The Academic Minute

On Binghamton University Week: We all have to have difficult conversations at work. How do we handle them best?

Danielle Dunne, associate professor in the School of Management, discusses.

Faculty Bio:

Danielle Dunne is an Associate Professor in the School of Management at Binghamton University whose research explores leadership emergence, team dynamics, and workplace communication strategies.

Transcript:

Tough conversations happen in workplace settings each and every day, BUT those discussions don’t have to turn into a disaster.

Myself and a team of researchers wanted to look at the dynamics of difficult conversations. We studied more than 160 “difficult conversations” which took place in the IT and corporate HR divisions of a large healthcare organization. Many of these consisted of employees voicing concerns, and leaders advising employees.

Our biggest finding was that successful conversations create a shared reality for those involved – a sense on both sides of mutual understanding. This aligns both people, making them feel heard and understood.

So how do those involved get to that point? We found that when leaders used specific communication strategies in difficult conversations such as discussing the problem, providing support and maintaining an authentic, focused and socially appropriate tone, that they were able to create a shared reality and that the people they were working with felt validated.

Building this through healthy conversation is key for the employee-supervisor relationship. Having a solid foundation helps leaders seem more human and easily approachable. It also helps difficult moments be seen less as stressful situations, and more as learning and relationship building opportunities.

The traditional advice of “staying positive and avoiding negative thoughts” may not accomplish what leaders hope.. Our research suggests that negative emotions, when expressed constructively, can strengthen working relationships.

Whether you are in charge of a group of people, or someone who is part of the team, navigating tricky conversations can help create a more positive workplace.

Read More:[Binghamton] – What’s the best way to handle difficult conversations? New study recommends strategies

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On Binghamton University Week: Stuttering shouldn’t hold someone back, but people who stutter can face biases.

Cody Dew, assistant professor in the division of speech and language pathology at the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, fights against the stereotypes.

Cody Dew is a licensed speech-language pathologist and assistant professor in the Division of Speech and Language Pathology at Binghamton University’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. He joined Decker College in August 2021.

Dew graduated from the University of Toledo with a Master of Arts degree in May 2020 and also received a certification in advanced intervention in fluency disorders. In 2025, he earned a PhD in Community Research and Action at Binghamton University.

Dew has experience serving people who stutter and helps run the Binghamton University Stuttering Clinic. He has published multiple research articles related to the experiences of people who stutter in the workforce and continues to conduct community-engaged research to improve the lives of people who stutter.

His teaching and research interests include stuttering, therapeutic interventions, counseling, and social and emotional impacts of disability.

Stuttering is often misunderstood to indicate someone is nervous, stressed, or even less-intelligent. But that’s simply not true. Research shows stuttering stems from a neurophysiological difference in the brain that disrupts the motor movements needed for speech.

In a recent study, Dr. Rodney Gabel and I asked people to rate how much communication they thought was required for different popular careers, then asked if they would encourage someone who stutters to pursue those careers.

Participants were less likely to recommend careers viewed as “high communication,” such as those in law or medicine, and more likely to recommend careers thought to require less talking, like engineering or computer programming.

Here’s what surprised us most—even people who personally knew someone who stutters gave the same biased advice. So even close relationships didn’t erase those stereotypes.

These beliefs can be really harmful. People who stutter aren’t more anxious, shy, or less intelligent—we just talk differently. Choosing a quieter career is perfectly fine if that’s what someone wants. The issue is being told you shouldn’t go after certain jobs simply because you stutter.

My hope is that this research helps people see stuttering for what it is—a different way of speaking—and treat stuttered voices with the same respect as any voice.

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On Binghamton University Week: If you feel like a fraud, it might be the imposter phenomenon.

Jiyun Elizabeth Shin, psychology lecturer, explains.

Shin’s research and teaching are transactional, mutually informing and inspiring the other. Her research explores the individual and psychosocial factors that contribute to students’ academic engagement (particularly students from underrepresented groups). This work has allowed her to identify critical conditions under which learning is maximized for all students. Consistent with her research (and that of others who highlight the importance of positive learning environments), she has developed her teaching philosophy around creating learning environments that are inclusive and supportive as well as intellectually stimulating and challenging for all students.

It’s extremely easy to second-guess yourself in everyday life. Many people feel like frauds despite actually succeeding at school or work.

That’s the core of impostor phenomenon – the belief that your successes – whether good grades or work achievements – result from luck or mistakes. You worry people will eventually discover you’re not as smart or capable as they think. This can lead to greater burnout, worse mental health, and even leaving one’s field.

My colleague and I researched how this affects college students, mainly how it impacts their willingness to seek academic help. For students experiencing this, the effects can be dire. Those experiencing impostorism are less likely to ask for academic help when needed, fearing QUOTE “being found out.” Not reaching out for help can lead to isolation from their academic community and also increase their chances of dropping out entirely. Remarkably, this occurs even while they’re performing well academically

While anyone can experience impostorism, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups may be more vulnerable due to negative societal beliefs. Harmful stereotypes incorrectly paint some as not being naturally good enough in certain fields. For example, ninety-seven and a half percent of women in STEM graduate programs I studied reported at least moderate impostor experiences.

Impostorism doesn’t just make people feel bad – it creates a harmful cycle. Encouraging academic help-seeking can break the stigma around reaching out. Student group discussions about impostorism could help students realize they’re not alone in these feelings.

Helping every student feel they belong won’t solve impostorism completely, but it can certainly help students reach their full potential by breaking this destructive pattern of self-doubt.

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On Binghamton University Week: A boost of nutrients could be what grasslands need for the future.

Amber Churchill, assistant professor of ecosystem science, looks into why.

Amy Churchill is a plant ecologist conducting research on the consequences of global environmental change at the interface of plant communities and ecosystem ecology, with experience in a range of biomes and ecosystem types. Her research examines both broad patterns of ecosystem responses to global change as well as mechanisms for how plant communities may confer stabilizing or amplifying feedbacks, thereby impacting ecosystem responses to environmental change.

Modern human development has significantly altered natural resources like water, disrupting how plants grow, especially in grasslands, where natural resource availability directly supports livestock and farming. But we might have a secret weapon in keeping grasslands growing in times of drought: fertilizer!

I’m part of a global research team that discovered adding fertilizer to plants can help them survive short-term drought. This development could reduce the negative effects of drought worldwide as we face changing climate issues.

Our team researched how grasslands respond to periods of extreme drought and increased nutrient availability through experiments across 9 countries. We were able to scale small, site-level findings to a larger geographic scale, allowing us to test impacts of variation in nutrients and the effects of drought together globally.

Alone, drought reduced plant growth by 19%, while adding fertilizer increased plant growth by 24%. Most importantly, the combination of the two resulted in zero change in growth, meaning that adding nutrients can offset the impact of drought. These discoveries are crucial for future climate mitigation strategies.

While adding fertilizer is not a long-term solution due to its cost and sustainability, it can temporarily offset the effects of drought.

Longer term options for climate solutions in grasslands are generally based on the diversity of plants living there. We predict that more species of plants within a given area leads to higher likelihood of survival in a drought and therefore more stable plant life available for grazing. We can’t test that outcome with these data, because we’re only looking at one year. However, we are hopeful that this research will lead to long-term solutions for mitigating the effects of climate change on agriculture globally.

Read More:[Binghamton] – First-of-its-kind global study shows grasslands can withstand climate extremes with a boost of nutrients

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On Binghamton University Week: African American households are shouldering a heavier burden of energy costs; why is this?

George Homsy, Director of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy, finds two possible reasons why.

George Homsy’s research centers on sustainability and local government policymaking. He explores the drivers of sustainability policy change and the results of implementation. His interest lies in small- to medium-size cities and towns. He is the co-principal investigator (with Dr. Mildred Warner, Cornell University) on a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture examining the ways that rural communities implement and balance the environmental, economic and equity dimensions of sustainability. With Siobhan Hart (Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University), Homsy is exploring the nexus of heritage and sustainability, especially at the neighborhood level. He frequently links his academic research to practice through collaborations with the International City/County Management Association and the American Planning Association.

Before returning to Cornell University for his PhD, Homsy was a planning consultant helping small- and medium-sized municipalities create environmentally and economically sustainable communities. He began his investigation of local governments and sustainability as a journalist with the public radio newsmagazine Living on Earth, which he co-founded and co-produced. Subsequently, as a freelance journalist, he wrote for Planning and Tomorrow magazines as well as National Public Radio, CBS Radio’s Osgood Files and The Boston Globe.

Many people feel the strain of increasing energy bills. When families spend more on heat or electricity, they have less money for other essentials like medicine, transportation, or healthy food.

For many African American families, energy bills take an extra big bite out of their budgets. My colleague, Dr. Ki Eun Kang, and I tried to figure out why some Black families suffer this energy injustice.

Our analysis of census tracts across the U.S. found that while the average household spends about three percent of their income on energy costs, Black households average over 5 percent. The difference is not because statistically African Americans earn less money. Even when Black households earn the same as others, they still pay a larger share of their incomes.

Why might this be the case? Communities are complicated, but we found two possible reasons rooted in housing. First, African Americans more likely live in older homes with poor insulation and inefficient appliances. So even if a Black family earns the same income as another family, the Black family might use more energy to warm or cool their homes, cook food, heat water, and so on.

Also, Black families are more likely to live in rental properties, where they cannot make energy-efficient upgrades – like installing new windows, insulation, or appliances.

African American households may be in this situation because their homes are more likely found in neighborhoods that have historically been discriminated against through housing policies.

Policymakers would do well to recognize the specific challenges facing minority and rental communities as they craft energy-efficiency programs.

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Education is important when it comes to your health.

Obinna Ekwunife, assistant professor of medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, discusses this with one affliction in mind.

Dr. Obinna Ekwunife is an Implementation Scientist and Health Economist, currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Population Health, Department of Medicine, at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo (UB). His research focuses on developing, testing, and implementing cost-effective strategies to improve the adoption of evidence-based interventions among adults with chronic diseases, with a particular emphasis on cardiometabolic disease prevention.

Prediabetes is a growing public health challenge. More than 96 million U.S. adults are living with prediabetes, and among older adults the prevalence is nearly one in two. This group is particularly vulnerable, because prediabetes is not just a precursor to diabetes, it also significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Despite this, we know far less about how social risk factors (education, financial strain, or lack of insurance) shape cardiometabolic health outcomes over time in this population. That gap is what motivated our study. We used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of older adults, and followed more than 5,000 participants with prediabetes from 2006 to 2016. Our goal was to examine how social and cardiovascular risk factors interact over time, and to identify which social risks most consistently predict worse cardiometabolic outcomes.

Of all the social risk factors we examined, limited education was the only one consistently associated with worse outcomes across three indicators: blood sugar control, blood pressure, and cholesterol. This finding stood out, even when we accounted for other risks like financial strain or lack of health insurance.

But what surprised us most in this analysis was how strongly education persisted as a predictor. We often think of financial strain or insurance status as the primary social risks, and indeed they are important. But education consistently showed up across every model we tested. That means we need to think broadly about how lifelong educational opportunities, health literacy programs, and even adult education initiatives can impact health trajectories in later life.

Our next step is to design and test strategies that address these social risks in real-world settings.

Read More:[Aging] – Longitudinal relationship between social and CVD risk factors in older adults with prediabetes: the HRS 2006-2016

The post Obinna Ekwunife, University at Buffalo – Why Education Matters for Heart and Metabolic Health appeared first on The Academic Minute.

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Improving outcomes for those with the deadliest cancers is ongoing. Trudy G. Oliver, professor in the department of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine, examines a possible new step forward. Trudy G. Oliver, PhD, is a Professor of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology at Duke University and a Duke Science & […]

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Changing how we think about our bodies could be beneficial to our health. Catherine Walker, associate professor of psychology at Union College, determines how to do so. Catherine Walker is an associate professor of psychology at Union College, a small liberal arts college in Schenectady, NY. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist with a […]

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Strength training may have additional benefits for slowing the aging process. Jason DeFreitas, professor and department chair in exercise science at Syracuse University, explores. Dr. DeFreitas is a professor and department chair in exercise science at Syracuse University. His lab’s research focuses on how the brain controls the body, and how that control system changes […]

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Are tests a fair way to predict individual performance? Daniel Robinson, professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, delves into this question. Dan Robinson is currently the Interim Chair of the Department of Higher Education, Adult Learning, and Organizational Studies and also the K-16 Mind, Brain and Education Endowed Chair at the University of […]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org