Wild Card

Wilkes Political Scientists Examine Role of President Trump and Other Factors Influencing Midterm Elections

By Hilary Appelman

Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot in November, but how much he gets involved in the midterm elections could be a key factor in determining the outcome, according to Wilkes University political science professors Thomas J. Baldino and Kyle L. Kreider.

The stakes are high: control of Congress. Republicans will attempt to hold on to their majorities in the House and Senate, while Democrats hope to ride a wave of opposition to Trump and his policies to take control of one or both houses.

Crisis Intervention

Wilkes Faculty, Students and Alumni Lead the Charge Against the Opioid Epidemic

By Vicki Mayk MFA’13

When Tom Franko talks about the impact of the United States’ opioid epidemic, he likens it to an image from a popular 1980s film. “It’s like the picture of the family from the film Back to the Future,” says Franko, as assistant professor of pharmacy practice in Wilkes, Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. “As people look at the picture, one person’s image fades until it disappears. That is what addiction is like. It is a disease of isolation, separating people from their families, their jobs, everything that is important to them.” Franko says he and his colleagues in pharmacy are uniquely positioned to play a key role in the deadliest drug crisis in American history.

Changing the Standard

Surgeon Asif Ilyas ’97 Champions Reforming Opioid Prescription Guidelines 

By Koren Wetmore

Dr. Asif Ilyas ’97, a hand surgeon with The Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, is working to reduce the number of opioids prescribed after surgery. Photo by Dan Z. Johnson

A disturbing revelation struck Asif Ilyas, M.D. ’97 as he read a recent study about potential addiction among surgical patients. Published in JAMA Surgery, it showed that about 6 percent of those prescribed opioids for post-surgical pain were still taking the pills six months later.

An accomplished surgeon, Ilyas had pursued a medical career because he wanted to help people. Yet the study suggested his profession was contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis.

Mind Game

Sport Psychologist Megan Cannon ’08 Helps Athletes Develop Competitive Edge

By Gary R. Blockus ’79

Sport psychologist Megan Cannon ’08 has a private practice working with athletes in a variety of settings, such as Syr CrossFit pictured here in Allentown, Pa. Photo by Dan Z. Johnson

When Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors missed four straight three-pointers and walked off the court before halftime of Game Two in the 2016 NBA Finals, sports fans across the country sounded off about another athlete losing his cool.

Megan Cannon ’08 set them straight on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Record Setters

Alumni Athletes’ Winning Ways Earn Them Spot In Athletics Hall of Fame

Five men and women who left their mark on Wilkes athletic teams were honored with induction in the 25^th Athletics Hall of Fame class. From setting scoring records to earning plaudits in post-season play, these athletes were among the best to hit the mats, take to the court or enter a playing field wearing the blue and gold. The inductees were recognized at half-time of the Jan. 20, 2018, basketball game. A formal induction ceremony followed the game. This year’s inductees reflect on what they learned as Colonels.

Members of the 25th Athletics Hall of Fame class were inducted during a ceremony on Jan. 20. They posed at the reception after the ceremony holding the photos of themselves as student athletes that will hang in the Marts Center. Pictured from left are Anthony Serafin ’07, Denise Carson ’92, Laurie Agresti Mirra ’07, Jason Turner ’96 and Barry Gold ’68.

Colonel Couple

 

The Kalaritises, who met when they were Wilkes undergraduates, are pictured at their home in Florence, S.C.  (Photo by Seth Johnson Media)

Panos ’77 and Deb (Stephens) ’78 Kalaritis Share Career Success And A Marriage Made at Wilkes

By Vicki Mayk MFA ’13

It wasn’t the most auspicious introduction.

Wilkes freshman Deb Stephens ’78 had joined her Waller Halls roommate, Sherry Meyer, as a score keeper for the men’s soccer team. Milling around with the players before an away game, Deb, clad in dark pants, had taken a seat on the stairs at the Ralston Athletic Complex. Wilkes soccer player Panos Kalaritis ’77, a junior international student from Greece, was there with the rest of the team.

“He was not shy,” Deb says of her first encounter with the man who would become her husband. “And his first words were less than romantic.”

Artistic Vision

Sordoni Art Gallery Opens the Doors to New Home With Warhol Exhibit

By Geoff Gehman

Zigzagging through the opening-night crowd for the opening exhibit of the new Sordoni Art Gallery, people are staring at Andy Warhol’s iconic images of icons — Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O., Brillo. No two people experience Warhol’s art the same way and part of a gallery’s purpose is to provide myriad ways to enter the experience. In its new location with a new director, the Sordoni Art Gallery aims to do that.

The bigger, better Sordoni Art Gallery debuted in October beside the new Karambelas Media and Communications Center on South Main Street. It has 7,000 square feet, nearly double than in its previous home in Stark Learning Center. State-of-the-art climate control and convenient parking also are upgrades.