The University of Pennsylvania has announced a group of three individuals who will serve as Calvin Bland Fellows. The fellows, all members of the university’s faculty, will conduct research on boys and young men of color.
The Bland Fellows will collectively develop a plan for collaborative work that not only advances individual scholarly work, but also has a broader impact on young men of color in Philadelphia. The awards will be used for research and research-related expenses, including convening conferences, lectures, seminars and other events to disseminate the research of the fellows, and helping fellows to publish work in scholarly and popular venues.
The fellowships are named for Penn alumnus Calvin Bland, former president of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and former research professor at Rutgers University. “Vulnerable young men of color have limited opportunities to lead productive and rewarding lives. I perceive this issue as the greatest problem confronting communities of color,” said Calvin Bland. “I predict the work of these inaugural fellows will foster truly innovative and integrated approaches that will greatly benefit many young men and their families in West Philadelphia for years to come.”
Two of the three Calvin Bland Fellows are African Americans.
Ed Brockenbrough is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the faculty this fall after serving as faculty member at the University of Rochester’s Warner Graduate School of Education. Dr. Brockenbrough is a graduate of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he majored in American civilization. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
Lisa Lewis ia an associate professor and assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Her research is focused on reducing racial disparities in blood pressure and on the development of mobile health interventions to improve blood pressure management among Black men. Dr. Lewis is a graduate of Syracuse University in New York, where she majored in nursing. She holds a master’s degree from New York University and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.
