This month, Insights continues with regular profiles of new faculty, department chairs and program administrators for the 2002-2003 academic year.

Laura McGough
Visiting Assistant Professor, History

Laura McGough's work clearly illustrates the relationship between the experiences of the distant past and the concerns of today. McGough examines the impact of syphilis as an endemic disease in sixteenth and seventeenth century Venice. She believes, largely based on her experiences teaching in Ghana, that this study offers insight into the long-term implications of today's AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. McGough has also begun an interdisciplinary research colloquium for faculty members working on health-related issues to share their research. McGough earned her B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.A from the University of British Columbia, and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Tyson King-Meadows
Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science

Tyson King-Meadows comes to UMBC while on research leave from Middle Tennessee State University. He is an expert on African American political behavior, examining such issues as attitudes on politics and rates of political participation among African Americans and rates of success for African American politicians in passing policy and running for office. King-Meadows earned his B.A. from North Carolina Central University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he, as a graduate student instructor, he received a Chancellor's award for outstanding undergraduate teaching.

John Schumacher
Assistant Professor, Sociology & Anthropology

John Schumacher examines the nature of relationships between health providers and their patients. By studying such factors as the length of time patients spend with medical personnel and how information is conveyed in that time, Schumacher evaluates the level of satisfaction among health providers who treat elderly patients in hospital emergency departments. He hopes that this research will be able to offer recommendations to prepare medical professionals to treat elderly patients more effectively. Schumacher earned his B.S. from John Carroll University, a M.A. in Applied Philosophy from Bowling Green State University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Case Western Reserve University.

Sarah Chard
Visiting Assistant Professor, Sociology & Anthropology

Sarah Chard comes to UMBC from Bowling Green State University. Her research focuses on factors such as family networks and socioeconomic resources that influence women's ability to seek treatment for tuberculosis. This research, partially funded by the National Science Foundation, has taken her to Uganda where she has been able to investigate how people with very limited resources are able to gain treatment for chronic disease. Currently, she is working closely with local health institutions to help them develop policy that is more effective in implementing preventive measures for disease. Chard earned her B.A. at Bryn Mawr College and her M.A. and Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University.