By Joy Vann
"Accolades” features the achievements of Ƶ’s faculty and staff, highlighting their honors and awards that reflect their dedication, expertise and contributions in their respective fields. You can find the Accolades on the University Communications webpage.
DeAnne Davis Brooks, Ed.D., the graduate program director for the Doctor of Applied Science in Kinesiology at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Ellmer College of Health Sciences at Ƶ, co-authored “Psychological Dynamics of Physical Activity.” This is her first sport psychology textbook and it reflects her holistic approach to physical activity participation. As a clinical associate professor in the School of Exercise Science with more than two decades of experience in kinesiology and sport psychology, Dr. Brooks focuses on leadership development, athlete well-being and innovative pedagogy. She is a Leadership Institute Fellow of the American Kinesiology Association and has contributed book chapters and peer-reviewed articles exploring the intersections of physical activity, identity, culture and lifelong health through sports. She received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.Ed. from the University of Georgia and an Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Kim Bullington, Ph.D. (B.A. ’98, M.A. ’06, Ed.S. ’10, Ph.D. ’14), an assistant professor of higher education in Ƶ’s Department of Educational Leadership and Workforce Development, was selected as a 2025-2026 scholar of the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform. These scholars research Greek life organizations, covering topics including hazing prevention, student learning, leadership and community engagement. Dr. Bullington has researched Greek life issues for more than a decade. Her work has been published in the Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice, the Journal of Campus Activities, Practice and Scholarship and in the scholarly books “Affirming Identity, Advancing Belonging, Amplifying Voice in Sororities and Fraternities” and “From Letters to Leaders.”
Lawrence Colen, MD, a professor of surgery at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Ƶ, was inducted into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in September. He graduated from Colgate University, where he was awarded membership to the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. He graduated from Dartmouth Medical School and completed residency training in general surgery and plastic surgery at the University of California San Francisco before returning to Dartmouth as an associate professor of plastic surgery. Dr. Colen is a plastic surgeon who practices in Norfolk where he specializes in cosmetic surgery of the face, body, breast and breast reconstructive surgery. He came to the Tidewater area to practice with the Horton Adamson Plastic Surgery Group and became an associate professor of plastic surgery and residency training program director at Eastern Virginia Medical School at Ƶ. Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Colen continues to publish articles in plastic surgery professional literature and to contribute to medical textbooks.
Tina Gustin, (D.N.P. ’11), an associate professor and director for Academic Practice Partnerships at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Ellmer School of Nursing at Ƶ, received the Nurse Researcher Award from the Virginia Nurses Foundation in November. Dr. Gustin is the clinical manager for the Pediatric Telehealth program at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. She has been the principal and co-principal investigator for Health and Human Services Administration grants totaling more than $6 million. Dr. Gustin served on the American Nurses Association task force for technology and is a member for Virginia Beach’s Health Advisory Board. She received an undergraduate degree from the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University), an M.S.N. from the University of Virginia and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Ƶ.
Jinhee Kim, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Instructional Design and Technology program in the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, was selected as a research scholar for the 2025–2026 Research Institute for Digital Innovation in Learning, where she will conduct research on the use of AI in teaching and learning. This initiative supports faculty in exploring topics of professional interest within a collaborative and academically rigorous environment. Dr. Kim’s research focuses on AI in education, human–AI interaction and learning, and teaching analytics. Her work has appeared in leading international academic journals, including Educational Technology Research and Development, British Journal of Educational Technology, Journal of Computing in Higher Education and the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. Before joining Ƶ, she worked at Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University, the UNESCO IBE, the APEC e-Learning Training Center and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
Hyun Dong Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, was named one of Forbes Korea’s Y30 Rising AI Leaders — one of just 20 honorees recognized for their impact in algorithms, infrastructure and policy. Dr. Kim pioneered the use of AI-based predictive techniques in coastal engineering. Collaborating with researchers across the United States, Europe and Asia, he is developing a digital twin–based coastal city evaluation platform and building the next generation of AI-driven decision-making systems to respond to climate change, typhoons and flooding. He was elected to the executive board of PIANC, The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, where he contributes to embedding AI and digital twin technologies into international guidelines. He is a member of professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association.
Mira Mariano, PT, Ph.D., (M.S. ’97, Ph.D. ’06), a clinical assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Ellmer College of Health Sciences at Ƶ, was awarded the 2025 Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) Outstanding Service Award in October. She is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, has served two terms on the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy and is the chair of the FSBPT Sexual Misconduct and Boundaries Committee. Her research interests include fall risk, educational research with standardized patients, sexual misconduct in physical therapy and incontinence in female athletes. She received a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Ƶ.
Amber Matthews, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of STEM Education & Professional Studies in the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, was recognized as one of the 2025 Association for Library and Information Science Education's (ALISE) Award recipients. Her dissertation, “Advancing Anti-Racism in Public Libraries for Black Youth in Canada,” was a finalist in the Eugene Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Competition. She holds a B.A. from Huron University College and a M.L.I.S. and a Ph.D. from Western University.
Jessica Parrott, Ƶ (BSN '00, MSN '03, and DNP '10), an assistant professor and director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at Macon & Joan Brock Ellmer School of Nursing at Ƶ, received the Nurse Educator Award from the Virginia Nurses Foundation in November. With more than 25 years of clinical experience in pediatric primary care, urgent care and community-based health clinics, she emphasizes quality improvement in her practice. Beyond her clinical expertise, Dr. Parrott has spent more than 15 years as a nurse educator and leader, concentrating on program assessment, evaluation and initiatives supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds. Her research focuses on enhancing access to care for medically underserved populations, with particular attention to interprofessional practice, the pediatric population, and children with asthma. She has served as principal investigator (PI) and co-PI on nearly $8 million in federal and foundational funding aimed at improving access to care.
Princess Joy L. Perry (MFA ’98, BA ’93), a master lecturer of composition, literature and creative writing, released her debut novel, “This Here is Love” (W.W. Norton). The book is set in Tidewater, Virginia at the end of the 17th century when slavery and indentured servitude defined families and fortunes. A New York Times column about notable new novels said that “Perry’s intersecting plots are gripping, but what’s more impressive is the way she guides us through her characters’ emotional depths.” Her work has appeared in “Sing the Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection” and in African American Review, Harrington Gay Men’s Literary Quarterly and “All About Skin: Short Fiction by Women of Color.” She is a past finalist for the Tobias Wolff Award in Fiction, a recipient of a Virginia Commission for the Arts Fellowship and a winner of the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award.
Kate Rhodes (BA ’07), Ƶ’s chief information security officer, was a panelist for the Women in STEM Across the Defense Industry briefing on December 17, in Washington, D.C. It was hosted by the bipartisan Congressional Women in STEM Caucus, co-chaired by Ƶ alumna U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (‘11). The caucus focuses on the importance of supporting women in STEM fields. Rhodes earned a bachelor’s degree from the University’s training specialist program in occupational and technical studies. After working in the private sector, she joined the U.S. Army, where she served six years as a nodal network systems operator-maintainer. She later worked as a contractor supporting the U.S Navy and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. In her role at Ƶ, Rhodes leads efforts to protect the institution from cyber threats and safeguard its critical digital infrastructure and research assets, supporting Ƶ’s mission as a Carnegie R1 research and medical School.
Adel El-Shahat, Ph.D., an assistant professor and director of the Electric Machinery and Power Systems Lab in the Department of Engineering Technology, coauthored two chapters in Institute of Engineering and Technology textbooks related to maritime applications, one of the research focus areas where Ƶ is a national leader. They are "High-Power Charging Solutions for Electric Ships" and "Digitalization Impact on Transportation Applications." His research focuses on modeling, design, optimization, simulation, analysis and control of aspects such as electric mobility and transportation electrification. Dr. El-Shahat’s work bridges theoretical modeling with experimental validation and practical implementation, placing emphasis on efficiency, resilience and sustainability. Through more than 200 scholarly publications, he has made advancements in sustainable energy solutions and digital power systems. He holds a B.S. and a M.S. in from Zagazig University in Egypt and a Ph.D. through a joint program between Zagazig University and Ohio State University.
Balša Terzić, Ph.D., professor and graduate program director in the Department of Physics, was awarded the George B. Pegram Award from the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society for excellence in physics education in the Southeast in October. The award recognizes Dr. Terzić for outstanding undergraduate mentoring and teaching, for developing a new astrophysics major at Ƶ and for authoring an upper-level textbook on relativity and cosmology. Before joining Ƶ in 2014, Dr. Terzić was a staff scientist at Jefferson Lab in Newport News. He is a member of the interdisciplinary Center for Accelerator Science at Ƶ and has served as a mentor for Research Experience for Undergraduates since 2010. Leveraging an interdisciplinary background spanning mathematics, physics and computer science, Dr. Terzić has focused his research on accelerator physics, astrophysics and cosmology. He earned a doctorate in mathematics from Florida State University.