University President William P. Leahy, S.J. (above left), formally kicked off Boston College’s holiday season last Wednesday at the annual Christmas tree lighting on the Plaza at O’Neill Library. Other highlights included music from BC performers and an appearance by a special visitor (above).
BY JOHN WALSH SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Boston College Montserrat Coalition
Director Michael Davidson, S.J., was selected for the Bishop James Augustine Healy Award by the Archdiocese of Boston, which recognizes individuals “whose faithful leadership and dedication have made a lasting impact on the Black Catholic community in the archdiocese and beyond.”
Fr. Davidson received the award at the 32nd annual Bishop Healy Award Dinner held at Boston College High School last
month. Others honored at the event included Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, O.F.M., Cap, who received the 2025 Robert L. Ruffin Award, and Maître Jean-Louis Daniel, winner of the Meyer J. Chambers Award.
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Boston College School of Social Work
Associate Professor María Fernanda Piñeros-Leaño, whose research focuses on health and mental health inequities among Latin American migrant and immigrant families, has been awarded the inaugural Anita Wong and Wilson Lai Family Fellowship.
The three-year fellowship was created to advance faculty excellence in research and teaching in the BCSSW, fostering scholarship that improves youth mental health and promotes environmental sustainability worldwide. By supporting faculty with a demonstrated commitment to community-engaged research and impactful teaching, the fellowship seeks to address pressing global challenges and strengthen the school’s role as a leader in social innovation and justice.
Its namesakes are Anita Wong, a 1997 graduate of the Carroll School of Management, and her husband, Wilson Lai. Both are former chief executives of Hollyland Group Holdings Limited—Wong served as chair and director, Lai as president. Hollyland Electronics Technology is one
of the leading circuitry protector manufacturers and solution providers in the Asia Pacific region.
A faculty member since 2018, PiñerosLeaño said the fellowship provides “critical resources that allow me to deepen and expand my work. The annual financial
Church in the 21st Century Ctr. and BC Alumni Association’s Pray It Forward program proves to be popular well beyond the Heights
BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
x Headline xxxxx.
3 BC Strong
Three undergraduates are awarded scholarships.
x Headline xxx.
6 AI and the Church Boston College faculty members attend forum in Rome.
x Headline xxxxx.
7/8 Farewells
Sue Coleman (BCSSW), Elizabeth Sweeney (BC Libraries) depart after rewarding stints at the University.
Since arriving at the University in 2012, Fr. Davidson has brought his charisma, joyful spirit, and pastoral touch to several roles, endearing him to students across the University. After serving as a campus minister and then director of the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, in 2023 he was appointed to head the Montserrat Coalition in the Division of Mission and Ministry. The coalition’s mission is to support students with the most significant financial need on campus by providing access to retreats, sporting and theater events, service programs, and independent study, while also aiding in their academic, social, and spiritual formation.
A member of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesuits, Fr. Davidson has led numerous Boston College service trips to his native Jamaica through the Jamaica Magis Program, as well as Magis Civil Rights immersion trips to the southern United States. He also teaches the firstyear course Courage to Know. A resident minister of St. Thomas More Hall, Fr. Davidson is widely hailed as an accomplished
Every Wednesday for 15 minutes, a group of Boston College alumni and students join people from Boston and elsewhere online in communal prayer, a powerful midweek pause that participants say has enriched their lives and strengthened their faith.
A program of The Church in the 21st Century Center in partnership with the Boston College Alumni Association, Pray It Forward offers a welcoming space where the faithful can listen to and reflect on the Gospel, pray, and find comfort and connection with other believers.
Launched more than three years ago with only 25 participants, Pray It Forward has grown to a community of more than 1,500, with some 70 to 90 participants
joining the session on any given week. It is open to everyone; no BC affiliation is required. Offered at 4 p.m. ET via Zoom, Pray It Forward draws people from throughout the United States and other countries, such as Ireland, Italy, Mexico, and Canada.
“Pray It Forward is a beautiful ministry,” said C21 Center Director Karen Kiefer. “It’s something so simple yet it fills a need we have to nurture our own personal faith and be in community with others.
“We intentionally keep Pray It Forward to 15 minutes,” she added, “but what happens in those 15 minutes is extraordinary.”
Following the same format each week, Pray It Forward begins with an opening prayer, often inspired by a feast day or a season. Then a participant reads the Gospel
The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College held an international gathering of Jewish scholars and leaders on November 20 to discuss the legacy of Dabru Emet, a landmark statement on Jewish views of Christianity, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.
Organized in collaboration with the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies—the institution from which Dabru Emet emerged—the event featured remarks from two of its primary drafters, Peter Ochs and David Novak, assessing the document’s legacy and its ongoing significance for Jewish-Christian relations.
Over the course of the day, participants explored the central question: How ought Judaism speak about Christianity today? Discussions examined the evolving landscape of interreligious engagement and addressed pressing issues shaping contemporary dialogue today.
At the conclusion of the meeting, participants established a steering committee to plan a future gathering, ensuring the continued development and renewal of Jewish-Christian dialogue inspired by the spirit of Dabru Emet.
—Center for Christian-Jewish Learning
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Phil Gloudemans
Jack Dunn
SENIOR
Patricia Delaney
Boston College students in the HumanCentered Engineering program won awards at the highly competitive Undergraduate Poster Competition of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting, held last month in Boston.
Overall, 14 students and faculty members from BC’s Engineering research groups participated in the AIChE’s annual meeting, including nine undergraduate posters, two faculty/postdoc posters, one undergraduate oral presentation, two faculty oral presentations, and one facultychaired session. AIChE is the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with more than 60,000 members from more than 110 countries.
With over 550 posters entered in the undergraduate research division, William Rice ’26 captured second place in the Computing & Process Control section; Melanie Cotta ’26 earned third place in the Education & General Papers category; and Carlos Pelayo ’26 finished third in the Environmental sector.
Rice and Cotta are undergraduate research fellows in the Brace Lab, led by Assistant Professor Emma Brace, while Pelayo is an assistant in Assistant Professor Ali Salifu’s lab.
“I’m extremely proud of Mel, Will, and all of the other BC students who are coauthors on these projects,” said Brace, who added that the competition results were an “amazing recognition of the work we have been doing as a team on sustainable production of xylitol,” a natural sugar alcohol found in plants regarded as an excellent alternative to sugar in products like gum,
candies, and toothpaste.
Rice, whose poster was titled “Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of Sustainable Xylitol Production Using BioSTEAM,” presents the team’s effort to “scale up” the fabrication completed in the laboratory and modeled how the process might function at an industrial level.
“The goal was to evaluate the economic feasibility of a newly developed biological production pathway for xylitol, an important platform chemical that is currently produced using costly and energy-intensive methods,” he said.
Pelayo said the positive response to his poster, “Ceramic Water Filters for the Removal of Bacteria and Heavy Metals from Contaminated Water,” and recognition for his team’s work had encouraged him “to further develop ceramic water filters to help people in need, a motive emphasized throughout my four years in the HumanCentered Engineering program.”
Praising Pelayo, Salifu noted that this work is the culmination of the considerable efforts by his lab to develop low-cost water filters for household purification. He also cited the contributions of Thomas Gregory ’26, Research Fellow Thomas Buckman, and Robert Snee, senior scientific instrumentation machinist in BC’s Scientific Instrumentation & Machining Services department.
“We now have a proven recipe to start a community-led water filter production using locally sourced materials aimed at improving access to safe drinking water in resource-limited settings.”
—Phil Gloudemans
The Boston College Irish Institute has launched a Guest Essay series that will share reflections by leading public figures and academics on issues affecting Ireland—north and south—and its relations with the United States.
The series’ inaugural contributor is George Mitchell, the former United States senator and Senate Majority Leader who later served as the independent chairman of the Northern Ireland peace talks which resulted in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. His essay muses on the 30th anniversary of President Bill Clinton’s first visit to Northern Ireland in November 1995—the first time an
American president visited there while in office, he notes, and “an important turning point” in efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland.
Mitchell also emphasizes the nature and extent of the agency the U.S. exercised during Northern Ireland’s peace journey and negotiations: “Without providing a single weapon or dropping a single bomb,” he writes, “the United States played a significant role in a positive and peaceful outcome.”
The essay is accessible via the Irish Institute website at bit.ly/BC-Irish-Institute-Mitchell-essay.
—University Communications
Ed Hayward
Audrey Loyack
Rosanne Pellegrini
Kathleen Sullivan
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EDITOR
Sean Smith
Caitlin Cunningham
BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
The newest Boston College Strong Scholarship recipients—Alexander Fagan ’29, Kelly Giancotti ’28, and Nora McCabe ’28—were celebrated at an event hosted by Boston Marathon bombing survivors Patrick Downes ’05 and his wife Jessica Kensky, and the BC Strong Scholarship Committee on December 4 at the Cadigan Alumni Center.
The BC Strong Scholarship, which supports Boston College students who have overcome adversity, was established by a group of Downes’ friends from the Class of 2005—Kevin Collins, Elizabeth Stowe Fennell, Michael Hundgen, and Grace Simmons Zunic—to honor Downes and Kensky.
“The BC Strong scholarship embodies the best of Boston College,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Grant Gosselin in the event’s opening remarks. Gosselin and Senior Assistant Director of Admission Taylor Hart identify candidates for the BC Strong scholarship during the admission process and present them to the scholarship committee, which consists of Downes, Kensky, Fennell, and Carolyn Barrett ’16.
The goal of the scholarship program is to make Boston College a welcoming place for people of all abilities, said Downes in his introduction. “I know that Boston College is a stronger community because Alex, Kelly, and Nora are here.”
Addressing the scholars, Downes continued, “In this moment, we celebrate not only the journey that you have been on, the people who you are, but who you are becoming [and] what comes next. We celebrate your
port and belief in my future.”
A Carroll School of Management student from Newton, Mass., McCabe suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a swimming accident and was diagnosed as a quadriplegic. After weeks in the ICU and a grueling stint of physical and occupational therapy at Spaulding Rehabilitation, she was able to regain the movement of her arms.
In her remarks, she talked about how she has learned that having others care for her is not a sign of weakness and that asking for help shows her strength. “A gift of having others to help is humanity. It is the ability to have a community and surround yourself with people you love.”
At BC, McCabe is involved in PULSE and the Arrupe Immersion program. “I’m so thankful to be at BC and to be able to have these experiences that I always dreamed of.”
Also attending the event were past BC Strong Scholarship recipients Conor McCormick ’22, Jennifer Castro ’26, and Sophie Rand ’27.
remarkable courage in the face of adversity, resolve to overcome obstacles, and the unconditional love and support of the teams of people who have helped you along the way.”
The three winners reflected on how their experiences in dealing with adversity shaped their lives.
After spending most of his childhood hiding his limb condition, Fagan—who has only three fingers on each hand—became determined to turn his disability into a strength and become an advocate. At the event, the engineering major from Brick, N.J., quoted from his common application essay: “I became active in a young disability group and became a mentor to other
children like myself. I volunteered at a local hospital and discussed my disability with multiple age groups. I created a community where everyone was welcome for how they were created. I live to tell, inspire, and diversify every area I step into. I live to represent the disabled population.”
Giancotti, a Townsend, Mass. resident who is enrolled in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, recalled when she found out she was a finalist for the scholarship. “It meant so much to me that people had read my essay and saw not just the challenges I faced with cerebral palsy, but who was behind it. Being recognized means the world to me and I’m incredibly grateful for the sup-
Downes and Fennell expressed gratitude to members of the BC community who have supported the BC Strong Scholarship program, including Gosselin, Hart, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Financial Strategies and Enrollment Bernie Pekala, retired Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John Mahoney, Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn, and Teal Cole and Christina Connelly of University Advancement.
The program ended with the announcement that the BC Class of 1974, which includes Downes’ mother Deborah Downes, is donating a portion of their class gift to the BC Strong Scholarship fund.
The life and work of Ken Kersch, an accomplished political scientist and constitutional scholar at Boston College and founding director of BC’s Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, will be the focus for a campus event next semester.
“Constructing the Constitutional Imagination: A Symposium in Honor of Ken I. Kersch,” will take place on February 20 in the Murray Room of the Yawkey Athletic Center, hosted and sponsored by the Clough Center; the Political Science Department and BC Law School are cosponsors. Panels of distinguished scholars— including BC Monan Professor of Law and Government Aziz Rana and O’Neill Professor of American Politics R. Shep Melnick— will examine Kersch’s work in four areas: American Conservatism; American Liberalism; Method in Law, History, and Political Science; and The Constitution Today.
The symposium will open with remarks by Clough Center Director Jonathan Laurence, a professor of political science, and Dennis J. Wieboldt III ’22, a former student of Kersch and Clough Center research fellow who is now a University of Notre Dame J.D./Ph.D. student in history. Political Science Chair and Professor Gerald Easter will be the closing speaker.
Kersch, who died in November of 2024, was a professor in the Political Science Department for 17 years. He taught classes on American conservatism, political thought, constitutional development, and civil liberties and authored five books. His scholarly interests centered on the clash between conservative and liberal interpretations of the United States Constitution during the 20th century, in areas such as civil liberties, freedom of speech, separation of powers, and
church-vs-state issues. Among other honors, he won the American Political Science Association’s 2020 C. Herman Pritchett Award for the best book on law and courts.
From 2008-2012, Kersch served as director of the Clough Center, established through a donation by Gloria Clough M.Div. ’90, M.S. ’96 and Charles Clough ’64, a University trustee associate. The center promotes interdisciplinary reflection on constitutional government in the United States and throughout the world. Under Kersch, the Clough Center welcomed distinguished scholar James Q. Wilson as a senior fellow, sponsored two undergraduates to participate in an international conference on NATO, and initiated a Junior Fellows Program for BC students with a strong interest in constitutional democracy.
“It is fitting that so many top scholars will convene in Ken’s honor at the center that he helped found,” said Laurence. “His work is so important to the field of constitutional law and his legacy is his intellectual influence at BC and beyond.”
“Ken Kersch was a wonderful mentor and friend to me as a student at Boston College and remained so after I began the J.D./Ph.D. program in history at Notre Dame,” said Wieboldt. “In many ways, my
research continues to be motivated by a desire to answer the questions about 20thcentury American constitutionalism to which Ken introduced me as an undergraduate years ago.
“While I and many others are certainly indebted to his academic work, Ken’s legacy will be even more profound because of the close attention that he paid to his students’ personal development. I last saw Ken during the summer before he passed away, and we characteristically spent at least as much time talking about my dissertation research as we did about my family, career aspirations, and how to maintain friendships in graduate school. He is sorely missed.”
The February 20 symposium will coincide with the publication of a special issue of the Journal of American Constitutional History that engages with Kersch’s work in political science, history, and law. Its coeditors are Wieboldt and Mary Ziegler, the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California-Berkeley, who also is speaking at the symposium.
For the full list of speakers and other details, see the symposium website at bc.edu/ content/bc-web/centers/clough/events/ constitutional-imagination.html.
—Sean Smith
Continued from page 1
chef—particularly of Jamaican cuisine— and often hosts students and colleagues for meals.
“I’ve always prided myself on being present to others, not perfect,” said Fr. Davidson in a recent interview. “Through my formation in the Society of Jesus, I’ve learned what it means to be on the side of those who are marginalized. It’s something I’m passionate about. It’s something that I would love to spend the rest of my life doing. So, this award is not meant to elevate me. It is to strengthen those who will come behind me to do this work.”
Fr. Davidson described his role at the Montserrat Coalition as an “engine to my vocation” and cherishes the constant opportunity to “be a face of love” for students. He explained that he seeks to be someone who says, “Listen, you matter. We want you to succeed. We want to make sure that you truly, at the end of the day, become a Jesuit graduate who’s competent, compassionate, and loving.”
Colleagues and students expressed gratitude for Fr. Davidson’s presence in their lives.
“Fr. Michael has certainly made a lasting impact on the Black, Catholic community,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences senior Nelson Teixeira da Pedra. “He is keenly aware of the unique experience and challenges of Black students at our Jesuit university. He has been my closest mentor and source of guidance for my entire time at Boston College.”
Morrissey College sophomore Keira Boxell said, “Fr. Michael has been my rock at BC, guiding me through difficult deci-
Montserrat Coalition Director Michael Davidson, S.J., has drawn widespread praise for his impact on the University community. “He has been my closest mentor and source of guidance,” says one student; “my rock,” says another. “If you ever need a reason to smile,” adds a colleague, “go on a walk with him!”
sions and encouraging me to reach my fullest potential, always making sure that I have my sights set on the future.”
Messina College Kraft Family Dean Erick Berrelleza, S.J., cited the joy that defines Fr. Davidson’s interactions with others, recalling the first time the two of them walked around campus and he “witnessed [Fr. Michael’s] genuine care for students and the complete joy of his interactions. If you ever need a reason to smile, go on a walk with him!
“I’m honored to be his Jesuit brother and to see him living out his Jesuit vocation with such conviction at BC.”
This ability to express genuine care for students has also resonated with Morrissey College senior Skyla DeSimone. “Fr. Michael has a heart larger than most can comprehend. He approaches every conversation and interaction with love and his utmost attention. There are not many individuals who make you feel as special, seen, and accepted the way Fr. Michael does.”
James Hayes, S.J., a member of the Boston College Jesuit Community and a mentor and friend of Fr. Davidson, described him as “a charismatic Jesuit who connects with people with ease and stirs people to action for justice. [This award] is well deserved.”
Reflecting on the Healy Award, Fr. Davidson thanked his family and many of his colleagues and fellow Jesuits for their support and mentorship, including Fr. Hayes, as well as former Vice President for University Mission and Ministry and University President-designate John Butler, S.J.; Fr. Tony Penna, special assistant to the Vice President for University Mission and Ministry; BC Jesuit Community Superior Claudio M. Burgaleta, S.J.; Kenneth David Oswin Richards, archbishop of Kingston, Jamaica; childhood friend Janice Mills, who is the liaison for the Jamaica Magis trip; and Sandra Duhaney, his fifth-grade teacher.
The award “honors a legacy of resilience and leadership,” wrote Fr. Davidson on social media, “and I am humbled to be connected to that legacy. May we continue to do this work together, with love, hope, and a commitment to justice.”
Fr. Davidson formerly served as dean of students at St. George’s College in Kingston and is a trustee of Fordham University and Boston College High School, as well as Campion College and Holy Family Primary and Infant School in Kingston.
John Walsh is director of creative video services in the Office of University Communications
Continued from page 1
and offers a reflection. “I’ve never heard a bad reflection,” said Kiefer. “You can’t take a Gospel reading and not get something from it.”
Next are the prayer intentions. Participants are invited to speak aloud or type in the chat, sharing hopes, concerns, grief, and gratitude. “These moments are sacred,” said Kiefer. “People trust us with intimate details of their lives. They know they’re being held in prayer.”
Organizers shared the story of a high school student who asked for prayers for her grandfather, a Boston College alumnus who was ill. After many weeks of prayers, the grandfather joined a Pray It Forward session where he expressed gratitude for the prayers that had sustained him.
In another instance, a Pray It Forward participant prayed weekly for his daughter to receive a new kidney. After two years, she underwent the transplant.
Prayer intentions can also be offered on Pray It Forward’s virtual prayer wall. Submitted intentions—public or private— are shared at the weekly Pray It Forward gathering where they are lifted up in prayer by the community. Recent intentions on the prayer wall include prayer requests for
a mother with brain tumor, victims of domestic violence, a family grieving the loss of a father, and the reconciliation of two brothers.
Pray It Forward participants also use C21 Center’s prayer ribbons, which are a familiar presence on campus, particularly during Espresso Your Faith Week. Participants can send ribbons to people as a tangible reminder that they are being prayed for by the Pray It Forward community.
One of the most dedicated Pray It Forward members is Margie Sherlock, who got to know Boston College when her nephew was an undergraduate. Each week for more than two years, she wrote and shared closing prayers at the gathering. Her prayers were so beloved that C21 published a collection of them in the volume Spirit of Love: Prayers for Hopeful Hearts. The book has been shared at BC alumni events; an online version is available through the Pray It Forward website [www.bc.edu/prayitforward].
“Prayer is transformative and highly contagious,” writes Sherlock in the book’s introduction. “The blessings, hope, and consolation of praying in community unites us with God and with each other.”
Like so many of C21’s offerings, Pray It
Forward is designed to serve as a model that can be replicated by other Catholic educational institutions, parishes, or other faith communities. The center’s website includes a guide on how to start a program.
“Pray It Forward shows that you can de-
“It’s something so simple yet it fills a need we have to nurture our own personal faith and be in community with others,” says C21 Center Director Karen Kiefer of Pray It Forward.
velop beautiful friendships and relationships with people when Jesus takes the wheel,” said Kiefer. “When God is in between all of us, things change.”
For more information or to join Pray It Forward, see www.bc.edu/prayitforward
Continued from page 1
support offers flexibility to cover researchrelated expenses such as data collection, hiring research assistants, and disseminating findings to academic and community audiences. These funds also make it possible to integrate cutting-edge research into my courses, enriching the learning experience for students and preparing them to address mental health disparities among vulnerable populations.
“In a nutshell, the fellowship enables me to sustain community-engaged research, pursue innovative methodologies, and create a stronger bridge between research and teaching.”
Piñeros-Leaño is principal investigator of the MACONDO (Mothers and Children of All Nations Defying the Odds) Research Team, which aims to address health and mental health disparities among families to ensure a healthy development “for everyone, regardless of where they are from.”
With a staff that includes BC graduate and undergraduate students, as well as collaborators from five other universities—who work in disciplines such as economics, public health, nursing, and behavioral health—MACONDO aids immigrant and migrant families who have encountered several adversities prior to migrating to another country or city and who continue facing difficult experiences after arriving.
Using empirical research, the team seeks to “ameliorate barriers to access care and to promote the use of evidence-based interventions that can promote the wellbeing of immigrant and migrant families in the host country.”
The Wong/Lai Family Fellowship will
enable Piñeros-Leaño to strengthen community partnerships in the Boston area to advance her research on maternal mental health inequities among immigrant families: “I’ll be able to deepen collaborations with local organizations and community leaders, ensuring that the research is grounded in the lived experiences of immigrant mothers and that the interventions developed are culturally responsive.”
Piñeros-Leaño added that the fellowship can help BCSSW become a leader in mental health equity and environmental sustainability and could set a precedent for future philanthropic investments while fostering a culture of communityengaged research.
“It can also aid in building a legacy of impactful work that aligns with BCSSW’s mission of service and social justice, positioning the school as a global leader in addressing complex social challenges.”
BCSSW’s Latinx Leadership Initiative was the major factor in Piñeros-Leaño’s decision to join the faculty in 2018.
“LLI’s mission—preparing social workers to serve Latinx communities in culturally and linguistically responsive ways— deeply resonated with my commitment to mental health equity and inclusion in social work education.”
One of the most compelling findings in her research thus far is a persistent gap in access to culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services, said Piñeros-Leaño, who identifies structural barriers such as immigration status, economic insecurity, and the lack of linguistically trained providers, which exacerbate these inequities.
“To address these issues, it is necessary
to partner with community members to develop community-based interventions that center the voices of these families.”
Other rewarding aspects of her tenure at BCSSW have included mentoring undergraduate and graduate students “who are deeply committed to social justice
and eager to make meaningful contributions to social work practice.
“I also greatly value the collaborative environment at Boston College, which has allowed me to work across departments on initiatives that advance our shared mission of equity and inclusion.”
United States Senator Edward Markey ’64, J.D. ’72, visited the Boston College Campus School on November 21 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the landmark 1975 legislation that mandates special education services for eligible students from birth to age 21. During his visit, Markey spent time with students in an occupational therapy session, heard a review of assistive technology, and participated in a roundtable discussion with Campus School parents Julia Jordanich and Lyla Puggioni-March, whose children attend the private, publicly funded special education day school in Campion Hall.
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Professor of Biology Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., ’63, director of the Boston College Global Public Health and the Common Good Program, has received the 2025 Ramazzini Award from the international academy Collegium Ramazzini in recognition of his distinguished career focused on environmental and occupational health, and the protection of children from toxic exposures.
Landrigan, a pediatrician and public health physician, also directs BC’s Global Observatory on Planetary Health, which has led recent groundbreaking studies of the global health and environmental risks posed by plastic products, and a town-bytown analysis of the health and environmental risks from air pollution in Massachusetts, among other projects.
Collegium Ramazzini described Landrigan as “a visionary leader whose work has saved countless lives, advanced scientific understanding of toxic exposures, and shaped policies that protect the most vulnerable members of society. His legacy exemplifies the highest standards of schol-
arship, service, and moral courage.”
Landrigan’s earlier groundbreaking research demonstrated the harmful effects of lead exposure on children—even at low levels—leading to significant policy changes. His work was instrumental in providing the scientific evidence that led the United States Environmental Protection Agency to remove lead from gasoline and paint, which resulted in a 95 percent reduction in childhood lead poisoning in the United
States and a remarkable increase in the national average IQ for children born since 1980.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to receive this magnificent award named in honor of Dr. Bernardino Ramazzini, the father of occupational and environmental medicine,” said Landrigan, who joined the BC faculty in 2018. “It recognizes the extraordinary work of the hundreds of friends and colleagues with whom I have had the privilege to collaborate over the past five decades.”
As chair of the National Academy of Sciences committee on Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children, Landrigan helped shape the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, strengthening safeguards for children’s health. Following the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster, his leadership advanced medical response efforts for first responders and impacted communities, contributing to long-term health protections.
In 2017, Landrigan served as lead author for the landmark The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health report, which revealed pollution as a leading global health threat responsible for an estimated nine million deaths annually and closely linked
to climate change. He updated those findings leading The Lancet Planetary Health in 2022.
Landrigan began his career as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At Mount Sinai School of Medicine, he chaired the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health from 1985 to 2018. His scholarship includes more than 500 scientific publications, books, and reports, shaping generations of clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.
A cornerstone of the collegium since his election as Fellow in 1983, Landrigan served as president from 1999 to 2021, guiding the organization through two decades of achievements, including global efforts to ban asbestos and lead.
Founded in 1982, the Collegium Ramazzini is an international scientific academy of physicians and scientists from 45 countries headquartered in the Castello di of Bentivoglio, located near Bologna, Italy. It is named in honor of Dr. Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714), viewed by many as a founding practitioner of occupational medicine, and is home to the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Centre.
BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Four Boston College faculty members were selected to participate in the Builders Artificial Intelligence Forum 2025 at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on November 6-7, joining some 200 leading Catholic educators, ethicists, and technology and health care experts from 160 organizations worldwide in discussions on artificial intelligence and how it can be used in ways that serve the Church’s mission and respect the dignity of the human person and the common good.
Lynch School of Education and Human Development Nelson Chair and Associate Dean Brian Smith, Woods College of Advancing Studies Associate Dean for Strategy, Innovation, and Technology Aleksandar Tomic, Clough School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Daniel Daly, and Professor of the Practice in Philosophy Fr. Philip Larrey, joined in working group discussions on AI’s impact on education, health care, and business, in an effort to create an interdisciplinary community to help guide AI innovation through the perspective of Catholic social teaching.
Writing to the forum’s participants, Pope Leo XIV called on scientists, entrepreneurs, and pastoral leaders engaged in the development and employment of Al to devise systems that “reflect justice, solidarity, and a genuine reverence for life.
“To ensure that artificial intelligence
Boston College School of Social Work
Dean Gautam Yadama was awarded an honorary Doctor of Social Science degree from the National University of Mongolia (NUM) in recognition of his dedicated service and outstanding contributions to social policy and the development and growth of social work in Mongolia.
Since 2001, Yadama has collaborated with organizations and universities in Mongolia, playing a role in helping build professional and educational initiatives in the country. The development of the social work profession, education, and practice is an outcome of his work with NUM and key partners such as Save the Children UK, World Vision, UNICEF, and the Center for Social Work Excellence in Mongolia. Yadama received the degree earlier this fall at the Open Mind Mongolia 2025 International Conference, hosted by the Department of Sociology and Social Work in the NUM School of Arts and Sciences. The event focused on understanding poverty and environmental dynamics, and interventions to address the attendant so-
serves human dignity, justice, and the common good, the development of ethical technology must be a shared, ecclesial mission reflecting God the Creator’s design: intelligent, relational, and guided by love,” the pope wrote.
“The question is not merely what AI can do, but who we are becoming through the technologies we build.”
Fr. Larrey, who moderated a workshop titled “Towards a Catholic Turing Test: Defining and Detecting Consciousness,” said his group was tasked with conceptualizing a Turing Test informed by Catholic anthropology and theology. A Turing Test, named after the British mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, is a method of inquiry in artificial intelligence for determining whether a computer is capable of human-like intelligence.
“I was more than honored to be a part of the Builders AI Forum and to lead this particular workshop discussion,” said Fr. Larrey. “The Catholic tradition in philosophy and theology is an excellent framework within which to discuss issues being raised concerning AI and emerging technologies. As a Church, we have a richness that can and will benefit all of humanity as we face the rise of AI and other relevant technologies today and tomorrow.”
Fr. Larrey said it was the second time the forum had been convened, following last year’s successful meeting at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences inside the Vatican.
Forum participants were selected by Matthew Sanders, CEO of Longbeard,
cial, economic, environmental, and health outcomes.
He was among the speakers at a conference-opening plenary session and presented the talk, “Dynamic Complexity of Technology and Society: Field Observation.”
“My collaboration with Mongolian academics, practitioners, and communities over the past 25 years highlights the meaningful role that American universities play in the development of other societies,” said Yadama in a recent statement. —University Communications
a technology company and leader in AIdriven solutions for the Catholic Church, as well as David Nazar, S.J., the general director of the three Jesuit institutions in Rome. The Builders AI Forum will likely meet once again next year.
“The goal was for each of the participants to leave with a richer understanding of the challenges and possibilities of AI, contribute to the initial framing of this complex issue, and identify pathways for future collaborative research and development,” said Fr. Larrey.
“It was a great experience, and the in-
Giving Thanks
volvement of four faculty from Boston College reflects the esteem in which the University is held by the Vatican and the global Catholic educational community.”
“Unlike other AI meetings I attend, the Builders AI Forum begins by asking how artificial intelligence technologies can be used to amplify those aspects that make us uniquely human, particularly those related to human dignity, morality, and flourishing,” said Smith. “I was pleased to be a part of it.”
Learn more about the event at the Builders AI Forum website, www.baif.ai
BY JASON KORNWITZ SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
In the fall of 2002, Paula Coutinho was on the verge of withdrawing from the master’s program at the Boston College School of Social Work. Her internship was so challenging, she recalled, that she wasn’t sure she could continue pursuing a career in the helping profession.
That’s when Sue Coleman ’82, M.S.W. ’86, then a field education specialist at BCSSW, stepped in.
Coleman visited the agency where Coutinho was working, listened to her concerns, and then helped her find her footing again.
“Sue was so incredibly supportive. I never forgot that, and now I understand how a not-great field experience can shatter the confidence of a student and have a lasting impact in their journey in the field,” said Coutinho, who graduated in 2003 and is now the BCSSW associate dean of enrollment management. “She uplifted me in a way that allowed me to see that I had something to contribute and the agency I was placed in was just not a good fit.”
Coleman’s dedication to Coutinho reflects a career-long commitment to accompaniment, which refers to the practice of walking alongside others in their journeys of growth, healing, or professional development. After joining BCSSW in 1997 as a student adviser, and eventually becoming assistant dean of field education, she walked beside tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff, listening, guiding, and lifting them up when they were down. She celebrated their successes as much as she steered them through difficult moments, helping them see their own potential while modeling the profession’s core values of service, competence, and the importance of human relationships.
“Social work is built on walking alongside someone—in a change effort, a growth effort, a recovery effort,” said Coleman, who retired this fall and was honored as the inaugural recipient of the BCSSW Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award. “I feel like we walk alongside students by setting up structures that support their learning and processes that support them if they’re struggling.”
Coleman directed placements for more than 500 graduate students each year, built partnerships with thousands of human service agencies, and helped shape a field education curriculum grounded in reflection, social justice, and trauma-informed care. Along the way, she played an active role in the New England Consortium of Graduate Social Work Field Education Directors, a regional network that collaborates to support high-quality experiential learning.
“She listens, learns, and allows herself to be changed by the journey,” said Associate Dean of Student Experience Teresa Schirmer. “Whether guiding a student through a difficult moment or advocating for an
Prof. Carlo Rotella (English), author of the new book What Can I Get Out of This?: Teaching and Learning in a Classroom Full of Skeptics, published an essay in The New York Times Magazine on how students’ easy access to chatbots changed his approach to humanities instruction.
Science News included Shadows Into Light: A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age, by Boston College School of Social Work Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt, among its “Top Reads” of 2025.
A Wall Street Journal article on the history of the 40-hour work week in the United States included insights from Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology), who studies companies that shift to a four-day week.
ground” podcast.
Several public colleges and universities in Massachusetts reported fewer international students enrolled this fall. Assoc. Prof. Gerardo Blanco (LSOEHD), academic director of the Center for International Higher Education, discussed this trend with WBUR News.
Prof. Brian Quinn (Law) spoke with the Financial Times (U.K.) about the $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk that Tesla shareholders approved this fall.
agency’s needs, Sue has practiced accompaniment as a relational, transformative act.”
Coleman spent more than 40 years practicing accompaniment across New England. She began her career in 1982 at the Gaebler Children’s Center in Waltham, Mass., caring for children with emotional disorders, and later joined the Massachusetts Department of Social Services to address cases of abuse, neglect, and family trauma. Those early experiences shaped her perspective as a clinical supervisor at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and as interim director and senior clinician for the Federal Employee Assistance Program in Boston, where she led workplace seminars for dozens of federal agencies.
Colleagues throughout Coleman’s career highlight her ability to treat everyone with dignity and respect, saying that she always takes the time to understand the unique needs of each person.
“She has helped me to understand this phase of my career more deeply by teaching me about the stewardship we hold for the social work profession,” said Assistant Professor of the Practice Kathleen Flinton, who teamed up with Coleman and others to create the Trauma Integration Initiative at BCSSW, a strategic effort to integrate trauma-informed theory, principles, and practice into the curriculum, field education, and research. “Sue has had such a profound impact on the social worker that I am, and I can only hope to uphold a fraction of her immense legacy at BCSSW.”
As she packed up her office in McGuinn Hall this fall, Coleman reflected on all the students with whom she worked.
“It was really amazing to think—with the longevity of this—how many different students I’ve engaged with and had as part of my life,” she said. “It’s been a privilege to be in this role because I never would have imagined it. But looking back on it, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Jason Kornwitz is a senior writer and editor at the Boston College School of Social Work
This story was edited and condensed from a longer piece that appeared on the BCSSW website. To see the original, go to bit.ly/BCSSW-Sue-Coleman-retirement.
Prof. Emeritus Fr. Kenneth Himes (Theology) wrote a piece for Commonweal on the decision to undo the military’s efforts to reduce civilian casualties.
How will the lowering of some tariffs affect the price of groceries, and when? Prof. of the Practice Can Erbil (Economics) weighed in for Yahoo Finance.
Prof. Daniel Lyons (Law) offered comments for a Washington Post story on how former members of the Federal Communications Commission are petitioning it to repeal the policy prohibiting broadcasters from distorting the news, arguing that the protocol has been improperly used.
Assoc. Prof. Oliver Wunch (Art, Art History, Film) was featured on an episode of The Clark Art Institute’s “In the Fore-
The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.
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Boston College Chronicle will return on January 15
An essay for University World News by Prof. Emeritus Philip Altbach (LSOEHD) and Tessa DeLaquil M.A. ’19, Ph.D. ’24 looked at the future of Nobel Prize-winning research in science.
Khang Vu, a visiting scholar in the Political Science Department, talked with The Wall Street Journal about Vietnam’s efforts to challenge China’s hold on a vital waterway by building islands.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Professor of Law Patricia McCoy offered comments for a Washington Post story on how the Trump administration is investigating personal mortgage files, focusing on people who appear to claim multiple homes as primary residences.
Prof. John Baldovin, S.J. (CSTM), was quoted by National Catholic Reporter on the decision by Washington state officials to drop an effort that would have required priests to break the seal of confession as part of an abuse reporting law.
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Elizabeth Sweeney’s work on the Boston College Irish Music Archives helped build a global resource
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Over the past three decades, Boston College has become a wellspring of Irish traditional music and dance, notably through the Gaelic Roots concert and lecture series as well as courses in Irish fiddle and dance, among other offerings.
Equally significant is the Irish Music Archives—established in 1991 at the University’s John J. Burns Library—which houses 27 collections of books, recordings, photographs, letters, and other materials that help document the history of Irish music in America; it also includes digitized audio as well as a YouTube channel, all accessible online.
The task of building, refining, and promoting the archives has been the handiwork of Elizabeth Sweeney, who retired this fall after almost 37 years at Boston College, the last 27 of them as the University Libraries’ inaugural Irish music librarian. It was a fulfilling experience in many ways for Sweeney, not least because she became a performer of Irish and Celtic music herself while at BC.
Sweeney is modest about her role in developing and maintaining the Irish Music Archives, citing the assistance she received from colleagues in University Libraries, the Irish Studies Program, and elsewhere at BC. She appreciated the opportunity to use her professional skills in helping make the archives a top-of-the-line, go-to source for musicians, scholars, musicologists, and aficionados alike from all over the world.
“It’s been very gratifying to see people make use of the archives, whether for a publication or other project, or just out
of personal interest,” said Sweeney, who joined BC in 1989 as a cataloguer in O’Neill Library. “I worked with so many wonderful people over the years from a variety of backgrounds. The word ‘archive’ can mean many things, but the current
definition is ‘that which will endure’; I think this certainly applies to the Irish Music Archives—we have built something that will be of lasting value.”
Sweeney’s colleagues have no qualms about singing her praises.
“Beth has been vital to the archives’ worldwide success: Her knowledge and dedication, her ability as a curator, were second to none,” said retired Sullivan Artist in Residence in Irish Music Seamus Connolly, who directed Gaelic Roots and BC’s other Irish music programs, and
whose papers are in the archives. “Her devotion to the archives’ mission was evident and greatly admired—both inside and outside the University—and she treated everyone with dignity and respect.”
“The Irish Music Archives is an intrinsic element of our renowned Irish collections, enhancing their depth and distinction, and Beth has been invaluable in extending their curatorial development by pursuing additional donations and purchases,” said Burns Librarian and Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resourc-
“Her devotion to the Irish Music Archives’ mission was evident and greatly admired—both inside and outside the University,” says a former colleague of Elizabeth Sweeney (left), who recently retired after 37 years at BC.
photo by caitlin cunningham
Irish music may have been unfamiliar territory for Sweeney when she first arrived at BC, but a confluence of events soon changed that. During the 1989-1990 academic year, Irish musician and composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin was on campus as a visiting professor, and he advocated for an Irish music archive at the University. Ó Súilleabháin organized the March 1990 Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival, featuring performances by eminent Irish musicians, and donated recordings of the event to the archives.
Among the performers at the festival was Connolly, one of the most heralded Irish fiddle players of his generation, who later that year joined BC’s Music Department as an instructor offering Irish fiddle classes and subsequently hosted Irish music and dance programs on campus. Between 1993 and 2003 he created 10 Gaelic Roots festivals of workshops and concerts; Gaelic Roots became an academic-year series after the festivals ended.
A classical violinist and pianist, Sweeney found herself increasingly interested in the Irish and Scottish music she was hearing in Boston and worked with Connolly on learning fiddle; she would eventually perform with him regularly at BC events.
photos by matthew healey
es Christian Dupont. “She has worked closely with our collections management team to make the archives more extensive and accessible than ever to students and faculty on campus and researchers and musicians around the world.”
BC’s growth as a major resource and venue for Irish music did not occur in a vacuum. Concurrently, the past three decades have seen Irish music and dance become a global phenomenon, what with the popularity of “Riverdance” and other stage productions. Amidst this trend, the archives have offered a window onto Irish music not just as a form of commercial entertainment, but a beloved tradition shared over generations within communities, neighborhoods, and families.
For example, while the archives include exhibits on world-renowned performers such as John McCormack, there also is a BC History Department project, “Dudley Street: Crossroads of Celtic Music,” that examines how a Boston neighborhood became a locus for Irish as well as Scottish and Acadian music. Some of the archives’ collections include live recordings of music being played at informal gatherings in social halls or people’s homes, including in Boston.
Sweeney’s part in acquiring such materials has had an impact on the Irish Music Archives, said Gaelic Roots Program Director Sheila Falls—and on efforts to keep the music alive. “Speaking as an Irish musician, these collections are essential in supporting our need to consider the source of this music. I am grateful for the work she has done to preserve recordings that would have otherwise been lost. These collections will be invaluable for traditional Irish scholars and musicians alike for years to come.”
Although the archives had a temporary coordinator, as more materials were being donated it became clearer that a permanent, full-time presence was necessary— and a systematic method for arranging, classifying, and describing the items. Sweeney assisted Burns Library on several projects over the years, and when she found out in 1998 that the library administration had decided to hire a full-time Irish music librarian, she applied and was accepted.
As time passed, the archives continued to grow, as did its reputation: One day in 2008 Sweeney opened her email and saw a message from Mary O’Hara, an Irish singer and harpist who gained international fame through her performances (including one at BC in 1986), recordings, radio and television appearances, and five books over the course of a decades-long career.
“She wrote, ‘I want to donate my papers. Are you interested?’” recalled Sweeney. “Of course, we were.”
Sweeney worked with O’Hara and her husband in processing, sorting, and organizing her papers, which included promotional materials, business correspondence, recordings, sheet music, books, and other items. She helped put together an exhibit at Burns Library to honor O’Hara’s donation, which was formally celebrated in October of 2009, at which O’Hara presented a talk, “Travels with My Harp.”
“The experience with Mary was very enjoyable and satisfying,” said Sweeney. “That’s been true for so many of the projects the archives have taken on over the years. People entrust something very precious to you—the music that has been at the center of their lives—to share with the world and you hope you can do right by them. I’m glad we were able to create something that shows the impact Irish music has on individuals and communities alike.”
For more about the Boston College Irish Music Archives, see libguides.bc.edu/irishmusic/ archives