Baylor University Faculty Resources On War And Terrorism
Baylor University faculty experts are available to the media on various topics surrounding the war in Iraq. For home or mobile numbers for Baylor faculty, please call or e-mail the Baylor media relations contact for assistance.
Baylor also has satellite (KU band; analog) and ISDN capabilities for broadcast interviews with university faculty. For additional assistance, contact Lori Scott Fogleman, director of media relations, at (254) 710-6275.
Biological warfare
Dr. William Hillis, a medical doctor and professor of biology, is known for his groundbreaking research on human viral hepatitis and has been involved in the investigation of human infectious disease epidemics throughout the world. He has conducted research with the U.S. Air Force in Denmark, the Republic of the Congo and at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where he was chief of epidemiology at the USAF Epidemiological Laboratory. From 1968-70 he served as a virologist and resident coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Center for Medical Research and Training in Calcutta, India. Hillis can be reached at (254) 710-6547 or William_Hillis@baylor.edu.
Building a public consensus and rhetoric of U.S. foreign policy
Dr. Karla Leeper, associate professor of communication studies and The Glenn R. Capp Professor of Forensics, conducts research on ways in which a U.S. President utilizes public discourse to justify policy actions and to garner public support on particular issues. Specifically, she examines how a President creates support for military and foreign policy agendas. She also is former president of the American Forensic Association. Leeper can be reached at (254) 710-6919 or Karla_Leeper@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Julie_Carlson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6681
Chemical warfare
Dr. Chuck Garner, associate professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, specializes in organic chemistry. He can discuss what organic chemicals are used in warfare and how they affect humans and the environment. Garner can be reached at (254) 710-6862 or Charles_Garner@baylor.edu.
Dr. Bryan Brooks, assistant professor in the environmental studies department, is an environmental toxicologist who has conducted extensive field and laboratory research on heavy metals in the water supply, and he has worked as a consultant in industrial and government projects. Brooks's expertise includes the effects of chemical weapons on the environment and human health assessments of toxic chemical exposure. Brooks can be reached at (254) 710-6553 or Bryan_Brooks@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Judy_Long@baylor.edu or (254) 710-4656
Children and war, Reintegration of family members after an extended absence, Trauma effects on soldiers and their families
Dr. M. David Rudd, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of Baylor's doctoral program in clinical psychology, specializes in trauma, depression and anxiety disorders. He served in the U.S. Army as a clinical psychologist during the 1991 Gulf War and is currently a consultant to the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense on a project called "Managing Suicidal Behavior." The former chief of the psychotherapy section at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Rudd is president of the American Association of Suicidology and has been recognized internationally for his book, Treating Suicidal Behavior. Rudd can be reached at (254) 710-6764 or M_Rudd@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Judy_Long@baylor.edu or (254) 710-4656
DNA analysis of human remains
Dr. Lori Baker, assistant professor of sociology, is an expert on DNA analysis of bone, teeth and hair samples. She has performed anthropological fieldwork in Cuba, Japan, and throughout Central America and recently returned from Peru and Panama where she has been working with the Truth Commissions to assist in the identification of missing individuals due to past political turmoil. Baker can be reached at (254) 710-1165 or Lori_Baker@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Julie_Carlson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6681
Jewish-Arab relations
Dr. Marc Ellis, University Professor of American and Jewish Studies, is considered one of the country's leading experts on Jewish-Arab relations. He is the author of 15 books, including Israel and Palestine: Out of the Ashes: The Search for Jewish Identity in the Twenty-First Century; Unholy Alliance: Religion and Atrocity in Our Time; O Jerusalem: The Contested Future of the Jewish Covenant; and Toward a Jewish Theology of Liberation. He has been the focus of a BBC television documentary on the issue of cultural diversity and nationalism, and a congressional hearing on the Camp David peace initiative carried on C-SPAN. He regularly provides commentary and analysis for BBC radio and National Public Radio. Ellis can be reached at (254) 710-3609 or Marc_Ellis@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Julie_Carlson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6681
Pastoral leadership in times of war, Patriotism in worship
Dr. Terry York, associate professor of Christian ministry and church music at Truett Seminary and the Baylor School of Music, was associate pastor at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas before joining Baylor in 1998. The son of a 30-year Marine Corps veteran and a former Marine himself, York can discuss a pastor's role during wartime and what part patriotism plays in worship. York can be reached at (254) 710-6992 or 4669 or Terry_York@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Lori_Scott-Fogleman@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6275
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Dr. Gary Brooks, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder and the effects of war on service members stationed overseas. Before coming to Baylor, Brooks practiced clinical psychology in the Veteran's Administration Health Care System. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has been president of APA's division of family psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity. Brooks can be reached at (254) 710-6748 or Gary_Brooks@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Judy_Long@baylor.edu or (254) 710-4656
Saddam Hussein, International terrorism, Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Dr. Mark Long, director of Middle East studies, has focused his research on the past and politics of Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, international terrorism and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As a former Middle East analyst in the U.S. Air Force, Long has traveled extensively in the region and just returned from a March 2003 trip to Egypt and Israel. Long's book, The Other Gulf War: Politics, Religion and the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait, is in publication at the University of Texas Press. Long can be reached at (254) 710-2463 or Jerry_Long@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Julie_Carlson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6681
Suffering and faith, Ethics of war
Dr. Randall O'Brien, chair of the department of religion and interim provost, conducts research in the area of suffering and faith and on 'just war' issues and the ethics of war. Also, as a Vietnam veteran who was awarded the Bronze Star, O'Brien can comment on the experiences military personnel will face in times of war. O'Brien can be reached at (254) 710-3544 or Randall_OBrien@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Julie_Carlson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6681
Treating victims of biological and chemical weapons
Charles Kemp, senior lecturer and clinical instructor at Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas, served as a U.S. Marine from 1966-67. His experiences in Vietnam inspired him to become a nurse and work with those in the greatest need. He specializes in infectious diseases common in refugees and immigrants from third world countries and operates a free clinic for indigents in Dallas. Kemp can be reached at (214) 820-3361 or Charles_Kemp@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Judy_Long@baylor.edu or (254) 710-4656
Turkey
Dr. William Mitchell, The Jo Murphy Chair in International Education and professor of political science, is a retired Air Force colonel who served as a base commander at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey and as Air Base Group Commander in Izmir, Turkey, during the Gulf War. He also is an academic associate of NATO and is a recipient of the U.S. Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Humanitarian Award for Kurdish Relief. Mitchell can be reached at (254) 710-2618 or Bill_Mitchell@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Julie_Carlson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6681
War and the classroom
Dr. Tony L. Talbert, associate professor and interim chair of curriculum and instruction in the School of Education, conducts research in peace and democracy education with a special focus on the integration of peace movements, peace leaders and peace policy within the context of democracy education. He can discuss ways teachers can answer students' questions regarding alternatives to warfare, right of dissent within a democratic society, and interactive peace and democracy teaching strategies and resources. Talbert can be reached at (254) 710-3113 or 7147 or Tony_Talbert@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Lori_Scott-Fogleman@baylor.edu or (254) 710-6275
War and the economy
Dr. Steve Green, professor and chair of economics, specializes in macroeconomics. He can discuss the likely effects of war on economic growth, unemployment, inflation and interest rates. Green can be reached at (254) 710-4543 or Steve_Green@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Cynthia_Jackson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-3495
War's effect on gasoline and oil prices
Dr. Beck A. Taylor, Professor of economics and The W.H. Smith Professor of Economics, specializes in the area of gasoline/oil prices. He is spending this semester at Harvard and can be reached at (617) 496-9360 or Beck_Taylor@baylor.edu.
Dr. Kent Gilbreath, professor of economics and The E.M. and Thelma Stevens Chair of Private Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, has extensive experience and expertise in energy issues and can discuss the impact of war in that economic sector. He also is fluent in Spanish. Gilbreath can be reached at (254) 710-3535 or Kent_Gilbreath@baylor.edu.
Media Relations Contact: Cynthia_Jackson@baylor.edu or (254) 710-3495