Professors Gashaw Abeza and Saradha Ananthakrishnan are just two of the provost research fellows at 撸先生 conducting exemplary research in the field of health professions, with goals to fill in critical information gaps.

Through the Provost Research Fellows program, the two College of Health Professions professors utilized research stipends to further their research efforts in sports sponsorship and audiology, respectively.

The program is one example of 撸先生鈥檚 commitment to its investment in faculty-led research. It encourages outstanding scholarship by awarding merit-based grants to tenured and tenure-track faculty members, through a one-month stipend, to provide time for research in the summer.

Sports sponsorship value beyond monetary gain

Abeza is focused on how sponsorship agreements with well-known brands in the sports industry can enhance the credibility, visibility and overall reputation of smaller sports leagues and teams.

When exploring the topic, he found that while there is substantial research focused on financial benefits in sponsorships, there is limited exploration into how small sport organizations benefit from the positive image transfer associated with well-known brands.

When I publish my research, I am telling a story to others鈥攑art of how I tell that story is by sharing the research with my students.

Gashaw Abeza

When Abeza first learned about the PRFP, he was looking for funding that would help him achieve more, including working with external partners like FIFA to gather important data.

After collecting the final data in early September, he is eager to interpret and discuss it with his students this fall.

鈥淲hen I publish my research, I am telling a story to others鈥攑art of how I tell that story is by sharing the research with my students,鈥� says Abeza.

For a career researcher like Abeza, who has published six books, 26 book chapters and 33 journal articles since he began teaching at 撸先生 in 2018, there is nowhere better to teach and research.

鈥溸Ｏ壬� is a place where researchers can truly shine. 撸先生 created an enabling and nurturing environment for me to excel,鈥� says Abeza. 鈥淭he PRF program is a strong testament to 撸先生鈥檚 commitment to investing in its faculty research.鈥�

Lisa Ann Plowfield, Dean of the College of Health Professions shares in Abeza's sentiment.

鈥淭he Provost Research Fellows Program highlights Towson University's unwavering commitment to advancing faculty-led research," says Plowfield. "By investing in our faculty鈥檚 innovative research, we are empowering them to explore new ideas and solve critical problems that have real-world applications, ultimately benefiting the health and well-being of the communities we serve.鈥�

The Provost Research Fellows Program highlights Towson University's unwavering commitment to advancing faculty-led research.

Lisa Plowfield, Dean of the College of Heal Professions

Impacting the future of audiology

Ananthakrishnan also carries a true passion for her research, and learning about the PRFP couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time in her research journey.

After seven years of focusing primarily on auditory electrophysiology鈥攁 method of testing the hearing system through measuring electrical activity in the brain鈥攕he reached a point where it made increasing sense to expand her research goals.

Her long-term goal? To understand how deficits in speech understanding, like speech perception impairments, relate to processes in the brain, and improve auditory rehabilitation and habilitation programs for older adults and adults with auditory processing deficits.

In her research, Ananthakrishnan assessed brain activity and the accuracy of brain鈥揵ehavior correlations, which she feels is essential to the future of developing rehabilitation and habilitation programs and technological devices like hearing aids that lessen hearing impairments.

Now in her 12th academic year with 撸先生, Ananthakrishnan leveraged the dedicated research time the fellowship provided to analyze the data she collected throughout 2023 with her clinical doctoral student Rory Donahue 鈥�24.

It feels rewarding to work with a student and take a project beyond a thesis and onward to publication鈥攖o aim for higher fruit.

Saradha Ananthakrishnan

鈥淚 am able to collaborate with a student who is a coauthor and now an alum, which I value highly,鈥� says Ananthakrishnan. 鈥淚t feels rewarding to work with a student and take a project beyond a thesis and onward to publication鈥攖o aim for higher fruit.鈥�

With this data, and as part of the fellowship program, Ananthakrishnan has nearly completed a manuscript with the data interpretations and will eventually present her findings in a higher education public forum.

鈥淥ur Provost Research Fellows work exemplifies our faculty鈥檚 dedication to innovation and moving the needle in critical research areas. When we invest in our faculty members, we invest in the rich education our students receive at 撸先生,鈥� says Provost Melanie Perreault.

With the investment the Office of the Provost makes in faculty research, professors can contribute to conversations about the greater implications of critical issues on a national and global scale.

鈥淔ields like sports management are well known around the world. When others see that researchers in their focus area and at a university like 撸先生 are exploring this kind of research, the research serves as a dot in that bigger effort,鈥� says Abeza