Two WVU faculty members have been named as recipients of the University’s 2022-2023 Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program:
Kristen Dieffenbach, associate professor in the College of Physical Activities and Sport Sciences’ Department of Coaching and Teaching Studies.
Daniel Grossman, associate professor in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics’ Department of Economics.
The Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program at WVU is designed to stimulate scholarly initiatives through the creation of an academic community within the institutions in the Big 12 Athletic Conference, offering WVU faculty members the opportunity to travel to member institutions to exchange ideas and research. Faculty may work on collaborative research, consult with faculty and students, offer a series of lectures or symposia, acquire new skills or take advantage of a unique archive or laboratory facility.
For her Big 12 Fellowship, Dieffenbach is working on a project with Angela Lumpkin, a widely-renowned scholar in leadership, intercollegiate athletics, sports ethics and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Lumpkin also serves as chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management at Texas Tech University.
Dieffenbach will also collaborate with Dayna Charbonneau, formerly at WVU and now director of Clinical and Sport Psychology for Texas Tech Athletics, to conduct a series of focus groups with different coaching groups to identify their needs and interests related to professional development and support. Dieffenbach and Lumpkin will then design a pilot professional development program to support early-, mid- and late-career collegiate coaches.
Grossman’s research focuses on health economics, and he will travel to Kansas State University to work with Mandy Gaulke in the Department of Economics on a grant resubmission for a research project focusing on identifying the barriers to care among patients with type 1 diabetes. Grossman will also work with David Slusky in the University of Kansas’ Department of Economics on another grant project that centers on identifying health disparities for individuals of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry in the United States.
Both award recipients will receive $2,500 to support their travel and research with Big 12 colleagues.