Hilliker, 2015
CURRICULUM VITAE
LAUREL HILLIKER
September, 2015
University of Michigan-Flint Cell: 517.862.9221 [Preferred]
Public Health & Health Sciences Office: 810.424.5575
3167 William S. White Building
Email:
Secondary:
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
Degree PhD, December, 2011
Specialization Health and Well Being, Sociology
Grief & Bereavement Studies
Dissertation: Who Am I Now? Experiences with Formal Bereavement Care among Michigan Baby Boomers after Spousal Loss
Committee: Toby Ten Eyck, Christopher Ganchoff, and Harry Perlstadt (Reader: Dr. Ann Mongoven)
Qualifying Exam: Sociology of Grief and Bereavement (specifically medicalization of grief); Support Groups as Social Support; and Research Theories and Methods for Studying Vulnerable Populations and Sensitive Topics
Degree M.A., 2007, Summa cum laude
Sociology
Thesis: The Reporting of Grief by One Newspaper of Record for
the U.S.: The New York Times.
Degree B.A., Magna cum laude
Major Sociology
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
Certification Paralegal
AREAS OF RESEARCH INTEREST
Health & Illness Selves, Identities & Support Public Health/Policy
Medical Sociology Aging/Life Course/Gerontology Grief & Bereavement
PUBLICATIONS (PEER REVIEWED = R)
Hilliker, L. 2014. Contributor for entries in The A-Z of Death and Dying: Social, Medical and
Cultural Aspects, Michael John Brennan, Editor. Greenwood Publishing, Santa Barbara,
CA (R)
Hilliker, L. 2013. An Enlightened (and Relieved) Death Educator: The Value of Truth Telling
with Children. Illness, Crisis & Loss, Vol. 21(4) 361-364. (R)
Hilliker, L. 2012. Closure after Death: Is it possible? In Strength for the Journey: Living with
Loss. Spring Grief Newsletter for Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Holt, Michigan.
Hilliker, L. 2012. Gaining Strength for the Grief Journey. In Strength for the Journey: Living
with Loss. Spring Grief Newsletter for Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Holt, Michigan.
Hilliker, L. 2011. Why is grieving a loss so challenging? In Strength for the Journey: Living
with Loss. Fall Grief Newsletter for Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Holt, Michigan.
Hilliker, L. 2008. The Reporting of Grief by One Newspaper of Record for the U.S.: The New
York Times. Omega, Journal of Death Studies. Vol. 57, Issue 3, 261-278. (R)
Hilliker, L. 2007. Social Psychological Perspectives on Altruism in Care Giving: The Schiavo
Case and Beyond. Illness, Crisis & Loss, Vol. 15, Issue 1, 3-24. (R)
Hilliker, L. 2006. Letting Go While Holding On: Postmortem Photography as an Aid in the
Grieving Process. Illness, Crisis & Loss. Vol. 14, Issue 3, 245-269. (R)
WORK IN DEVELOPMENT OR IN PUBLICATION PROCESS
Hilliker, L. & Sa, M., 2015. BYOD: Bring your own device to the College Classroom
[Revise and Resubmit, InSight-A Journal of Scholarly Teaching.] [R]
Hilliker, L. 2015. Who Am I Now? Experiences of Widowed Baby Boomers Attending Grief Support
Groups. [Manuscript submitted for publication consideration to BereavementCare, An International
Journal For Those Who Help Bereaved People, Taylor & Francis Group]. [R ]
Hilliker, L. 2015. The Multicultural Landscape of Funeral Rituals in the U.S. [Paper in Development
for submission to Mortality.] [R]
MEDIA PROFILES/INTERVIEWS/ARTICLES______
2015 News article on event sponsored by CASL, February 6, Death Café. Park University Stylus,
News, Vol.119, Issue 10, p.6.
2014 Profile as Executive Director of Center to Advance the Study of Loss and Assistant
Professor of Sociology, March/April edition of NORTH Magazine, page 11,
www.livenorth.com
2014 Interview with Lindsey Foat and Bridgit Bowden, Reporters for Kansas City Public Television &
the Hale Center for Journalism. Filming and personal interview on topic of Death Café event
related to the new social movement across the United States. See:
http://www.flatlandkc.org/education/death-cafes-discussing-death-life/
2012 Footage of my Introduction to Sociology course on our flagship campus by President, CEO
& Founder of My Special Child: Changing the Face of Developmental Disabilities in Your
Community. Clip discussed college options for individuals who have special needs. Aired on
FOX4 nightly news, which highlighted individuals who are successfully overcoming the
challenges of their disability and provide resources and research to help others succeed.
GRANTS FUNDED/PENDING ______
2015. External. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [Pre-proposal, unaccepted]. New Connections: Health Leadership and Workforce. Up to $100,000 in award monies was possible, over 200 applicants.
2014 External [Awarded, employer unable to match]. George Nettleton Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri, $25,000-$40,000 to improve the lives of the elderly in the region.
2014 Internal. Academic Affairs, Faculty Professional Development Grant, $5,000, joint application with faculty colleague in Communications at Park University. Collaborative project associated with the experiences of professional caregivers working in facilities that serve end of life patients.
2012 External, funded. Collaborative project. Crossroads Hospice Gift for establishing a center related to grief and loss at Park University. $102,177 [two year funding 2013-14]
2012 Internal. Faculty Development Endowment Fund Award, $4,500 from Park University Faculty Senate Committee to conduct a feasibility study related to the development of a center for loss.
2012 Internal. Academic Affairs Travel Fund Award, $1,200 from Park University to present research at the Association of Death Education and Counseling’s 35th Annual Conference in Hollywood, California.
PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, FLINT, MICHIGAN
2015-Present Program Manager-Master of Public Health
LEO Lecturer III
Department of Public Health & Health Sciences
PARK UNIVERSITY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
2013-2015 Executive Director for the Center to Advance the
Study of Loss [CASL]
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
2012-2015 Assistant Professor of Sociology
Department of Psychology & Sociology
PALMER, BUSH & JENSEN FAMILY FUNERAL HOMES, LANSING, MICHIGAN
2011-2012 Continuing Care Coordinator, Flex Position, Part-Time
Lansing, Delta, and Holt-Delhi Chapels, Michigan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
2011-2012 Instructor
Center for Integrative Studies
2008-2012 Graduate Student Instructor
Department of Sociology
2009-2010 Project Coordinator – Flex/Part Time
Department of Anthropology
National Institute of Health- Clinician’s Concepts of Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Management of Chronic Illness
2001- 2008 Editorial and Research Assistant
Family and Child Ecology, 2001-2006, transferring to
Department of Sociology, 2006-2008
Medicaid Match Grant -Making Knowledge of Diabetes Accessible to African Americans
1998-2001 Editorial Assistant
Department of Economics
1996-1998 Grant Assistant
School of Criminal Justice
National Institute of Justice-Project on Policing Neighborhoods
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-FLINT
2010-2012 Intermittent Lecturer
Department of Health Sciences and Administration
LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE, LANSING, MICHIGAN
2007-2010 Adjunct Instructor, Department of Social Science
INDIANA UNIVERSITY, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA
1996-1998 Grant Assistant
Joint Appointment with Michigan State University’s
School of Criminal Justice
National Institute of Justice, Project on Policing Neighborhoods
TEACHING EXPERIENCE______
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, Flint, MI
2015-present HCR 300 Health Care in the United States
AGE 378 Organization and Administration of Long-Term Care
PARK UNIVERSITY, Kansas City, MO
Instructor- face to face and online
2012-2015 SO 141 Introduction to Sociology
SO 332 Sociology of Dying, Death and Bereavement
SO 322 Sociology of Health and Illness
SO 208 Social Inequality
SO 304 Social Problems
PH 333 Ethical and Legal Issues in End of Life [Team taught]
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, East Lansing, MI
Instructor
2007-2012 SOC 100- Introduction to Sociology[online]
SOC 241- Social Psychology
SOC 131- Social Problems
ISS 210- Society & The Individual
SOC 315- Family & Society
Teaching Assistant
2003-2007 SOC 488-Sociological Theory; Liaison on Class Management Team
SOC 361-Contemporary Communities
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-Flint, MI
Lecturer
2010-2012 HCR368-Sociology of Health & Illness
LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Lansing, MI
Instructor
2008-2009 SOC120-Introduction to Sociology
PRESENTATIONS- ACADEMIC/INVITED/COMMUNITY/GUEST SPEAKER
ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
2015 Accepted Proposal. Exploring ‘Pennies from Heaven’: And Other Phenomena & Communication from Beyond Using a Symbolic Interaction Lens. 7th Annual Exploring the Extraordinary Conference. Anomalous Experiences Research Unit, University of York, UK, York Marriott Hotel, Tadcaster Road, York, UK
2015 The Multicultural Landscape of Funeral Rituals in the U.S. Association and Death Education and Counseling's 37th Annual Conference Honoring Diversity — Dying, Death and Bereavement in a Multicultural World. April, San Antonio, TX.
2014 Team Presentation with Dr. Clay Anderson, Dr. Dan Festa and Dr. Gerry Walker. Compassion in Disease Dialogue and in Death Notification. Full-day workshop for the Center to Advance the Study of Loss. Park University, October 10.
2014 The Pearl-less Dragon: Responses to a Nonexistent Future for Dragon Parents at the Association of Death Education and Counseling's 36th Annual Conference. Riding the Dragon: End of Life and Grief as a Path to Resilience, Transformation and Compassion. Baltimore, Maryland.
2014 Sudden Death Notification and Broken-Heart Syndrome: Implications of a Grieving Mother’s (Literal) Heartache at the International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference (DGB) in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
2013 Co-presentation with Dr. Harold Ivan Smith. The Unacknowledged Grief of Professionals in End-of-Life Scenarios: Weighing in on Emotional Boundaries. Full-day workshop for the Center to Advance the Study of Loss at Park University, October 18.
2013 Co-presentation with Dr. Teresa Mason. What do we tell the children? Navigating generational differences: A child’s first loss. Annual Meeting of the International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference. Children and Death. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin USA.
2013 Who Am I Now? Experiences with Formal Grief Care Among Michigan Baby Boomers After Spousal Loss. Annual Meeting of the Association of Death Education and Counseling’s 35th Annual Conference in Hollywood, California USA.
2012 An assessment of informal and formal bereavement support: Findings from interviews of surviving spouses. Co-presentation with Dr. Harry Perlstadt of Michigan State University, Session on Innovations, Technologies and Caregiving in Aging Practice at the American Public Health Association’s 140th Annual Meeting, Prevention & Wellness Across the Lifespan, in San Francisco, CA.
2012 Pre and post-loss needs of people with terminally ill spouses: Recommendations from a qualitative study. Co-presentation with Dr. Harry Perlstadt, Michigan State University. Session on Translating Aging Research into Practice at the American Public Health Association’s 140th Annual Meeting, Prevention and Wellness Across the Lifespan, in San Francisco, CA.
2012 Hospice Initiated Community-Wide Grief Education Programs for Informal Support Persons. Concurrent Session at the International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference, La Crosse, WI.
2011 Bereaved Boomers Talk in Widowhood: Or do they? Experiences of Formal Bereavement Care Among Bereaved Baby Boomer Spouses, 2011 International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference, La Crosse, WI.
2010 The Medicalization of Everyday Life Experiences: Is Bereavement Included? International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference, LaCrosse WI.
2009 Social Support for Bereaved Individuals in Contemporary U.S. Society. The Shifting from Informal to Formal Communities, presentation at the American Sociological Association’s 104th Annual Meeting, The New Politics of Community, San Francisco, CA.
2009 Cross Cultural Connections at the Sociological Crossroads: An Examination of Grief Rituals and Memorials in a Contemporary Global Society, Co-Presentation with Laurel Burnett, at the International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference, June 1, in LaCrosse WI.
2008 Grief as Reported by The New York Times, 1980-2006: A Content Analysis, American Sociological Association’s 101st Annual Conference, New York, NY.
2008 Grief as Reported by The New York Times, 1980-2006: A Content Analysis,
International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
2007 Grief as Reported by The New York Times, 1980-2006: A Content Analysis, Michigan
State University, Second Year Paper Presentation to Sociology Faculty.
2007 Grief as Reported by The New York Times, 1980-2006: A Content Analysis, Association
for Death Education and Counseling’s 29th Annual Conference on Transformation and Creativity
in Dying, Death and Bereavement, Indianapolis, Indiana.
2006 Social Psychological Perspectives on Altruism in Care Giving: The Schiavo Case and
Beyond, at the International Death, Grief, & Bereavement Conference, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
2005 Social Psychological Perspectives on Altruism in Care Giving: The Schiavo Case and Beyond, at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Michigan Sociological Association, Applied Sociology Session, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI.
2005 Social Psychological Perspectives on Altruism in Care Giving: The Schiavo Case and Beyond, Brown Bag in the Sociology Department at Michigan State University for the Society of Women in Sociology, East Lansing, MI.
2005 Postmortem Photography: Historical and Cultural Reflections, Visual Sociology Session at the American Sociological Association’s 100th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS [schedule conflict]
2013 Online Social Network Death Announcements: OMG, my Grandmother just died. RIPL. 10th Global Conference Making Sense of Dying and Death, November 2013, Athens, Greece. Inter-Disciplinary.Net, accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education. [Conflict of Interest with Center workshop offered at same time]
2012 Who Am I Now? Experiences with Formal Grief Care Among Michigan Baby Boomers
After Spousal Loss. American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting, Denver, CO. Social Networks, Social Support, and Health Across the Life Span. [Conflict of Interest, unable to accept]
2011 Seasons of Change: Changing Funerary Rituals. Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, Brown Bag. [Schedule conflict, unable to accept]
2007 Letting Go While Holding On: Postmortem Photography as an Aid in the Grieving Process, invitation to present at Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State University, Death, Dying and Grieving Works on Paper Exhibit, May-June. [Schedule conflict, unable to accept]
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS
2014 Invited Facilitator for Art for Charlie Foundation’s inaugural conference on Pediatric Palliative Care and Bereavement Support. Conference in conjunction with Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, Hospice of Michigan and The People’s Church of East Lansing.
2014 Compassion in Disease Dialogue and in Death Notifications. Co-Presentation for professionals at Park University’s Annual Full-day workshop for the Center to Advance the Study of Loss, October.
2014 Family Dynamics in Grief. Presentation to families and professionals, Art for Charlie Foundation, East Lansing, MI
2014 Closure in Grief: Does it Exist? Presentation to families and professionals, Art for Charlie Foundation, East Lansing, MI
2014 Unacknowledged Grief of Professionals: Weighing in on EmotionalBoundaries. Grief Support Network, Prairie Village, KS. Professional audience.
2014 Two-part series on behalf of CASL-Center to Advance the Study of Loss. Part I: Surviving Loss in a 21st Century Landscape. Part II: Challenges When Someone You Love Dies, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO.