Mason awarded University of Maine System Trustee Professorship

Craig Mason, a professor of education and applied quantitative methods in the College of Education and Human Development, has been chosen as the 2020–21 University of Maine System Trustee Professor for UMaine.

The competitive award provides release time and support for faculty to undertake research and other scholarly creative endeavors not feasible within their normal workload. Mason plans to use his award to expand his involvement in cutting-edge research in developmental epidemiology being conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His specific focus is on newborn hearing loss and the impact of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) on developmental outcomes in children born with hearing loss.

“I’ll be collaborating with partners at the CDC to analyze recently collected longitudinal, population-level data on 750,000 children across nine states,” Mason says. “This truly unique dataset contains child-level data from multiple points in time, starting at birth, and including newborn hearing screening, diagnostic and early intervention data.”

Mason says he hopes to use the data “to examine factors related to the timeliness of diagnostic testing” of hearing loss, “and strategies for identifying those children most at risk of not receiving needed services.”

Faculty members are nominated for the trustee professorship by their institutions using a campus-based selection process, and must submit an application describing the work to be pursued during the period of the award. Janet Fairman, associate research professor in the College of Education and Human Development and co-director of the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, nominated Mason.

“Craig’s high level of productivity across his career is truly remarkable,” Fairman says. “He has maintained an active research program while teaching and providing extensive and important service to the university, the college, his school and the state of Maine.”

Mary Gresham, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development says Mason personifies the public service mission of the University of Maine and the University of Maine System.

“He uses his research expertise to respond to complex challenges in public health to help improve the quality of lives,” Gresham says.

Mason joined the College of Education and Human Development faculty in 2001 and was promoted to full professor in 2010. He has published more than 100 scholarly works, and been principal investigator or Co-PI on over 40 grants or contracts totaling nearly $20 million. He has given invited presentations at meetings sponsored by the CDC, the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among other agencies and groups.

In addition to his work on developmental epidemiology and newborn hearing loss, Mason’s research explores biobehavioral informatics, specifically electronic data linkage and data system design in areas such as growth and development in children, as well as risk factors, interventions and outcomes for children with a birth defect or developmental disability.

He’s also involved in research on STEM education, particularly technology-enhanced math education for middle school students.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu