OHIO's October 2026 Newsmakers

Four faculty members were recognized by Ohio University as October 2026 Faculty Newsmakers. Learn more about their media mentions below:

Dan Skinner

Professor of Health Policy in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

Skinner spoke on Ideastream Public Media to discuss the upcoming changes to Ohio’s Medicaid program, including new work requirements taking effect in 2027. Skinner shared his expertise on what the changes could mean for Ohio Medicaid recipients and the challenges the state will face in implementing the new eligibility requirements. He also was featured by the Ohio State Association of Professional communicators ahead of the 2026 elections, where he discussed health care policy issues facing Ohio voters.

News Stories

Peishu Li

Assistant Professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

Li was featured in several outlets for coauthoring a study published in Nature that sheds new light on the evolutionary origins of mammalian feeding behaviors. The research examined a 165-million-year-old mammaliaform fossil, Megacauda sungei, revealing anatomical features that suggest structures involved in suckling, swallowing and drinking had evolved long before the emergence of modern mammals. Li’s research was also featured on WOUB with him discussing in an interview about the evolution of echolocation and the specialized muscles that allow bats to produce high-frequency calls at remarkable speeds.

News Stories

Jerry Miller

Professor, Director of the Political Communication Certificate Program and Ohio Fellows Faculty Mentor in the Scripps College of Communication

Miller was quoted in several articles on the controversial political advertisement targeting Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. Miller discussed the potential impact of the ad on the governor’s race, including whether the highly personal attack could backfire by generating sympathy for Acton and drawing broader attention to the controversy.

News Stories

Katherine Fornash

Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences

Fornash was mentioned in Science Magazine on how she led a team of geologists in documenting a rare, exceptionally well-preserved rock from an ancient subduction zone in Türkiye. The study, published in the European Journal of Mineralogy, examines a lawsonite eclogite that provides a rare record of the cold, high-pressure conditions experienced by oceanic crust as it was forced deep into the Earth. The discovery offers new insight into how subduction zones transport water and other elements into the Earth’s mantle and represents only the 10th well-documented location worldwide where this distinctive mineral assemblage has been identified.