Affiliated Faculty | African Studies Program

Affiliated faculty are listed alphabetically, noting their geographic areas of Africa experience, teaching and research.

Barry Ames

Andrew W. Mellon Professor and Department Chair, Department of Political Science
barrya@pitt.edu
(412) 648-7276
http://www.polisci.pitt.edu/person/barry-ames

Department:

Political Science

Regions of Interest:

Southern Africa

Countries of Interest:

Mozambique

Research:

Comparative Politics; Decentralization/ Devolution of Political Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Susan Andrade

Associate Professor, Department of English
sza@pitt.edu
(412) 624-6550
http://www.englishlit.pitt.edu/person/susan-andrade

Department:

English

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Research:

Cultural/Women's Studies, Post-Colonial African Literature, and African Fiction

Elena Baylis

Associate Professor, School of Law
ebaylis@pitt.edu
(412)-867-8690
http://www.law.pitt.edu/people/elena-baylis

Department:

Law

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa

Countries of Interest:

Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone

Research:

International Law and the Interaction Between International and Community Groups in Post-Conflict States

Eric Kwadwo O. Beeko

Adjunct Faculty, Department of Africana Studies & Department of Music
erb16@pitt.edu
(412) 648-7548
https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/africa/dr-eric-beeko

Department:

Music, Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa

Research:

Ethnomusicology; Performing Arts; Ghanaian Neo-Pentecostal Performance Traditions; Black Performance Aesthetics and Politics of Identity

Yodit Betru

Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
ykb2@pitt.edu
412-624-6387
https://www.socialwork.pitt.edu/person/yodit-betru

Carol Mastrangelo Bove

Senior Lecturer, Department of English
cbove@pitt.edu
(412) 624-6631
http://www.english.pitt.edu/person/carol-m-bove

Department:

English

Regions of Interest:

North Africa, Southern Africa

Research:

World Literature and Film; Translation Studies; and Literature and Psychoanalysis

Jerome Branche

Professor of Latin American and Cultural Studies,Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures
branche@pitt.edu
(412) 624-5468
http://www.hispanic.pitt.edu/person/jerome-branche

Department:

Hispanic Languages and Literatures

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Racialized Modernity and How Creative Writers Imagine and Articulate Slavery, Freedom, the Nation, Being, and Gender

Ronald A. Brand

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg University Professor, School of Law, Academic Director, Center for International Legal Education
rbrand@pitt.edu
(412) 648-1307
http://www.law.pitt.edu/people/ronald-brand

Department:

Law

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Kenya, Tunisia

Research:

International Legal Education, Private International Law, Comparative Law, Dispute Resolution

Betty Braxter

Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
bjbst32@pitt.edu
(412) 624-7188
http://www.nursing.pitt.edu/person/betty-braxter

Department:

Nursing

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Women and Adolescent Health

Robin Brooks

Assistant Professor, Department of Africana Studies
rob88@pitt.edu
412-624-3356
https://www.africanastudies.pitt.edu/people/robin-brooks

Department:

Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Jamaica, U.S.

Research:

20th and 21st Century Literature, African-American, Caribbean, and American Multiethnic Literatures, Feminist Theories and Postcolonial Studies

Thuy D. Bui

Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director, Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations
buithuy@pitt.edu
(412) 692-4888
http://www.dom.pitt.edu/dgim/faculty_info.aspx?fp=4805

Department:

Medicine

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa

Countries of Interest:

Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania

Research:

Social Determinants of Health, Global Health Education, Clinical Reasoning

Heath Cabot

Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
hcabot@pitt.edu
412-648-7500
https://www.anthropology.pitt.edu/people/heath-cabot

Christopher R. Cook

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Pitt JohnstownDirector of International Studies, Pitt Johnstown
ccook@pitt.edu
(814) 269-2977
http://www.upj.pitt.edu/en/academics/academic-divisions/social-science-division/...

Department:

Political Science

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa

Countries of Interest:

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Research:

Peacekeeping, The Connection Between Conflict and Economic Exploitation, Media and Press Perceptions of African Conflict

Yolanda Covington-Ward

Assistant Professor
YDC1@Pitt.edu
(412) 648-7556
http://www.covington-ward.com/

Department:

Anthropology, Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia

Research:

Anthropology, Cultural Performance

Neil Doshi

Assistant Professor of French, Department of French & Italian
doshi@pitt.edu
(412) 624-6260
http://www.frenchanditalian.pitt.edu/person/neil-doshi

Department:

French & Italian Languages & Literatures

Regions of Interest:

North Africa

Countries of Interest:

Algeria

Research:

The Relationships Between Textual Forms and Live Performance in Postcolonial Contexts

Gerald Douglas

Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics ; School of Medicine
gpd6@pitt.edu
412-648-9323
https://www.dbmi.pitt.edu/person/gerald-douglas-phd

Abimbola Fapohunda

Part-Time Faculty, Department of Africana Studies
aof3@pitt.edu
TBD
https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/africa/content/abimbola-fapohuna

Department:

Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Tanzania, Nigeria

Research:

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparaties

Steven Finkel

Department Chair and Daniel H. Wallace Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science
finkel@pitt.edu
(412) 648-7283
http://www.polisci.pitt.edu/person/steven-e-finkel

Department:

Political Science

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, Southern Africa

Countries of Interest:

Kenya, South Africa

Research:

Comparative Political Behavior; Public Opinion; Democratization

Muge Finkel

Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
mfinkel@pitt.edu
(412) 383-9483
http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/AboutGSPIA/FacultyDirectoryArchive/FacultyDirectoryDet...

Department:

Public and International Affairs

Regions of Interest:

North Africa

Countries of Interest:

Egypt, Morocco

Research:

Social Policy, Economic Development

Sandra Founds

Associate Professor, School of Nursing
foundss@pitt.edu
(412) 624-3822
http://www.nursing.pitt.edu/person/sandra-founds

Department:

Nursing

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Research of Quantitative of Five Genes Differentially; Women's Health and Pregnancy

Felix Germain

Assistant Professor, Department of Africana Studies
ffg4@pitt.edu
412-648-2024
https://www.africanastudies.pitt.edu/people/felix-germain

Department:

Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Countries of Interest:

France, the Caribbean, West Africa, and the United States

Research:

Race Relations, Colonization, Decolonization, Postcolonial Migration, Labor Relations, Black Social Movements, and Gender Relations

Laurence Glasco

Associate Professor, Department of History
lag1@pitt.edu
(412) 648-7486
http://www.history.pitt.edu/people/laurence-glasco

Department:

History

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Race, Ethnicity, Urban History

Shelome Gooden

Associate Professor and Department Chair, Linguistics
sgooden@pitt.edu
(412)-624-5922
http://www.pitt.edu/~sgooden/

Department:

Linguistics

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

African American Vernacular English, Creole Languages

Lauren Jonkman

Assistant Professor
ljf1@pitt.edu
412-648-8563
http://www.pharmacy.pitt.edu/directory/profile.php?profile=618

Department:

Pharmacy

Regions of Interest:

Southern Africa

Countries of Interest:

Namibia, Malawi

Research:

Public Health, International Pharmacy Practice

Jacob Kigo Kariuki

Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
kigok@pitt.edu
412-624-8149
http://www.nursing.pitt.edu/person/jacob-kigo-kariuki

Department:

Nursing

Regions of Interest:

East Africa

Countries of Interest:

Global

Research:

Health Equity, Global Health, Cardiovascular Health Disparity

Lois Kepes

Liaison Librarian, University of Librarian System
lois@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7578
http://pitt.libguides.com/loiskepes

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Julius Kitutu

Assistant Professor & Assistant Dean for Student Services, School of Nursing
jmm@pitt.edu
(412)-624-6910
http://www.nursing.pitt.edu/person/julius-m-kitutu

Department:

Nursing

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Research Computing and Statistics

Joshua Kivuva

Visiting Scholar
joshuakivuva@hotmail.com
412-417-4767
http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/africa/sites/default/files/CV-Dr%20Joshua%20M%20Kivuva-...

Department:

Political Science

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, Southern Africa

Research:

Politics and Agriculture, Governance, Wealth Creation

William B. Kory

Associate Professor, Department Head, Geography (Pitt-Johnstown)
koryupj@pitt.edu
(814) 269-2994
http://www.upj.pitt.edu/en/academics/academic-divisions/social-science-division/...

Department:

Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Liberia, Egypt

Research:

Political Geography, Geodemography, Migration and Ethnicity,

Macrina Lelei

Associate Director
macrina@pitt.edu
412-648-2058
View Bio

Michael Lewin

Lecturer in Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
michael.lewin@pitt.edu
412-648-7630
https://pre.gspia.pitt.edu/About-GSPIA/Faculty-Directory-Archive/Faculty-Directo...

Department:

Economics

Regions of Interest:

North Africa, Southern Africa

Research:

Natural Resources and Minerals, Governance

Filipo Lubua

Swahili Instructor, Less Commonly Taught Languages Center
lubua@pitt.edu
412-624-5512

Department:

Linguistics

Regions of Interest:

East Africa

Countries of Interest:

Tanzania, Kenya & USA

Research:

Academic entrepreneurship in Instructional Technology, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Self-learning in LCTLs, Instructional technology and design, Online learning and teaching.

Jean Nachega

Associate Professor, Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, Department of Epidemiology
jbn16@pitt.edu
410-800-7803
http://www.publichealth.pitt.edu/home/directory/jean-b-nachega

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa

Research:

HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis in Africa

Paul Nelson

Associate Professor, Associate Dean, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
pjnelson@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7645
http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/AboutGSPIA/FacultyDirectoryArchive/FacultyDirectoryDet...

Department:

Public and International Affairs

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Human Rights and International Development

Solomon Ofori-Acquah

Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of MedicineHematology/Oncology Division
sfo2@pitt.edu
(412) 648-9231
http://www.vmi.pitt.edu/faculty/oforiacquah.html

Department:

Medicine

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania

Research:

Molecular Hematology, Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), and Endothelial Biology Related to Novel Therapies for Pulmonary Vascular Dysfunctions

Mary Ohmer

Associate Professor
mlo51@pitt.edu
412-624-8214
http://www.socialwork.pitt.edu/person/mary-l-ohmer

Department:

Sociology

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Ghana

Research:

Social work and field placements in NGOs in Ghana

Louis Picard

Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
picard@pitt.edu
(412)-624-7918
http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/AboutGSPIA/FacultyDirectoryArchive/FacultyDirectoryDet...

Department:

Public and International Affairs

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Ghana, Guinea, South Africa, Morocco, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Ethiopia, Eritrea

Research:

African Politics, human security, international development

Maureen Porter

Associate Professor in Social and Comparative Analysis of EducationProject Director, Fulbright-Hays on Ethiopia
mporter@pitt.edu
412-648-7041
https://www.education.pitt.edu/people/profile.aspx?f=MaureenPorter

Department:

Education

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa

Research:

Human Rights, Migration, Culturally-Responsive Education Policy

Shalini Puri

Professor, Department of English and Director Literature Program
spuri@pitt.edu
(412)-624-2824
http://www.englishlit.pitt.edu/person/shalini-puri

Department:

English

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Post-Colonial, Cultural Studies

Marcus Rediker

Distinguished Professor, Department of History
red1@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7477
http://www.history.pitt.edu/people/marcus-rediker

Department:

History

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Sierra Leone

Research:

Africa and the Atlantic,Early American History,Atlantic History,

Michele Reid-Vazquez

Assistant Professor, Department of Africana Studies
mbr31@pitt.edu
(412) 648-2143
https://www.africanastudies.pitt.edu/people/michele-reid-vazquez

Department:

Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

African Diaspora in the Atlantic and Caribbean

Pernille Røge

Assistant Professor, Department of History
per20@pitt.edu
N/A
http://www.history.pitt.edu/people/pernille-r-ge

Department:

History

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Senegal

Research:

Eighteenth-century France and Europe, Early Modern European Empires, Atlantic History, Intellectual History

Taylor Seybolt

Director, Ford Institute for Human SecurityAssociate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
seybolt@pitt.edu
(412) 624-8691
http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/About-GSPIA/Faculty-Directory-Archive/Faculty-Director...

Department:

Public and International Affairs

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, North Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan and South Sudan (Darfur Region)

Research:

Humanitarian Intervention and Ethnic Conflict

Oronde Sharif

Lecturer and Advisor, Department of African Studies
senegal1@pitt.edu
(412)-648-2276
https://www.africanastudies.pitt.edu/people/oronde-s-sharif

Department:

Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Research:

African dance

Matiangai Sirleaf

Assistant Professor, School of Law
matiangai.sirleaf@pitt.edu
(412) 648-1364
http://www.law.pitt.edu/people/matiangai-sirleaf

Department:

Law

Regions of Interest:

Southern Africa, West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, South Africa

Research:

Public International Law, International Human Rights Law, Comparative Law, International Criminal Law, the Law of Emerging Nations as well as Law & Development

Martin Staniland

Associate Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
mstan@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7656
http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/AboutGSPIA/FacultyDirectoryArchive/FacultyDirectoryDet...

Department:

Public and International Affairs

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Countries of Interest:

Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast

Research:

EU Politics,economic issues, political economy

John Stoner

Undergraduate Advisor & Lecturer, Department of History
stonerjc@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7485
http://www.history.pitt.edu/people/john-stoner

Department:

History

Regions of Interest:

Southern Africa

Countries of Interest:

South Africa

Research:

Modern South Africa, American Cold War policy in Africa

Amir Syed

Visiting Assistant Professor
amir.syed@pitt.edu
412-648-7451
http://www.history.pitt.edu/amir-syed

Department:

History

Regions of Interest:

West Africa

Research:

Construction of religious authority, scholarly culture, and Islamic knowledge practices

Christel Temple

Associate Professor, Department of Africana Studies
cnt15@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7069
https://www.africanastudies.pitt.edu/people/christel-n-temple

Department:

Africana Studies

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

African,diaspora literature,cultural theory

Nuno Themudo

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
themudo@pitt.edu
(412)-648-7432
http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/About-GSPIA/Faculty-Directory-Archive/Faculty-Director...

Department:

Public and International Affairs

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Public organization management, environment and development policy, corruption and transnational governance

Janice Vance

Director, Assistant Professor of Communication Science and Disorders, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
jvance@pitt.edu
412-383-6562
https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/jvance/

Department:

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Regions of Interest:

East Africa, Southern Africa

Countries of Interest:

Tanzania, South Africa

Research:

Applied linguistics,prosodic processing in children and adults, acquired neurogenic speech and language disorder

Peter Veldkamp

Director of Education, Division of Infectious Diseases and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
veldkampp@dom.pitt.edu
(412)-647-5399
https://www.dom.pitt.edu/id/faculty_info.aspx?fp=5070

Department:

Medicine

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

HIV/AIDS, global health, general infectious diseases and tropical infections

Karin Elisabeth Warner

Professor, School of Nursing
karin.warner@pitt.edu
412-624-4722
https://www.nursing.pitt.edu/person/karin-elisabeth-warner

Mari Webel

Assistant Professor, Department of History
mwebel@pitt.edu
(412) 648-7455
http://www.history.pitt.edu/people/mari-webel

Department:

History

Regions of Interest:

East Africa

Research:

Modern Africa, History of Health and Disease, Environmental History, Imperialism and Colonialism

Josef Werne

Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Geology and Planetary Science
jwerne@pitt.edu
(412) 624-8775
http://www.geology.pitt.edu/person/josef-werne

Department:

Geology and Environmental Science

Regions of Interest:

East Africa

Countries of Interest:

The East African Rift Valley, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia

Research:

Paleoclimate & Environmental Change, Biogeochemistry and Geobiology, Limnology

Sylvanus Wosu

Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Swanson School of Engineering
snn2@pitt.edu
(412)-624-9842
http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/SylvanusWosu/

Department:

Swanson School of Engineering

Regions of Interest:

Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Research:

Mechanical Engineering