Around the State: Mayborn nationally accredited; Baylor prof awarded $3 million grant

Sara L. Dolan, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University, received a five-year grant totaling nearly $3 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for a project aimed at improving clinical practice for children who have been victims of abuse and trauma. The grant allows Dolan and her collaborators, including Stacy Ryan-Pettes, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, to develop and implement new training methods in assessment and diagnosis for counselors and social workers, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for their patients. Therapists and counselors commonly use evidence-based treatment methods, which are interventions that have been validated through scientific studies to be effective for treating a particular disorder. However, therapists often deploy these treatments without first using evidence-based assessments, diagnostic methods that are grounded in the most current scientific knowledge, Dolan said. Over the course of five years, Dolan and her team hope to train more than 800 clinicians and doctoral students in evidence-based assessment of abused and traumatized children.

Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. The Mayborn Museum joins a list of only 3 percent of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums in the United States to earn AAM accreditation. It is one of 47 accredited museums in Texas and 170 university museums nationwide.

Buckner International named Steve Watson as director of aid and assistance. Watson will direct all activities associated with domestic and international aid, as the two separate departments will be combined into one under his leadership. He will be responsible for the strategic planning and facilitating of all services directly impacting clients and programs worldwide. He will concentrate his efforts on administration, operations and international procurement. Watson joined Buckner in 2015 as director for international aid. He earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from Dallas Baptist University and has 30 years of experience in development, aid and logistics.

Michael Ward, professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University, will lead a C.S. Lewis panel discussion, “The Current State of Lewis Studies,” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 27, in the Belin Chapel on the HBU campus. HBU faculty members Holly Ordway and Louis Markos and guest Andrew Lazo will join the conversation. The event is free. Register online here.