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A basic map of Haiti

Assistant Professor Patrick Sylvain Offers Insights into Crisis in Haiti

After armed groups overran Port-au-Prince, thereby displacing thousands of residents and hindering access to food, Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on March 4, 2024. According to Sylvain, Haiti must cultivate strong leadership to overcome the current crisis.


A number of pills pouring out of a prescription bottle.

Millicent Gorham ’76 Defends Access to Anti-Obesity Medications

Earlier in March, the Wall Street Journal reported that many American employers are restricting coverage for anti-obesity medications. CEO of the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention Millicent Gorham, a Simmons alumna, honorary doctorate, and Trustee, published a letter of...


Headshots of the 2024 Senior Scholar Award winners

Congratulations to the 2024 Senior Scholars

The annual Senior Scholar Award is sponsored by the Provost's Office and the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. The award recognizes six graduating seniors for their outstanding scholarship and contribution to a field of study.


Horn Book creator Bertha Mahoney and a poster celebrating 100 years of the Horn Book magazine

Blowing the Horn for Children’s Literature: One Hundred Years of The Horn Book Magazine

In October of 1924, the first issue of The Horn Book magazine appeared. It began as a newsletter from the Bookshop for Boys and Girls, one of the first children’s book shops in the United States, established in 1916 by...


President Lynn Perry Wooten seated near a wall hanging of the University seal

Celebrating Simmons’ 125th Anniversary

We will offer a variety of ways for our community – students, faculty, staff, alums, and friends – to participate in this historic moment as we honor the many contributions of this institution and the remarkable Simmons trailblazers, visionaries, and leaders who have and continue to shape our University and our world.


Anna Rodriguez

Anna Rodriguez ’23MSW: Bridging Hearts and Minds as a Mental Health Therapist

Anna Rodriguez is a mental health therapist at Cartwheel Care, a behavioral healthcare company that partners with K-12 schools to provide mental health services to children and adolescents.


Gloria Steinem. Anne Jardim, and Thasunda Brown Duckett

Inclusion & Impact: Honoring Change Makers Of Our Time

We are proud that this year marks the 125th anniversary of Simmons University, an institution founded for equality and dedicated to furthering social justice and economic mobility. We are also celebrating 45 years of The Simmons Leadership Conference , an...


A person lacing up an ice skate

Maya Balling ’24 Competes in Synchronized Skating Championship

Simmons student Maya Balling ’24 recently traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the Synchronized Skating Championship. Along with other New England skaters, Balling belongs to Team Excel (the adult and collegiate divisions), which finished sixth and ninth out of the 12 teams, respectively.


Leadership in the News

Horn Book creator Bertha Mahoney and a poster celebrating 100 years of the Horn Book magazine

Blowing the Horn for Children’s Literature: One Hundred Years of The Horn Book Magazine

In October of 1924, the first issue of The Horn Book magazine appeared. It began as a newsletter from the Bookshop for Boys and Girls, one of the first children’s book shops in the United States, established in 1916 by...


Gloria Steinem. Anne Jardim, and Thasunda Brown Duckett

Inclusion & Impact: Honoring Change Makers Of Our Time

We are proud that this year marks the 125th anniversary of Simmons University, an institution founded for equality and dedicated to furthering social justice and economic mobility. We are also celebrating 45 years of The Simmons Leadership Conference , an...


Ann Marie Fudge '73, '98HD

Ann Marie Fudge ’73, ’98HD Opens Doors for Women in Corporate America

Ann Marie Fudge ’73, ’98HD has enjoyed a fruitful career in the corporate world, having served on the boards of General Electric, Marriott, Honeywell, Novartis, Unilever and Infosys, as well as several non-profits.


The exterior of the Clinton Street Bakery

Co-Owner of Clinton St. Baking Co. Dishes on the Value of a Women-Centered Education

After an earlier career in magazine journalism and writing, Dede Lahman ’93 became the co-owner of Clinton St. Baking Co., a restaurant and bakery on NYC’s Lower East Side. The eatery specializes in breakfast and brunch with notorious 2 hour lines around the block. We spoke with Lahman about how her studies at Simmons shaped who she is now.


Felipa Canchola ’24, Lisa deRosier ’24, and Rashida Alisa Hagakore ’24

Simmons Students Support Local Women Experiencing Homelessness

This fall, Simmons students from the Social Action Leaders course are channeling their academic studies into advocacy. We spoke with students Felipa Canchola ’24, Lisa deRosier ’24, and Rashida Alisa Hagakore ’24 about their passion for experiential service learning and their conception of good leadership.


Erin Fraser DSW ’25

Erin Fraser DSW ’25, LCSW, CRAADC Becomes First Female Executive Director of Benilde Hall

On October 1, 2023, Simmons School of Social Work doctoral candidate Erin Fraser became the first female Executive Director of Benilde Hall, a recovery center in Kansas City, Missouri. Fraser spoke with us about her reaction to this historic appointment, her enthusiasm for supporting underserved individuals, and her conception of leadership.


A side-by-side image of the 2023 Bonner Community Leaders: Megan Burgess ’27, Maya Kansky ’27, and Kathleen Dunn ’27

Simmons Welcomes 2023 Bonner Community Leaders

The Bonner Community Leaders Program at Simmons University is a unique opportunity for students who want to combine a strong commitment to service with personal growth, teamwork, leadership development, and scholarship. This fall, Simmons announced a new cohort of 11 Bonner Leaders. We spoke with three of them.


A photo composite of the nine students in the Passionate Leaders Project 2023 cohort

Simmons Announces Passionate Leaders Project Scholars for Fall 2023

The Passionate Leaders Project supports Simmons undergraduates by enriching their academic & professional interests beyond the classroom. Students may request up to $4,000 to support their research, internships, and creative endeavors. This semester’s students produced research related to human rights, documentary film, healthcare access, therapeutic care databases, the neurodevelopment of fruit flies, Muslims’ experiences with healthcare in Boston, and software that supports Simmons’ food pantry.


STEM in the News

A model of a Perfluorooctanoic acid molecule.

Associate Professor of Biology Eric Luth Co-Authors Scientific Article with Former Students

Neurobiologist Eric Luth recently co-authored a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A (October 2021) with several of his students: Celine Breton ’21, Kaitlyn Kessel ’23, Ariel Robinson ’19, and Kainat Altaf ’22. The piece traces developmental abnormalities among worm populations after exposure to environmental contaminants.


The Park Science Center building on the Simmons University campus

Honoring 50 Years of the Park Science Center and Celebrating a New Era at Simmons University

At the time it was built in the early 1970’s, the Park Science building served as a symbol of progress and achievement in women's-centered education. It challenged gender norms and societal expectations while promoting inclusivity and diversity in academia.


Stacey Pazar Huth

Dr. Stacey Pazar Huth ’87 Shares Family’s Multigenerational History with Simmons

Chemist and biomedical product developer Stacey Pazar Huth ’87 is a leading woman in medical diagnostics and research and development. Her connection to Simmons also involves her father, who helped build the campus, and her daughter, a current nursing major. We spoke with Huth about her Simmons journey, the gender bias in STEM, and her understanding of legacy.


Pictured: Students visit the MIT Museum: Raneem Mousa, Michelle Doroteo-Alvarez, Giselle Yang, Christine Felt, Leensyn Asmen, Minh Anh Bui

Simmons Creates Paths to Engineering

Simmons University is officially partnered with Washington University in St. Louis in the Engineering 3+2 program, in addition to Columbia University. As part of this program, students complete three years of course work at Simmons, followed by two additional years at a partner institution, earning both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Science from Simmons.


Eva Piernas '23

Eva Piernas' Journey from Simmons University to Infectious Disease Research ('23)

How Did Eva's Time at Simmons University Shape Her Path in Science? Eva Piernas, a recent 2023 alumni, reflected upon her journey at Simmons University, where she majored in Neuroscience on the neurobiology track and minored in Chemistry. As she...


Physics major Geraldina Cruz '23

Geraldina Cruz '23 Presents Research at Brigham and Women's Radiology Research Symposium

Physics major Geraldina Cruz '23 recently participated in the annual Radiology Research Symposium at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) on May 25. Cruz was one of just two undergraduates who presented research alongside seasoned researchers at BWH. They spoke with...


Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics Arpita Saha

Simmons Receives Award from NASA to Support Women and Minority STEM Students

This month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded $5 million to women's colleges and universities to help increase the retention of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics Arpita...


Monica Alves with Boston skyline in the far background

Monica Alves ’16 Discusses Recent Career Change and Passion for Poetry

Environmental Science major Monica Alves’s first major career revolved around water science . Recently, she has transitioned into oncology-related research data. In this interview, Alves imparts advice on changing careers and discusses her love for writing children’s poetry. Tell us...


Faculty in the News

A basic map of Haiti

Assistant Professor Patrick Sylvain Offers Insights into Crisis in Haiti

After armed groups overran Port-au-Prince, thereby displacing thousands of residents and hindering access to food, Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on March 4, 2024. According to Sylvain, Haiti must cultivate strong leadership to overcome the current crisis.


Illustration from the Daoyin tu demonstrating exercises for improving health, as part of the “nourishing life” branch of Chinese medicine

Assistant Professor of History Yunxin Li Examines Gendered Foundations of Ancient Chinese Medicine

In a recent article published in The Bulletin of the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Assistant Professor of History Yunxin Li explores the role of women and gender in the theory and practice of medicine in ancient China. She spoke with us about her research and what she will reflect on during Women’s History Month.


Nisha Wali '21FNP teaches class on bone marrow transplants to nurses at Dhaka Medical College Hospital

Nursing Faculty and Alumnae/i Receive Award for Advancing Palliative Care in Bangladesh

Professor Emerita Anne-Marie Barron and Associate Professor of Practice Kelly Marchant, along with collaborators Emily Erhardt, Jocelyn Hulburt ’08BSN, and Nisha Wali ’21FNP, recently received the 2023 Award of Excellence from the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC).


A graphic depicting salad vegetables in a circle in front of a person's stomach

De-Mystifying the Microbiome with Diet

Despite all the hype about probiotics and detoxifying “gut resets,” scientists still do not have a general consensus regarding what constitutes a healthy gut. Biologists and dieticians have, however, identified correlations between a healthy microbiome and a healthy diet. “Plant...


Two bowls of salad with dressing in bowls on the side.

Simmons Nutrition Professor Discusses How to Make Salad Dressing Healthy

Health-conscious individuals gravitate toward greens, but they may be wary of the extra calories that salad dressing contains. “I don’t want people to worry about salad dressing to the point that they’re not eating the salad. Eat the salad,” Professor of Nutrition Teresa Fung told NBC’s Today.com.


Protestors holding signs at an anti-Islam protest in Washington D.C., March 3, 2011

Associate Professor Saher Selod Historicizes Islamophobia in the United States

On January 19, Simmons’ Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) hosted “Islamophobia in the United States: Understanding Past and Present Anti-Muslim Discrimination,” a virtual lecture by Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Research for the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding Saher Selod. This talk chronicled the history of anti-Muslim racism and demonstrated how 9/11 instituted a new era of the racialization of Muslims.


The ingterior of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Associate Professor offers Testimony on Act Prohibiting Body Size Discrimination

A clinical social worker and an Associate Professor of Practice in the Simmons University School of Social Work, Olivia Montgomery offers talks on anti-fat bias and health care in her community. In her virtual testimony, she related an experience visiting a new primary care physician.


B Boy executing a freeze, circa 2014, Wikimedia (public domain)

Professor of Education Daren Graves Co-Edits Forthcoming Book on Hip Hop Education

In January 2024, Bloomsbury Publishing (London) will release The Bloomsbury Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy, co-edited by Daren Graves, Professor of Education and Social Work at Simmons, and Dr. Lauren Leigh Kelly, an Associate Professor of Education at Rutgers University. This collection is “the first reference work to cover the theory, history, research methodologies, and practice of Hip Hop pedagogy.”



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