For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent presentations, publications, honors, media appearances and memorials include the following:

Presentations

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, was an invited participant at an online event organized by the British Association of Decadence Studies, which is based at Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K.  On July 21, 2026, she was part of the group of scholars of late-Victorian literature and culture from the U.K., the U.S., Germany, Slovenia and France who gathered to share research on one of the most iconic books of the 1890s, Silverpoints, a volume of poetry by John Gray that was published by the Bodley Head and promoted by Oscar Wilde. Silverpoints is also famed in bibliophilic circles for its innovative binding and design by the artist Charles Ricketts. (In fall 2027, Margaret Stetz and Mark Samuels Lasner, senior research fellow emeritus, UD Library, Museums and Press, will be curating an exhibition at the Grolier Club in New York City, titled "Decadent Partners: The Worlds of Ricketts, Shannon and Oscar Wilde," in which Silverpoints will feature prominently.)

Publications

“Nostos & Rpt,” poetry by Amish Trivedi, assistant professor of English, is included in the summer 2026 edition of The Georgia Review, a literary-cultural journal published out of the University of Georgia, that features “imaginative work that challenges us to reconsider any line, distinction or thought in danger of becoming too rigid or neat, so that our readers can continue the conversations in their own lives.”

Honors

Gregory Hicks, Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences and associate vice president for clinical and translational research in the Department of Physical Therapy, received the Mary McMillan Visionary Leader Lecture Award from the American Physical Therapy Association. Marking the organization’s most distinguished award, the honor is bestowed upon a physical therapist who has made inspirational, significant and impactful contributions to the profession. Hicks’ contributions to physical therapy span education, research and clinical practice, with his research on older adults with low back pain fundamentally advancing rehabilitation practices for this population and significantly improving care for an often-overlooked group. He has also led multiple NIH-funded grants and created meaningful opportunities for advanced training and mentorship, establishing himself as a leading force in shaping and advancing the next generation of physical therapy clinician-scientists. His work on health equity in physical therapy and improving the diversity of the profession has led the way toward a more inclusive, representative and socially responsive field. Through his leadership and advocacy, he has helped advance meaningful conversations and concrete efforts to address inequities in access, education and care. Hicks will give the 58th McMillan Lecture at APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting in Philadelphia in February 2027.

Karin Grävare Silbernagel, professor and associate chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, received the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) on July 11, 2026, at the APTA Payment Advocacy Summit in Portland, Oregon. The award acknowledges physical therapists who have made significant contributions to the profession through excellence in research. Grävare Silbernagel is honored to receive the Marian Williams Award. “Throughout my career, I have been motivated by the belief that rigorous research can transform clinical practice and expand opportunities for individuals to live healthier, more active lives,” said Grävare Silbernagel. “This recognition reflects the contributions of outstanding students, trainees, colleagues and collaborators whose partnership has made this work possible. This award celebrates not only past achievements but also the ongoing pursuit of discoveries that will shape the future of physical therapy. I am grateful to the University of Delaware for their partnership in that mission.”

Percussion graduate students William Irish and Keegan Vaughan, who perform together as the Ivy Percussion Duo, won the 2026 Great Plains International Marimba Competition (GPIMC) in the duo category. GPIMC is a prominent event that draws national and international competitors and is juried by top marimbists in the world. The competition seeks to contribute to the quality and evolution of marimba performance through fostering high-level marimba performances, presentations and individual feedback by world-class musicians, and an annual composition competition. Since 2019, GPIMC has been organized by the Oklahoma Modern Music Collective.

Athena Bruess, a second-year master of public health in epidemiology student, has been selected by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) to be a “This Is Public Health (TIPH) Ambassador.” The TIPH Ambassador Program is a national initiative that provides graduate students with the opportunity to promote public health and raise awareness of careers in the field. As a TIPH Ambassador, Bruess will engage with prospective students and the public health community through outreach, educational events and social media, highlighting the impact of public health and helping build the future workforce of public health professionals.

The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, a world-renowned research institute at the National Gallery of Art, has announced that Jennifer Van Horn will be a 2026-2027 senior fellow. She will join an exceptional community of fellows at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., who will pursue independent research. Van Horn, professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Art History, will advance her book project, To Make Otherwise: Disabilities and US Art History, 1780-1950, which asks how embracing disability as a creative mode of sensory engagement and imaginative rethinking of artistic processes changes our practice and understanding of art history. The project looks to the 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century United States to center the creative productions of multiply marginalized disabled artists who approached making from unconventional vantage points spurred by their differing embodiments. Grounded in sensory interactions beyond the visual — touch, hearing, taste, smell, thermoception and proprioception — the project focuses on resistance, community building and world making through “misfit” creation in order to envision a cross-disability solidarity across art history.

Media appearances

Lauren Covington, associate professor of nursing, recently appeared on the radio show “HealthCetera in the Catskills” on WIOX Radio in Roxbury, New York. On the show, Covington discussed her research aimed at improving sleep and health outcomes in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Unsafe sleep is the leading cause of death for babies in the U.S. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents not share a bed with their infant, research shows more than 60% of American families are doing exactly that, and many do not disclose this practice to their pediatricians. “That silence is killing babies,” said Covington. “My work aims to break the silence and provide evidence-based ways to reduce bed-sharing risk.”

In Memoriam

William V. Gehrlein, professor emeritus of operations management in the Lerner College, passed away July 17, 2026. He joined the UD faculty in 1978 and served as acting chair of the Department of Business Administration in 1987-88. Dr. Gehrlein retired in 2013.

Kenneth Haas, retired professor of criminal justice, passed away on Sept. 24, 2025. While a graduate student at UD, he won a University award for excellence in teaching by a graduate assistant. After he joined the UD faculty. he  was honored with two more awards for excellence in teaching and two awards for excellence in undergraduate advising. Dr. Haas retired in 2020 after nearly 48 years on the faculty. 

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