TEDxUKY

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Abigail Latimer

  Assistant Professor - College of Social Work and College of Medicine

  Abigail Latimer, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW, APHSW-C is an Assistant Professor in the University of Kentucky College of Social Work and College of Medicine. She is a UK College of Social Work graduate and has post-doctoral training with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, Research Interventions for Cardiovascular Health. Dr. Latimer specializes in adapting and implementing serious illness communication interventions, with a focus on older adults with heart failure and those who are unhoused or housing vulnerable. Dr. Latimer has 15 years of clinical experience, with the majority in hospice and palliative care, and includes counseling for adults with severe opioid use disorder.

• Dee Dlugonski

  Assistant Professor, Department of Health & Clinical Sciences, Director, Active Girls Healthy Women Program

  Dr. Dee Dlugonski is the Director of the Active Girls Healthy Women Program in the Sports Medicine Research Institute and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health & Clinical Science in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Dlugonski earned her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois in 2013 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Penn State University in 2005. Dr. Dlugonski uses community-based approaches for designing effective, sustainable, and scalable interventions to increase physical activity among women, children, and families.

• Elizabeth Rhodus

  Assistant Professor

  Dr. Elizabeth Rhodus is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in the Department of Behavioral Science, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and the Center for Health, Engagement, and Transformation. Dr. Rhodus’ background as an occupational therapist has fueled her research in developing assessments and non-pharmacological interventions to improve behavior and functional performance in daily activities for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her work also expands community-engaged research related to lifestyle factors which influence brain health.

• Kathryn Preston

  Keynote Speaker, Team Dynamics Researcher, & Corporate Leadership Strategist

  Dr. Kathryn Preston is a team dynamics consultant, keynote speaker, and corporate leadership strategist who helps teams work together better. As a former healthcare provider in complex hospital care teams, and now as a communications trainer across industries, Dr. Preston has a knack for identifying the honest issues that impact team engagement and organizational culture, seeing beyond the status quo discussions that distract teams from fulfilling their most ambitious goals. Known for being "bold", "real", and "engaging", Dr. Preston's focus is on frank, action-oriented, evidence-based insights that professionals can apply today to start building cohesive, collaborative, and communication-driven teams.

• Kenton Sena

  Senior Lecturer - Lewis Honors College

  Kenton Sena is a Senior Lecturer in the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky, with expertise in forest restoration. He teaches the Honors Foundations Seminar and additional honors courses in ecology and the environment. His research and service focus on the ecology of planted forests on landscapes disturbed by surface mining and urban development.

• Lou Hirsch

  Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

  Lou Hirsch, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the inaugural Director of FIELD, a collegewide program advancing pedagogical innovation, student success, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. His career follows a nontraditional path that began in the outdoors of Arizona and a maritime career as a boat captain and scuba instructor, a vocation he has continued for 24 years. At UK, he has earned every major institutional teaching award and is recognized nationally for contributions to instructional innovation and outreach. He has led transformative academic initiatives for numerous programs including the Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology major, the Agriculture Individualized Curriculum, and FIELD. His work integrates rigorous pedagogy, experiential learning, and learner-centric engagement to develop the next generation of leaders.