FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact all aspects of our lives, and the 2020 Presidential Election cycle begins to ramp up, NSU Florida wants you to know that we’re home to several subject matter experts (SMEs) who can help with stories you may be working on.
- Need an infectious diseases expert to provide insight into COVID-19? We’ve got you covered!
- Looking for someone who can speak to the impact the pandemic may have on children with special needs? Look no further than NSU Florida!
- Trying to put into perspective the 2020 election cycle? Yup, you guessed it – NSU Florida is the place to come for help!
Below please find information about some of our SMEs who are at-the-ready, just give us a call!
Bindu Mayi, M.Sc., Ph.D., is a professor of microbiology in NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she teaches infectious diseases to students in the medical, public health, and other allied health fields. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Mayi is committed to promoting Infection Prevention as well as Antimicrobial Stewardship. She has been a spokesperson on various infections and has appeared on multiple panels attended by healthcare professionals and public officials, including representatives from the CDC. Dr. Mayi has provided comment and insight into a myriad of topics, including the Zika virus, COVID-19, the life threatening condition sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis (a.k.a. flesh eating disease). She is well versed in working with the media (print and broadcast) and is comfortable on camera or, nowadays, via Zoom or Skype. She has also had several guest editorials published in newspapers across Florida.
Prior to her NSU affiliation, Dr. Mayi worked in antibiotic resistance research as well as cancer nanotechnology research. Dr. Mayi is passionate about medical education, especially prevention of infectious diseases. In 2008, Dr. Mayi was one of 80 women winners of the ‘O-Whitehouse Leadership Project’, where her project was prevention of MRSA in U.S. hospitals.
Maribel Del Rio-Roberts, Psy.D., is an Associate Professor in the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice’s Department of Human Services and oversees the Masters in Developmental Disabilities. She’s a licensed Florida psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and families who is fluent in Spanish. She has extensive experience with psycho-educational and psychological assessment as well as in the areas of clinical child psychology, pediatric psychology, infant mental health, and developmental disabilities. Dr. Del Rio-Roberts also is very knowledgeable of Autism diagnostic assessment has received specialized training in this area. She has also served as a mental health consultant at the Special Olympics of Florida, Miami-Dade County’s Early Head Start/Head Start Programs and for the State of Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) as well as specializes in the diagnosis of learning disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and developmental evaluations.
She has also been supervisor of Psychology trainees (practicum students, interns, postdoctoral residents). Dr. Del Rio-Roberts is currently the principal investigator on a grant titled “An Analysis of the Watch Me Grow Program for Young Children At-Risk or Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” In addition, she has been the principal investigator several university based grants in collaboration with community partners that focus on early intervention as well as on transition in young adults with developmental disabilities. Dr. Del Rio-Roberts has also been a co-principal investigator on several grants focused on foster care, autism assessment, case manager training programs, and parenting skills.
Charles L. Zelden, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of History and Political Science at NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), teaching courses in history, government and legal studies. He has been a member of the NSU faculty since. A legal-Constitutional historian by training, Dr. Zelden has published seven books to date: Justice Lies in the District: The U. S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, 1902-1960 (1993); Voting Rights On Trial (2002); The Battle for the Black Ballot: Smith v Allwright and the Defeat of the Texas All-White Primary (2004); Bush v Gore: Exposing the Hidden Crisis in American Democracy (2008); The Supreme Court and Elections (2009); Bush v Gore: Exposing the Hidden Crisis in American Democracy, Abridged and Updated 2nd Edition (2010); and Thurgood Marshall: Race, Rights and the Struggle for a More Perfect Union (2013). Dr. Zelden is also the general editor of ABC-Clio Press’ three volume About Federal Government encyclopedia (for which he was volume editor of Vol. III on the Federal Judiciary).
A regular commentator on politics and current events for local media outlets, Dr. Zelden offered extensive commentary and analysis of the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 U.S. Presidential elections on TV, radio and print as well as the midterm elections since 2010. Among his other endeavors, Dr. Zelden was the Series Editor for ABC-Clio’s “On Trial” series of books and is lead editor and book review editor of H-Law (On-Line Listserv of the American Society for Legal History). From 2011-2013 he served is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Society for Legal History.
Be sure to sign up for NSU’s RSS feed so you don’t miss any of our news releases, guest editorials and other announcements. Please sign up HERE. You can also follow us on Twitter @NSUNews.
###
About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): At NSU, students don’t just get an education, they get the competitive edge they need for real careers, real contributions and real life. A dynamic, private research university, NSU is providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. Established in 1964, the university includes 15 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, the private JK-12 grade University School, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, one of Florida’s largest public libraries. NSU students learn at our campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and online globally. With nearly 200,000 alumni across the nation and globe, the reach of the NSU community is worldwide. Classified as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.
MEDIA CONTACT
Joe Donzelli, APR | Office of Media Relations
Nova Southeastern University
954-262-2159 (office) | 954-661-4571 (cell)
jdonzelli@nova.edu | www.nova.edu | @NSU_Joe
