Javon Johnson, director of African American and African Diaspora Studies, and acclaimed spoken word poet, has written a book, Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of the Slam and Spoken Word Communities, which combines ethnography with autobiography to explore social justice issues.

Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Debra Martin is an internationally recognized scholar who uses a biocultural approach to study ancient cultures. She and her students research how violence from raids, ambushes, warfare, massacres, gender violence, enslavement, and human sacrifices were used as social controls. Her scholarship is unique because it combines academic and human interests with the practical application of knowledge through community partnerships. For example, she created an internship program with the Clark County coroner/medical examiner’s office that allows students to use forensic techniques to track patterns of violent deaths in Southern Nevada.  

UNLV School of Medicine Professor John Ham, who leads the state’s only transplant program at University Medical Center, has been credited with turning the local kidney transplant program into one of the safest in the country. He predicts there are other transplantation programs in Southern Nevada’s future, which will benefit local patients. Those who have transplants closer to home tend to do better medically.

Alum Chely Arias, BS ’16 Athletic Training, had to keep calm when, just two months into her career as an athletic trainer at a local high school, she was summoned to help a student who had fainted. Arias rushed to the girl, determined she had no pulse, and quickly responded, starting CPR, coordinating 911 communications, and using an automated external defibrillator. After a third jolt, her student had a pulse. Arias learned that being calm and being well trained had helped her save her life.

Criminal Justice professor Alexis Kennedy listens to child victims of human trafficking so their voices can truly be heard. Kennedy realized that their experiences and insights had often been ignored in the past, so she wrote and received a $624,000 grant from the Department of Justice to interview these child survivors. By hearing more from these young people, family court can help them more effectively. Her concern for sexually exploited youth aims to prevent children from further victimization and to better shape policies for survivors in the future.