Introducing the 2021-22 Public Impact Fellows

The University of Denver is excited to announce the fourth cohort of Public Impact Fellows. The program is a partnership between the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Division of Marketing and Communications. The fellowship program provides faculty with access to training for disseminating scholarship and research to public venues including how to best utilize blogs, radio, television, Op-Eds, and social media.

Members of the fourth cohort began meeting this fall and the training sessions will continue through June 2022. This year’s cohort is the first time the program has had at least one faculty member from all academic units represented in a single group. Additionally, this cohort includes the first participant from the University’s leadership team — Vice Chancellor Christopher Whitt. The group meets monthly over the course of the academic year and will have opportunities to engage with members of the media, local politicians, and University of Denver leadership.

In fiscal year 2021, members of the first three cohorts of Public Impact Fellows participated in 117 interviews in local, national, and international media outlets. They also published a total of 15 Op-Eds that appeared in various publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. The total number of media appearances represented a 33% increase over the previous year and accounted for 16% of all media mentions for the University.

Meet the 2021-22 class of fellows:

• Anamika Barman Adhikari – Graduate School of Social Work
• Naazneen Barma – Josef Korbel School of International Studies
• Ryan Elmore – Daniels College of Business
• Michael Gibson-Light – College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Kerstin Haring – Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science
• Travis Heath – Graduate School of Professional Psychology
• Jennifer Hoffman – College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Cecilia Orphan – Morgridge College of Education
• Sarah Schindler – Sturm College of Law
• Christopher Whitt – Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion