Image 2019

Sushma Chaubey

Adjunct Assistant Professor

I have conducted diverse research studies which have given me understanding of various subjects and vast experience in a number of molecular, biochemical, cell biology, immunological and neurological techniques. I have extensive experience in cell and tissue culture techniques. My research interest is focused on application of stem cells (NSCs/MSCs) in understanding and treating different diseases of brain, lungs and heart. I also have interest in molecular and cell biology of microbes and malaria parasite. During my PhD., I investigated the translational status of a plastid-like organelle - apicoplast, known to be essential for the survival of Plasmodium falciparum.

LiKang Chin Profile

LiKang Chin

Graduate Program Director

My interest in biomaterials and tissue engineering was kickstarted during my first job as an engineer for Cook Biotech Inc., a company that manufactures medical devices made of small intestinal submucosa. Since then, I have studied mechanobiology, inflammation, tissue engineering and hyaluronan in tendon, fat, and liver. My current research interests include the mechanical behavior of diseased soft tissues and identifying the contributing cellular and extracellular matrix structures. I have particular interest in adipocytes and adipose tissue, the effects of fatty acids on mechanosensing and inflammation, and the development of cell- or tissue-engineering treatment strategies.

Michael Cocchiarale

Michael Cocchiarale

Chair of English and Creative Writing

I have two main research interests: sports literature and flash fiction. I am interested in how fiction writers and poets use sports to explore issues of identity, gender, race, class, psychology, competition, and civic pride. More recently, I've become interested in flash fictions extremely short narratives typically less than 1,000 words.

Phoenix Jazmine Cooper 260x300

Phoenix J. Cooper

Institute Graduate Clinical Psychology, Assistant Professor
  • Childhood trauma
  • Childhood psychopathology
  • Neurobiology of trauma and toxic stress 
  • Behavioral biomarkers of toxic stress and trauma 
  • Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) antibody/antigen extraction 
  • Measuring stress hormones: cortisol, oxytocin, alpha amylase etc.
  • Nervous system dysregulation
  • Allostatic Load
  • Intergeneration/Transgenerational Trauma
  • Compassion, relational therapy, and Self Care
  • Developmental disorders 
Richard Cooper

Richard M. Cooper

Director of the BSW Program and Co-Coordinator African American Studies

My research interests are culturally centered educational pedagogy, therapeutic methodological frameworks, healing, counseling agency-based practice, and emancipation-oriented paradigms for African Americans and other disempowered populations.

Angela M. Corbo

Angela M. Corbo

Chair of Communication Studies

An active and ongoing research agenda perpetuates knowledge that is meaningful to society and memorable to students in the classroom. My research focuses on communication pedagogy, ethical journalistic reporting in cases of suicide, emotional intelligence, gendered communication, and interactive interdisciplinary research. The topics of research are connected by interpersonal communication theories and application.

Mike Corcoran 260x300
  • Well-being
  • Goals, goals selection, and effective goal pursuit
  • Antecedents and consequences of motivation
  • Arrogance
  • Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction
  • Psychological Health and functioning
  • Self-Determination Theory
  • Research methodology 
David J. Coughlin

I examine muscle function during locomotion and feeding. Employing fish as model species, my students and I use integrated research approaches, from whole animal performance to tissue function to gene expression. Currently, my lab is focused on how a small, coastal fish, the rainbow smelt, is able to swim and feed during the extreme cold of the North Atlantic winter.

Maureen A. Coyle 260x300

Broadly, my research focuses on how media and technology affect interpersonal and romantic relationships. I study how computer-mediated communication affects interpersonal processes such as person perception and relationship development. I particularly focus on how ambiguity in text-based interactions disrupts intimacy and how individuals attempt to reduce that ambiguity. Many of my online and laboratory projects address how emoji use in text conversations affects impression formation and perceived partner responsiveness. I also study how being ghosted on online dating apps affects future perceptions and pursuit of potential partners.

Jennifer Cullen

Jennifer Cullen

Director of Center for Social Work Education

My overarching research agenda is to explore and understand the professional identity development of social work students, how values and personal attributes contribute to that development, and then how courses can be structured to enhance and continue to support the developmental process. My research goal is to examine the process of identity development to provide insight to the process, thereby enabling the development of course content that will further strengthen the students' professional development.

Huy Dao

Huy A. Dao

Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor

My research interests involve designing teaching materials that enhance conceptual understanding and problem solving. This includes use of technology and multimedia to facilitate understanding of the submicroscopic world.

Edwin Dauber

My research focuses on application of machine learning to digital privacy and security. My dissertation was on applying stylometry - the study of style - to identifying the authors of collaborative documents and programs. I am interested in continuing research in applications of stylometry, but also in expanding to other applications of machine learning.

Erika M. Dawkins 260x300

My clinical and research interests include minority identity development, microaggressions, intersectionality, grief, trauma, couples therapy, human sexuality, community psychology, and more recently, the impact that social media has on both self-image/worth/esteem and the development and maintenance of intra- and interpersonal relationships. I look forward to partnering with students and faculty across disciplines around research that speaks to the lived experiences of Black people within those interest areas.

Kripa Dholakia 260x300

My doctoral scholarship work explored the ethicality of International Service-Learning (ISL) as a teaching model. My interest lies in Global Health and disability issues in low- and middle-income countries.