Other Epic Team Members

Dr. Michael Deibel has been at Earlham College since 2000 and is currently the Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and a Professor of Chemistry at Earlham College. In this role, he oversees the Epic Centers and Programs and provides leadership for the Epic Journey signature program.  Previously, he served as the co-Director of the Center for Global Health and the Director of the Integrated Program in Health Sciences. Throughout his career, Mike has been passionate about community engagement and partnership and establishing innovative programs, such as a Community Medicine program and a Quality Science minor.  He has led multiple institutional grants, the most recent one focusing on the implemention of a 4-year career discernment program built on the book Designing Your Life.

He holds a B.A. in both Chemistry and Mathematics from Capital University as well as a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky, and has been a long-time member of the teaching faculty at Earlham College. His current research has focused on the use of portable instrumentation for environmental and archaeological analyses. Recent projects have included determination of lead (Pb) contamination in soils, analyses of Chinese pottery and jade, and pigment analyses of Egyptian coffins in Richmond, Indiana.

In addition to his work at Earlham, Mike has established himself as a leader in health professions advising, serving for the past 10 years on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, and currently serving as its President.  He has also served on several boards in the Richmond community and currently is a member of the Board of Directors of the Amigos Latino Center.

I am honored to lead the Center for Global Health (CGH) and to serve its mission to prepare current and graduated students for successful and rewarding careers in the health professions. I have been advising pre-health students at Earlham for more than 15 years. During this time, I have witnessed numerous students pursue enriching careers in medicine (both allopathic and osteopathic), nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacy, chiropracty, podiatry, as physician assistants, and more. If you have an interest in any pre-health career please get involved with the (CGH) programming and introduce yourself to our team. I look forward to working with you and assisting in your career discernment process.

I am also a Professor of Biology passionate about teaching and undergraduate education. My research background is in malaria molecular biology and vaccine development. I am enamored with infectious diseases and how these disorders compromise public and global health. I teach courses and laboratories in molecular biology and genetics, immunology, cell physiology, and parasitology. Earlham has also allowed me to lead student programs to New Zealand, India, the Galapagos, Peru, and Yellowstone
National Park. Finally, I am a believer in laughter being a good form of medicine. So, come find me in the CoLab or Biology Department and tell me a joke, pun, or funny anecdote.

Gene Hambrick facilitates the EPIC Grand Challenge Elevator Pitch workshop in the CoLab. Pictured are Gene Hambrick and four student participants.

Gene, the founder of the CEIC, wears many hats at Earlham. He is the executive director of our center, a Global Management professor, a mentor, and does work in recruitment and fundraising. Not to mention his role as tour guide of his office (if you’re on campus, stop by his office in LBC!). Being an Earlham alumnus, Gene was also active on campus during his time as a student. He was a singer in Earlham’s Gospel Revs, a Black Leadership Action Committee member, and a tennis player, among many other things. After graduating in 1973 with a degree in sociology, Gene went on to have an accomplished career in the business field and earned an MBA from the Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. Having done everything from being a director of international sales at World Kitchen (ask him how many languages he knows), to founding his own company, to being a director of corporate relations at a cyber security lab at Carnegie Mellon, Gene eventually made his way back to Earlham in 2014 and has led our center ever since. Learn More.

My primary scholarly interests are human rights and democracy in the Muslim Middle East and North Africa. More broadly, my research asks: how do everyday people positioned at the global margins understand and embody key concepts in international politics? I study how peripheral actors (including Islamists in Morocco and LGBTQ communities and peoples in Western democracies) mobilize, inhabit and recode the language and practices of democracy, human rights and sovereignty.

I love watching, playing, and talking basketball, staying up with hip-hop, traveling (both domestically and internationally), messing with friends and loved ones, trying new coffee (beans and preparation), and, if I’m going full-disclosure: binge-watching (usually good stuff; often comedies) on my Apple TV.

Perhaps my favorite thing to do is a three-step weekend morning activity: (1) get a good cup of coffee (or two or three), a big bowl of Greek yogurt and yummy granola (2) find a comfy spot on the couch, have my dog (Moocihe, a beagle/pitt mix who is a big weirdo and also one of the loves of my life) snuggle me on the couch and then (3) watch the Denver Nuggets win a basketball game.

I also love: spending time in Morocco (where I’ve done extensive fieldwork), reading well-written long-form essays, a good workout, looking through fashion blogs, South Asian food (Richmond has a very good Indian restaurant. Hooray!), catching up with friends, and a productive writing day.

The people, relationships, and institutional culture that animate Earlham are, for me, the major draws. First and foremost, I simply love working with Earlham’s students. I know that my students will work hard, bring their broad training in the liberal arts to bear on our conversations, are conscientious in class discussions and are willing to engage in difficult conversations — this means that our time together in classrooms is always invigorating, thoughtful, and pushes toward deeper, more complex understandings of complicated issues. Additionally, I’m thankful to be part of an intentional community of scholars: Earlham’s faculty are exceptional people, tremendous teachers and thoughtful colleagues. I find that not only my scholarly development benefits from the interactions I have with my colleagues but that I’m growing as a person through knowing such good people.

Finally, I’m thankful to teach at an excellent liberal arts college that isn’t just a cookie-cutter “good school.” In other words, although a lot of liberal arts colleges help students reach their potential as we do here at Earlham, we’re one of the few places that have a set of principles and practices (and, more broadly, mission statement) that place a premium on values I also hold to, including fostering diversity, integrity, community, and peace and justice.

I serve as the director of the Center for Environmental Leadership at Earlham in addition to teaching. I teach the environmental sustainability senior seminar, Environment and Society course and topics such as U.S. Environmental and Natural Resources Policy.

My general research interests include environmental and natural resource policy, campus sustainability, sustainable communities and land use planning. I am interested especially in projects that address real-world environmental problems and are applied in nature.

I enjoy spending time with my husband, Jason, and our three children (Gabby, Eli, and Sam). Their many activities keep us busy! I also enjoy spending time preparing, preserving and consuming food we grow in our large garden. We share our small homestead with chickens and, occasionally, a couple of pigs.

As a native of Indiana, I was drawn to Earlham in part because it is close to my home. However, the attractiveness of teaching and working at Earlham was heightened by the learner-centered, community atmosphere on campus.

Career Community Coach: Health & Medicine

Hello again – my job is to help students who are interested in careers in health & medicine identify potential careers and opportunities. I have worked at Earlham since July 2017, first as a Career Coach and now as the Associate Director of the Center for Global Health. I also serve on the Health Careers Advisory Committee (HCAC) here at Earlham and am a member of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP).

In addition to running some of the center’s key programming, I also advise our student clubs/organizations: Health Club, MAPS, and HOSA, and supervise the Pre-Health Peer Mentors — who are all wonderful and happy to meet with you!

When I am not working in the CGH, you can find me in the classroom teaching a LIFT course for our first-generation students or assisting with the McNair Program.

Chances are if you have met a fluffy, high-energy, cocker spaniel taking his student friends for walks around campus . . . it’s Earl. In addition to my dog baby, we recently added a human to the mix. I can’t wait for you to meet Ingrid!

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Katy graduated from Earlham in 2020 with a degree in English, and minors in Creative Writing and Jewish Studies. She is excited to be back at Earlham and to be part of the Epic Centers and Programs team. Her most recent project has been assisting with My Epic Journey, the co-curricular portfolio.

Interested in sewing, pattern construction, mending, costuming, fiber arts? Please reach out! Katy has 21 years of sewing experience and loves to be included in various stitchery projects. Make sure to check out the costume shop in Earlham’s theater department for fun and challenging sewing opportunities!