OHIO's September 2025 Newsmakers

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Three faculty members were recognized by ��Ƶ as September 2025 Faculty Newsmakers. Learn more about their media mentions below:

Mario Grijalva

Director of the Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute and Professor of Microbiology in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

In September 2025, Grijalva was quoted in CNN and several other outlets on Chagas disease, saying when you consider it a problem that belongs to others, it’s not important, but when it’s a problem affecting people here, the recognition that it is an endemic disease in the United States is a game-changer, at least in terms of the public policy possibilities and the awareness that is required to properly address this complicated issue. It also highlights how he spent his recent sabbatical riding a motorcycle across Latin America to spread the word about the condition, after making a similar motorcycle trip in the U.S.

News Stories

Gaurav Bansal

Chair and O’Bleness Full Professor of Analytics & Information System in the College of Business

In September 2025, Bansal was quoted in the Ohio Capital Journal and other outlets explaining that as attention shifts to integrating artificial intelligence in higher education, the ability to think critically about AI becomes increasingly vital. Bansal said that critical thinking becomes more important in this age of AI because only those people who are really smart in how they engage AI will do really well, as well as saying that humans can play a very important role in making sure that AI is used, developed, and implemented in an ethical way.

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Christine Bhat

Professor of Counseling in the Patton College of Education

In September 2025, Bhat was quoted in Spectrum News and featured on their broadcasts about the risks TikTok poses to youth mental health and safety. Bhat emphasized how algorithmic recommendation systems can lead students down very dark paths and that while many social platforms require users to be at least 13, younger children often circumvent those restrictions with minimal verification. She urged parents to be proactive, advising them to delay children’s access to social media where possible, enforcing firm usage boundaries, monitoring device use, and fostering open conversations about online risks.