News
May 26, 2015Sage’s Dorothy Matthews Named Fulbright Scholar
TROY, NY – The Sage Colleges is proud to announce that Dorothy Matthews, Ph.D., professor of Biology, has been granted a Fulbright Scholar award to conduct research at the University of Botswana in Southern Africa.
Matthews’ research will evaluate the effectiveness of the service initiatives provided by The Centre for the Study of HIV and AIDS (CSHA) at the University of Botswana. While some efforts are underway to evaluate programming and curriculum integration, no systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of its client initiatives has been conducted. This project aims to conduct such an assessment. At least 150 clients who used CSHA services since 2010 will be contacted and interviewed using IRB approved assessment instruments. The results will assist in putting in place future evaluation and monitoring mechanisms to ensure concurrent monitoring of programs and services for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
“I chose Botswana as my Fulbright host country because I want to use my knowledge as a microbiologist and my skills as an educational researcher to help alleviate human suffering,” explained Matthews. “This country is among the hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I hope that the findings that come from my Fulbright project will provide professionals in Botswana with important information as they design future research-based HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment initiatives. This project supports the Fulbright ideal of ‘bringing a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs.’”
According to the Botswana US Partnership for HIV/AIDS 2010-2014, 25% of adults in Botswana aged 15 to 49 were HIV positive when tested in 2007. Over 300,000 adults and children are estimated to be HIV positive and more than 52,000 children are orphaned after losing one or both parents due to AIDS. This epidemic is impacting Botswana’s labor force, affecting productivity and putting a strain on the economy as the government strives to support health care services. It is estimated that by 2021 Botswana’s population will be reduced by 18% from what it would have been as a result of this epidemic.
Matthews will conduct research at the University of Botswana from September 2015 through May 2016. She is available to speak about her research. To schedule an interview contact Deanna Cohen, director of external relations, The Sage Colleges, (518) 244-4593 (O), (518) 598-4927 (C), email: cohend2@sage.edu ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABOUT SAGE Interdisciplinary academics, combining the professions and the liberal arts, community engagement, international exposure, and artistic and athletic endeavors are among the pillars of the educational experience at The Sage Colleges. Sage enrolls more than 3,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs at the undergraduate Russell Sage College for women in Troy, N.Y.; the coeducational undergraduate Sage College of Albany in Albany, N.Y.; and the graduate-level Esteves School of Education, School of Health Sciences and School of Management, with programs on both campuses; adult education through the School of Professional and Continuing Education and via the Internet through Russell Sage Online.
