Now Live, Endeavors Highlights Transformative Research Happening Across TCU

From management to medicine, from French to social work, the 2022 Endeavors magazine showcases a sampling of groundbreaking research by TCU faculty that reaches well beyond campus borders to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

“The broad body of research and creative activity showcased in the 2022 issue of Endeavors magazine exemplifies the level of excellence and societal impact that is commonly produced by our faculty and staff,” said Floyd L. Wormley Jr., associate provost for research and dean of graduate studies.

The showcase begins with the cover story, which spotlights a fascinating study by Yashoda Bhagwat, associate professor of marketing.

“She is the first to put a price tag on corporate sociopolitical activism,” said Caroline Collier, Endeavors editor. “While it’s common practice, no one really peeked under the hood before to see how it affected profits.”

Published in the Journal of Marketing, Bhagwat’s paper explores the financial implications when companies such as Delta Airlines and Chick-fil-A take a stand on social issues instead of remaining neutral. For her work, she won the prestigious H. Paul Root Award.

“The moral of the story is to know your customers and audiences,” Collier said. “It’s not just about what company leaders believe in.”

Touching, compelling and inspiring, another story highlights the research of Benjamin Ireland, assistant professor of French, who studies Japanese immigrants in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ireland’s grandfather was a military trainer during World War II who shared stories about New Caledonia, a French territory that was a key geopolitical player during the war. Because of the rift between France and Japan, many of New Caledonia’s Japanese residents were expelled, with parents forcefully separated from their children — a lingering consequence of the war. Through his research, Ireland has helped reunite families.

“Because he can speak Japanese, French and English, he is in a unique position to do the work to put the pieces together,” Collier said. “This story shows the power of academic research to improve the human experience.”

Early in his career, Tee Tyler, assistant professor of social work, was looking for resources to help a client who was planning to come out to a parent — but discovered a void. Fast-forward, and Tyler has drawn from his extensive research exploring the process in facilitating conversations between parents and LGBTQ kids to create simulations to help social work students effectively work with members of the LGBTQ community. His work also helps train health care professionals to ensure they are sensitive to the needs of this population.

“Once again, this shows that the research that happens here improves the lives of families and extends far beyond the borders of TCU,” Collier said.

In the wake of the 2019 death of Atatiana Jefferson, a Black woman who was in her own home when she was shot and killed by a Fort Worth police officer, many Black residents went to City Hall to voice frustration and grief over data that Black residents have worse outcomes with police. Some meetings got contentious, and the residents felt like they were not being heard.

Julie O’Neil, associate dean and professor of strategic communication; Ashley E. English, assistant professor of strategic communication; and Jacqueline Lambiase, professor of strategic communication, teamed to examine how city government can facilitate citizen participation in democratic decisions via listening. After conducting in-depth interviews with 25 Fort Worth residents involved in fighting racism against Black people, the researchers are now expanding to cities across the country in the second phase of their study, which is supported by Pennsylvania State University.

“Their transformative research shows that listening with an open heart and open mind goes a long way,” Collier said.

At the TCU School of Medicine, several faculty are studying potential treatments for COVID-19. Led by Dr. Mohanakrishnan Sathyamoorthy, chair of internal medicine, researchers recently received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials to determine if an anti-rejection drug used by liver transplant patients can prevent the cytokine storm that leads to the deadly inflammation in many COVID-19 patients. The trial is expected to start in February.

Wormley said the work highlighted in Endeavors is only a sample.

“Every year we go through the arduous task of choosing what to highlight in Endeavors magazine knowing that so much more groundbreaking research will not make it into the final publication,” he said. “Fortunately for the TCU community, the selection process gets tougher each year as both the amount and impact of our scholarly works continue to grow.”

Read Endeavors.