Journalists marked the passing of Coach John Chaney, Owls honored healthcare workers and fought for trans rights and the football team got to know a very special recruit.

Remembering Coach John Chaney
John Chaney, the Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach and Temple legend, died in January at the age of 89. “Chaney couldn’t nonchalantly let time pass,” Tyler Tynes wrote in a remembrance for The Ringer. “He lived every day, fists balled up, like he wouldn’t get another chance to do it again.” The Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times also wrote about Chaney’s life and career.

Fighting for Black trans women’s rights
In August 2020 Kendall Stephens, Class of 2021, was attacked by a transphobic mob. The experience has only increased her determination to advocate for trans rights and an end to hate crimes against members of the LGBTQIA+ community. “I operate within the three Ps of my advocate playbook: protest, politics and policy,” she said. “We protest to bring public awareness to our plight by showing bravery, strength and empowerment through our collective visibility.”
Huff Post｜Feb. 1, 2021

Protecting yourself from COVID-19 variants
New variants of COVID-19 have emerged in the U.S. as the virus evolves to become more infectious. While researchers are learning more about each variant, expert advice remains the same: wear a mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands regularly and minimize taking unnecessary risks. “We need to think back to March and April, and get back to that level of heightened awareness, but not necessarily the anxiety,” said Krys Johnson, an epidemiologist and assistant professor in the College of Public Health.
Philadelphia Inquirer｜Jan. 29, 2021

Temple professors receive grant to diversify cardiology experts
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans, but deaths from the disease are higher among Black Americans than their white counterparts. Deborah Crabbe, professor of medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, and Sabrina Islam, assistant professor of medicine at the Katz School, have received a $35,000 award from the Edna Kynett Foundation to start a pilot program that might help address the problem. The program will help train and mentor female medical trainees and medical trainees of color focused on racial/sex-specific cardiovascular disease disparities in COVID-19. “COVID-19, it’s a national awakening [because] the preponderance of deaths are happening in communities of color,” said Crabbe. “And there’s an observation that these outcomes are poor because the preponderance of risk factors tend to be more clustered at a higher amount in the African American community.”
WHYY｜Jan. 29, 2021   

Owl among Diverse’s 2021 Emerging Scholars
Diverse magazine named Kendrick Davis, ENG ’09, as one of its 2021 Emerging Scholars. Chief research officer and associate professor of research at the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, he previously managed STEM initiatives for the School District of Philadelphia and served as a policy aide to Vice President Kamala Harris when she was a U.S. senator. “Somehow you get to the pinnacle of academic success, you get your PhD and then there’s this idea that you’re supposed to go to wherever someone will take you. I categorically reject that idea and always have,” he said.
Diverse｜Jan. 28, 2021

Temple doctor optimistic about coronavirus vaccine roll out
Jamie Garfield, an associate professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, is hopeful about the coronavirus vaccines that are available and their ability to help save lives. “There’s no question that this is the next page of the COVID pandemic,” she said. “I don’t know how many pages this book is, but having a vaccine is game-changing.”
NBC10｜Jan. 22, 2021

Temple Made genetic engineering company secures first patent
ExpressCells, a genetic engineering company co-founded by Oscar Perez Leal, an assistant professor at the School of Pharmacy, has secured its first patent: for a gene-editing technology that creates advanced cell lines for drug discovery. “The greatest beneficiaries [of the patent] are the scientists who will be able to conduct faster, better research, and the patients who will one day benefit from their discoveries,” said Matt Handel, CEO and co-founder of ExpressCells.
Philadelphia Business Journal｜Jan. 20, 2021 

Tyler alumna creates mural to honor hospital staff
Two Tyler alumnae, Michele Tremblay,TYL ’78, and Polly Apfelbaum, TYL ’78, have created a mural in Center City to thank the Jefferson University Hospital doctors and staff who helped Tremblay as she battled leukemia. Tremblay hopes the mural will carry a message of hope to cancer patients as well. “Here’s a moment of rest for you,” she said. “Even if it’s five seconds. Five seconds is five seconds that cancer doesn’t get from you.”
KYWNewsRadio｜Jan. 18, 2021 

Temple wins 2020 BroadwayWorld Philadelphia Awards
Temple has won two 2020 BroadwayWorld Philadelphia Awards: Best Dance Studio of the Decade, for the Boyer College of Music and Dance and Best Production of a Play of the Decade, for the 2019 production of Men on Boats. The winners are chosen by the public.
BroadwayWorld｜Jan. 13, 2021 

Emotional stress tied to the pandemic causes unprecedented demand for therapy
The constant stress of a worldwide health crisis, coupled with social, economic and political unrest has exhausted many Americans’ psyches, causing a large number of them to seek therapy. “We have uncertainty to the max,” said Frank Farley, Laura H. Carnell Professor of psychological studies in education. “We’ve had a sort of piling on of stressors, which I have never seen in my lifetime. No break and restrictions on our response because of COVID.”
USA Today｜Jan. 13, 2021 

Bringing up Black children in white spaces
Valerie Harrison, the president’s senior advisor for equity, diversity and inclusion, and Kathryn Peach D’Angelo, assistant vice president for administration and planning, have written a new book: Do Right by Me: Learning to Raise Black Children in White Spaces. The book is inspired by their decades-long friendship and by D’Angelo and her husband Mike’s experiences raising their biracial son, Gabriel. “We believe it is critical to help Black children understand that when they’re treated differently or badly, or when they see gatherings and messaging cloaked in racism, that they understand that it’s not because something is wrong with them. That it’s not you,” Harrison said.
WHYY｜Jan. 12, 2021
 
Temple football recruit is just 13 years old
Jadiyn Williams, a seventh-grader, was the Owls’ final recruit of 2020 and occupies a unique place on the team. He has hemophilia, a condition that keeps him from participating in several activities, including playing sports. His mother turned to Team IMPACT—a program that connects children with chronic illnesses with college athletic teams—to lift his spirits and they matched him with the Owls. “[Jadiyn] fits our core characteristics of being smart, tough and relentless,” said Coach Rod Carey, “and serves as an inspiration to all the members of our program.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜Jan. 12, 2021   

—Edirin Oputu