The Sway | April 2026

Bison Trailblazers | The Scholar’s Pivot | How Dr. Kevin E. Scriber II Transformed the PhD into a Global Passport

by Anna De Cheke Qualls | In the academic world, a 'pivot' often refers to a change in research focus, but for Dr. Kevin Emmanuel Scriber II, the term describes a life lived across latitudes. From his current post at Texas A&M University, where he instructs the next generation of medical professionals in Anatomy and Physiology, the view is framed by a decade of global exploration that most scholars only read about in journals.

Word to the Wise | Dr. Susanna Sacks

by Anna De Cheke Qualls | On an ordinary weekday, Dr. Susanna Sacks moves between worlds: from the quiet focus of early-morning writing, to the charged energy of the classroom, to the administrative demands that attend contemporary academic life. It is a rhythm that mirrors her scholarship—one deeply attuned to the movements of language, labor, and value across borders. Sacks, an assistant professor in English and literature, is a scholar of African literature whose work examines how global political and economic systems shape cultural production in southern Africa.

Bison Trailblazers | Dr. Majda Atieh

by Anna De Cheke Qualls | When PhD alum Dr. Majda Atieh reflects on her academic journey, she returns repeatedly to one idea: stories shape the world. “Literature is the reality and not a statement about reality,” she says, a belief that has guided her from a coastal Syrian childhood to Howard University and onward to her current role as Assistant Professor of English and Deputy Head of the Department of English and Translation at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. Her story — interwoven with migration, scholarship, resilience, and interdisciplinary innovation — exemplifies the impact of a Howard education amplified on the global stage.

Word to the Wise | Dr. Adana Llanos

By Anna De Cheke Qualls | When PhD Alum Dr. Adana A. M. Llanos stepped into the warm Nairobi morning in February the air held that peculiar blend of dust, jacaranda blossoms, and possibility. She had arrived with a clear purpose—two weeks as Scholar‑in‑Residence at the Columbia University's Global Center in Nairobi, a short window to deepen partnerships and advance research on chemical exposures and women’s health. But what she encountered was something far more alive: an ecosystem already pulsing with potential, waiting for someone to help connect the threads. “It didn’t feel like starting something new,” Llanos later reflected. “It felt like walking into a conversation already in motion—and being invited to help shape what comes next.”

Black Birthways is grounded in a simple but urgent truth. Care should not end when a mother leaves the hospital. Developed through a collaboration between Howard University’s Applied Data Science Program, Howard University Hospital, and the CORE Futures Lab, and led by Dr. Amy Yeboah Quarkume and Rochanda D. Mitchell, DO, Maternal Fetal Medicine, this initiative brings together data science, clinical expertise, and community insight to address one of the most pressing challenges in public health. Black women in the United States continue to face a maternal mortality crisis, dying at rates three to four times higher than white women. Read more...

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is proud to announce Dr. Gerald E. Daniels Jr. as a recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. A "triple Bear" who earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from UCR between 2008 and 2013, Dr. Daniels has since established himself as a prominent Associate Professor of Economics at Howard University. His academic career is defined by a rigorous focus on the racial wealth gap and the systemic impact of student loan debt. Dr. Daniels' research highlights stark disparities: for instance, data often shows that Black college graduates carry significantly higher student loan balances—frequently exceeding $50,000—compared to their white counterparts, a factor he identifies as a primary barrier to long-term wealth accumulation. Read more...

In the summer of 2020, as the world grappled with a global pandemic and a seismic reckoning with racial injustice, Paola Yuli was looking for a way to make her scholarship matter. Seeking a PhD program that "centered the African Diaspora and to produce scholarship that served diasporic communities," she set her sights on Howard University.

"I received the acceptance letter in early 2021 and immediately knew that I belonged," Yuli reflects on her arrival at the Hilltop. "What I did not know then was that I would find a home, dedicated advisors and mentors, and lifelong friends." Read more...

Howard University has launched the Howard University Journal of African Studies (HUJAS), a new peer‑reviewed academic journal hosted by the Center for African Studies (CfAS) and published through the Digital Howard Institutional Repository. The interdisciplinary journal advances research on Africa and the global African diaspora, with its inaugural issue spotlighting digital learning and research in African higher education.

Announcing the launch, Editor‑in‑Chief Dr. Mohamed S. Camara, Professor and Chair of the Department of African Studies, situated HUJAS within Howard’s current institutional momentum, noting that the journal debuts “as Howard University undergoes remarkable and promising changes, having just been ranked Top HBCU by Forbes, and having become a Research I institution.” Read more...

In a world where the United States spends over $8,300 per person on healthcare and Ghana relies on deeply-rooted communal networks, a new report from Howard University’s Reach Alliance reveals a chilling commonality: Black mothers in both nations are facing a preventable mortality crisis driven by systemic neglect.

The research report, “Improving Black Maternal Health: Postpartum Care, Mental Health, and Technology in the U.S. and Ghana,” arrives during Black Maternal Health Week (April 11–17) as a clarion call for policy reform. The findings suggest that the risk to Black mothers is not merely a matter of hospital resources, but a "global emergency" rooted in historical trauma and institutional bias. Read more...

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The Sway | April 2026