UNC Greensboro psychology professor Dr. Susan Keane, the holder of the Candace Bernard and Robert Glickman Distinguished Professorship, says she can make a stronger impact because of the generosity of the Bernard-Glickman family.
Keane first bonded with Candace Bernard over their passion for Dream Camp, a program for children with social difficulties. That was just the beginning of their shared mission.
“The Bernard-Glickman family wants to see community-engaged scholarship. They want to see research that ties into concrete outcomes. They want to see students benefit from the work that faculty do. All those things can make a huge impact on the field of psychology and can also change the world,” she says.
The resources available to Keane through her distinguished professorship have opened doors, from purchasing state-of-the-art training materials and developing learning opportunities for graduate students to funding student travel to professional conferences.
Keane, who came to UNCG in 1983, conducts research on developmental outcomes of early-identified behavior problems in children and teaches students about cutting-edge ways of treating issues that arise in a clinical setting. She directed the UNCG Psychology Clinic (1988-2005) before moving on to become director of clinical training (2005-2022).
Dean Kelly Joyce of the College of Arts and Sciences says, “The Bernard-Glickman Distinguished Professorship expands the scope and impact of Dr. Keane’s research, giving her the freedom to explore unusual connections in her research. Drawing on resources associated with the professorship also allows her to support undergraduate and graduate students in creative ways.”
As a researcher, Keane was a co-investigator on Right Track, the longest federally funded longitudinal research program in the psychology department. Right Track, initiated by Bank of America Excellence Professor Susan Calkins and Keane, included other UNCG researchers in various roles over the years, including Terri Shelton, Arthur Anastopoulos, Marion O’Brien, Lilly Shanahan, Safrit-Ennis Distinguished Professor Laurie Wideman, Professor of Nutrition Lenka Shriver, and Jessica Dollar, who is now an assistant professor in the psychology department.
Keane explains, “Right Track followed children who initially presented as toddlers with disruptive behavior and examined the trajectories of mental health and health outcomes across time. We have data from 1999 to 2022.”
That data doesn’t just benefit investigators like Keane. It also provides rare research opportunities for students. One of those students is Roba Hussein, a junior. She used Right Track data to formulate a research question. With mentorship from graduate students and Keane herself, Hussein’s research culminated in a presentation that was accepted at the CEPO/Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Session at the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference.
Hussein explains, “I will present in a distinguished undergraduate research session (in March). I was very shocked because only 10 undergraduate students were chosen out of 260 submissions.”
The experience may not have been possible without financial support for the cost of travel. Keane says, “I promised her that if she was accepted, she wouldn’t have to worry about the financial component. I would supplement any funds she received from the University to defray the entire cost of the conference. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the support of this professorship.”
Keane also supervises graduate students through clinical rotations at sites such as Veterans’ Administration facilities, Atrium Health, and Cone Hospital. Those clinical opportunities, along with research excellence, attracted PhD candidates Greg Chase, Melina Sneesby, and Crystal Thinzar to UNCG.
Chase, whose work focuses on adolescents and social media use, says, “She’s helped me craft the role of being a clinical psychologist working with pediatric populations, specifically at the intersection between physical health and mental health. She is also an important member of my dissertation committee.”
In addition to publishing in traditional academic outlets, Keane helps students learn about other ways to disseminate critical information to the public. For example, Sneesby and Keane recently co-wrote a peer-reviewed post for InfoAboutKids on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Drawing from Sneesby’s experiences at Cone Pediatrics, they wrote about a diagnosis that can be scary for parents and that is often misunderstood.
Crystal Thinzar, a fifth-year PhD candidate, says she found a model professor and mentor in Dr. Keane. “I feel like I’m getting a piece of wisdom every time I meet with her.”
They collaborated on a challenging case at the UNCG Psychology Clinic. A young child with a complex medical condition presented with what Keane calls “behavioral dysregulation” during medical visits. Thinzar worked with the patient to reduce anxiety around medical procedures by using an empirically validated exposure treatment infused with creative and developmentally appropriate elements, such as medical play and children’s books.
At the next appointment, the child’s mother reported great improvement. “That’s an example of how the clinic does great training for our trainees and has a real-life impact on families,” says Keane.
She says the Bernard-Glickman professorship allows her to engage with her role as a teacher, mentor, and researcher. “This award reinforces that if you are proactive, open to new ideas, and always looking forward, you can make a difference. The distinguished professorship shapes opportunities that define what being a professor is all about.”
The Candace Bernard and Robert Glickman Dean’s Professorship endowment was part of UNCG’s Light the Way: The Campaign for Earned Achievement, which raised more than $200 million to increase access, elevate academic excellence, and enhance the tremendous impact of UNCG’s programs. Visit giving.uncg.edu for more stories and information.
