Faculty Awards

JOHNSON CITY (Aug. 24, 2018) – East Tennessee State University bestowed its highest honors upon three professors today with the presentation of the 2018 Distinguished Faculty Awards for Teaching, Research and Service.

The winners were nominated and selected by their faculty peers. Each received a medallion, a plaque and a $5,000 check provided by the ETSU Foundation during the annual Faculty Convocation, which marks the beginning of the new academic year and fall semester.

Dr. Kathryn Sharp is the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching. Sharp is an associate professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education in the Clemmer College.

“I had the opportunity to participate in many of Dr. Sharp’s early childhood education courses,” writes a graduate of the Clemmer College. “The expectations that Dr. Sharp had for me as a student molded me to become the teacher I am today. Not only was her instruction impactful and meaningful during my undergraduate studies and residency, but also in my professional teaching to date.”

A colleague and former student described Sharp as “the embodiment of everything an effective, supportive teacher should be,” adding that “it is obvious that student learning and success are the very heart and soul of Dr. Sharp’s work, and she commits herself completely to her students to help them achieve their goals.”

Sharp holds both B.S. and Ed.D. degrees in curriculum and instruction from the University of Memphis and a master’s degree, also in curriculum and instruction, from Union University. She came to ETSU in 2009 after serving five years as a faculty member at the University of Memphis and six years as a kindergarten and second grade teacher for Memphis City Schools.

Since joining the ETSU faculty, her work has been published in journals such as The International Journal of the Whole Child, American Reading Forum Yearbook, and the Association for Constructivist Teacher Newsletter in addition to the Praxis II exam: Early childhood specialty exam series by the Educational Testing Service.

In support of Sharp’s nomination for the award, a faculty member in the Clemmer College wrote, “I know Dr. Sharp spends countless hours individually with her students, coaching them toward success in her class and in their program of study. She does not back down from her high standards, but will do whatever it takes to help them achieve these standards.”

In 2017, Sharp was named as a Distinguished Honorary Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.  She is also a member of the Southern Early Childhood Association, International Reading Association, Phi Delta Kappa, Association for Teacher Educators and the Association for Childhood Educators International.

The Distinguished Faculty Award in Research was presented to Dr. Courtney Hall, a professor in the ETSU College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Sciences Department of Physical Therapy and a research health scientist at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.

In receiving the award, Hall earned recognition for her years of research related to balance, gait and vestibular dysfunction.      

“My academic career has focused on building a programmatic research portfolio to better understand age-related changes, both normal and pathological, in postural control and how best to intervene therapeutically to prevent loss of mobility and falls,” Hall said. “My research has focused on motor, sensory and cognitive contributions to balance control in older adults and currently, my research is geared toward developing novel interventions to reduce dizziness and fall risk in older adults.”

Throughout her career, Hall has been the recipient of more than $7 million in research funds from federal and other entities as either the principal or co-investigator of 11 grants. Her research has resulted in 34 peer-reviewed journal articles, eight book chapters, 19 peer-reviewed abstracts and eight peer-reviewed scientific presentations. Hall currently has three active grants totaling over $2.6 million.

In addition to working with other physical therapy professionals through her research, Hall works interprofessionally with faculty from other areas, including audiology, medicine and pharmacology.

“Dr. Hall is one of the research leaders in our college,” said Dr. Don Samples, dean of the ETSU College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. “Perhaps even more significant is the impact she has had on the patients she treats who have traumatic brain injuries and vestibular dysfunction. She is on the cutting edge of the field of rehabilitation science and makes a difference in the lives of the patients she treats.”

Hall has been on faculty at ETSU since 2011. Prior to coming to ETSU, Hall was an assistant professor at Emory University, held a joint appointment at the Atlanta VAMC, and was an investigator at the Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Consortium.

She earned two undergraduate degrees – one in mathematics from Davidson College and the other in physical therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received a master’s degree in exercise and movement sciences from the University of Oregon and her Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin.

The recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Service was presented to Dr. Cynthia Chambers, associate dean for the Clemmer College and professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Special Education.

“Dr. Chambers connects research to practice by involving her students in the development, implementation, and evaluation of inclusive community service programs that have a strong research-based foundation,” a fellow faculty member wrote. “Her students are actively engaged and enthusiastic, and many continue to volunteer in the community-based service activities long after the semester has ended.”

Since joining the ETSU faculty in 2007, Chambers has gained regional and national attention for initiatives she has launched, including “Turning Pages Together,” a series of book clubs for people of all abilities; the “Friends of Lazarus Reading Program,” which provides reading opportunities for homeschool children in partnership with a local animal shelter; the “Friends of Lazarus Job Internship Program” which offers job internships at the animal shelter for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and “Learning With Laz,” through which Chambers and her cat, Lazarus, present to groups of young children about ways to identify their own unique qualities and discover how they can contribute. The Lazarus programs were named in honor of Chambers’ cat who was born with cleft palate.  Earlier this year, Chambers and Lazarus were featured on the Animal Planet network.

Another program she helped implement with a former graduate student was Power of Performing (POP) Arts, a performing arts program for children and adults with and without exceptionalities.

“POP Arts was the turning point of my college career,” a recent graduate wrote. “This program allowed me to apply what I was learning during my lectures into real-life experiences.”

In describing Chambers’ work with the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program, a nominator commended Chambers for “providing quality feedback to the interprofessional graduate, medical, and doctoral-level students” and added that she uses her time, resources, and knowledge to “build connections between our program, the Vanderbilt faculty, and our community members to provide prominent interprofessional interactions and learning experiences. She has also provided many resources and time to connect community experiences for our trainees and for the annual conference for professional and community members.”

Chambers holds a B.S. degree in special education from Georgia College and State University; an M.Ed. degree from Vanderbilt University; and a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Kansas.


Media Contact:
Kristen Swing
Email: swing@etsu.edu
Phone: 423-439-4317