Helyne Frederick, Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program director, has been named to the Carolina Center for Public Service’s 2021-2023 cohort of Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars. As part of the initiative, she joins nine fellow UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members from across campus and from diverse research areas and backgrounds.
As a Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar, Frederick will collaborate with and support her cohort members in scholarship that engages with UNC-Chapel Hill and the surrounding community throughout the next two years. Frederick will receive $5,000 per year for each of the two years to support her research initiatives.
In addition to leading the UNC School of Education’s HDFS program, which boasts approximately 300 undergraduate majors, Frederick researches ways to improve sexual health care for Black women and adolescents in the region by addressing issues related to higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and reproductive health challenges.
With the Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar funding, Frederick will look to fellow scholars to learn best practices for building trust and partnerships with stakeholders and families in communities surrounding the Carolina campus. She hopes to form partnerships with women leaders in Durham to help break the taboo around talking about sexuality and more effectively disseminate information to Black women and adolescents to improve their sexual health care.
“I am excited about the opportunity to learn more about community-engaged research and to learn from colleagues and community members about helpful strategies to help improve the well-being of women in our community,” Frederick said.
In addition to Frederick, the 2021 class of Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars include:
- Sarah (Betsy) Bledsoe, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Social Work
- Rachel Goode, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Social Work
- Eric Hodges, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Nursing
- Andrea Hussong, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Rhonda Lanning, Ph.D., clinical associate professor in the School of Nursing
- Lauren Leve, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Brenna Maddox, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, TEACHH Autism Program in the School of Medicine
- Kimberly Sanders, Pharm. D., assistant professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Division of Comprehensive Oral Health in the Adams School of Dentistry
- Angela Stuesse, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences
The Carolina Center for Public Service leads the Faculty Engaged Scholars project — from the selection of members to programming to staying engaged with the growing network of scholars. The project is supported through the Chancellor Holden Thorp Endowment Fund. Since its inception in 2007, a total of 73 faculty members have been selected for the program from all professional schools and the College of Arts and Sciences.