Faculty Panelist Bios

Moderator:

Jeremy Qualls, Ph.D., is Professor of Physics and Dean of the College of Science, Technology, and Health at USM. He previously served as Director of Academic Resources and Planning of the School of Science and Technology at Sonoma State University (SSU). He also served as Faculty Fellow for the Center for Community Engagement and was Director of the STEM Freshman Year Experience.

Panelists:

Rachel Casey, M.S.W. and Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at USM. Rachel conducts research across methodologies to illuminate the unique experiences of justice-involved women, indigenous people, and people of color, aiming to improve the responsiveness of criminal justice and correctional interventions. Rachel is also passionate about teaching and has taught courses in research methods, human behavior in the social environment, and social justice. Regardless of subject matter, Rachel strives to engage students in dynamic learning experiences which help them develop a critical perspective and acquire essential knowledge and skills for competent, reflexive social work practice.

Anita Charles, Ph.D. and M.Ed., is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Secondary Teacher Education at Bates College and previously taught high school English for over ten years. In the past, she has taught a wide variety of ages and abilities, from first graders in Jersey City, NJ, through adult learners, teaching subjects as diverse as French and Alternative Education programming. She has mentored many new and student teachers, and has presented statewide workshops on a wide range of topics, including autism in the classroom, special education topics and laws, multiliteracies, and effective teaching methodologies. In addition to her work at Bates, she teaches distance ed courses in these areas.

Kimberly Giamportone, Ph.D. and L.S.W., is an Assistant Professor of Social Work as USM. Her clinical experience in medical social work was honed in the areas of hospice and palliative care departments prior to moving into academia full time. In addition to her social work responsibilities, Kimberly served as faculty for the physician hospice/palliative fellowship and was an integral member of the hospital ethics committee. Prior to USM, Kimberly was an Assistant Director of Field Education and an adjunct social work instructor for many years. She is passionate about elevating students on a path of continued life-long learning and critical thinking.

Heather Shattuck-Heidorn, Ph.D. and M.A., is a biological anthropologist who works at the intersections of public health, gender theory, and human biology, and is Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Southern Maine and Assistant Director of Harvard University's GenderSci Lab.

She uses gender theory to motivate hypothesis-based research examining how our social lives become embodied, reflected in our hormones, immune function, and other biology. Current projects include utilizing large datasets to recover the effects of gender on aspects of immune function, and an ongoing project examining the sex disparity in COVID-19 outcomes.

Hermeet Kohli, Ph.D. and M.S.W., is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Southern Maine and has resided in Maine since 2006. She teaches the following undergraduate and graduate social work courses: Multicultural Social Work Practice, Social Work Research, Introduction to Social Work Practice, Field Work, and Social Work Practice with Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers. She has been a social work educator since 1997 and has taught at various social work schools nationally (University of Louisville, California State University - Chico, University of Southern Maine) and internationally (Delhi University, India).

Professor Kohli has worked as a generalist social work practitioner in several national and international social work agencies. Her research is situated at the intersection of teaching and service, and centered on the principles of participatory and applied research that centralizes the voices of those often overlooked. The overarching theme that organizes her scholarly activities is to “enhance the wellbeing of client populations being served through culturally responsive social work practice”. She is interested in knowing how prospective and practicing social workers develop cultural humility and responsiveness to better serve diverse client population(s).

Margaret (Peggy) Moore, M.S., is a Lecturer of Mathematics and Statistics at USM. Peggy is passionate about teaching; helping her students achieve academic success is her top priority. She is committed to active learning and incorporating metacognitive strategies in all of her classes. This has resulted in numerous cases where students have experienced a paradigm shift in their relationship with mathematics. She has been involved with general education and curricular reform over the last decade and has presented at numerous state and national conferences about innovative teaching strategies.

Daniel Panici, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Communication. Daniel primarily teaches mass media and mass communication courses including: Introduction to Media Studies, Writing for the Media, Theories of Mass Communication, The Effects of Mass Media, Television Production, and Media Studies Senior Project. Daniel also teaches Introduction to Communication and Research Methods courses. His current scholarly interests explore the use of case studies in mass media courses, media use and childhood development, and news framing of mental illness.

Heather Shattuck-Heidorn, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies at USM.

Kimberly Simmons, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies, Part-Time. Kim is trained as a sociologist and studies social movements. Kim is committed to public sociology and is a member of the Scholar Strategy Network as well as an organizer with Women’s March Portland and a current board member of I’m Your Neighbor Books, and a co-chair of the Sexual Harassment State Network Education Committee, a project of the National Women’s Law Center. Kim primarily teaches Intro to Women and Gender Studies and is excited to teach the new Social Justice Minor Introductory course in the summer and fall.

Rachel Simons, Ph.D., joined the Biology Department at USM in 2015. She is a functional morphologist with expertise in the evolution of respiratory and locomotor integration. She conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and she held previous teaching appointments at Monroe Community College and the Nazareth College of Rochester. Rachel teaches Human Anatomy & Physiology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, and Plant and Animal Form and Function. Dr. Simons also serves as the Health Professions Advisor for students interested in attending medical, dental, or other health-related graduate schools.