Mary Frances Early
College of Education

Mid-Career Researcher Award

Kakali Bhattacharya’s (Ph.D. ’05) is a Professor, University of Florida College of Education. Her scholarship aims to advance the study of education as it relates to the experiences of students and communities of color. She believes that higher education needs to be reformed to create equitable structures and opportunities for those who are minoritized. In addition to advancing methodological, pedagogical and epistemological perspectives and practices for effective education research and instruction, Bhattacharya also explores technology integration in social and learning spaces and is deeply immersed in arts-based and contemplative approaches in qualitative inquiry.

Mid-Career Researcher Award

From a critical perspective, Mariana Souto-Manning’s (B.S.Ed. ’01, M.Ed. ’02, Ph.D. ’05) research examines the inequities and injustices in early childhood teaching and teacher education and (re)centering methodologies and pedagogies on the lives, values, and experiences of minoritized people of color. Additionally, she critically examines theoretical and methodological issues and dilemmas of conducting research with communities of color, attending to issues related to colonization, assimilation, and oppression in schooling and society. Souto-Manning is the author of 10 books and has authored or coauthored over 75 peer-reviewed journal articles. She is a Professor at Teachers College in Columbia University.

Mid-Career Practitioner Award

Devoted to advancing the understanding of addiction, Julio Rojas’ (Ph.D. ’03) work in the field of addiction, mental health, and trauma spans nearly three decades. In 2005, he joined the University of Oklahoma’s College of Medicine where he cofounded and directs the OU Physicians ExecuCare Program, which helps evaluate and treat stressed, distressed, and impaired healthcare professionals. Rojas’ research on workforce development gaps in the treatment of addiction, mental illness, and trauma is funded by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.