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Inside Education and Health Sciences

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Crossing Boundaries

The honors and awards committee in the School of Education and Health Sciences presented its inaugural Crossing Boundaries Award to Meredith Montgomery, assistant professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Human Services.

The Crossing Boundaries Award recognizes faculty members who are engaged in cross-disciplinary applied research that enhances the educational and health needs of our society. This could involve academic collaborators outside of one's home academic department or from another academic institution, or it could mean collaboration with partners outside of academia.

"I was incredibly honored to receive the inaugural Crossing Boundaries Award," Montgomery said. "This is truly an award that cannot be received without the collaborative efforts of smart, capable and passionate colleagues. Working across disciplines and organizations is beyond important — it is the blessing that being a professor and a researcher provides."

Montgomery is the principal investigator on the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) program. BHWET is starting its fourth and final year of a national $1.92 million grant from Health Resources and Services Administration and the American Rescue Plan. The program collaborates with a diverse array of 92 community partners and to date has served over 12,000 people, 92% of whom are children. 

"The honors and awards committee felt that Meredith's work exemplified collaboration both within SEHS and with the community at large," said Rachel Vaglienti, co-chairperson for the committee. "Her work truly embodies the Marianist charism and is the epitome of crossing boundaries."

Ali Carr-Chellman, dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences, says that research that crosses boundaries is essential and the addition of this annual award will bring recognition to the faculty members—like Montgomery—who are already doing this important work.

"Interdisciplinary work that brings together disparate ideas and new innovative approaches is critical to the future of higher education as a whole," Carr-Chellman said. "I'm so pleased that the awards committee agreed to add this award to our already strong awards program to shine a light on the work of those who connect across boundaries."

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