Rutland Fellows
The Rutland Institute is proud to partner with faculty members who support our mission and vision, both within and beyond Clemson University.
Jerome Adams | Executive Fellow
Dr. Jerome Adams was the 20th Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Adams’ motto as Surgeon General, “better health through better partnerships”, was designed to strengthen relationships with all members of the health community by forging new partnerships with members from the business, faith, education and public safety and national security communities. As the Surgeon General, Dr. Adams held the rank of Vice Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, overseeing the operations of approximately 6,500 uniformed health officers who serve in nearly 800 locations around the world, promoting, protecting, and advancing the health and safety of our nation.
During his tenure as Surgeon General, Dr. Adams created several initiatives to tackle our nation’s most pressing health issues, including: the opioid epidemic, oral health, and the links between community health and both economic prosperity and national security. In response to the opioid epidemic, Dr. Adams issued the first Surgeon General’s Advisory in thirteen years, urging more Americans to carry naloxone, an FDA-approved medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Dr. Adams also released Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids, and a digital postcard calling for a cultural shift in the way Americans think about, talk about, and respond to the opioid crisis.
Dr. Adams received his bachelor’s degrees in both biochemistry and psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California at Berkeley; and his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from Indiana University School of Medicine. He has been a leader in numerous professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Association and the Indiana Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Adams is also the former Health Commissioner of Indiana, where he led the State’s responses to Ebola, Zika, and to the largest ever HIV outbreak in the United States related to injection drug use.
Now as Executive Director of Health Equity at Purdue University, Dr. Adams will share his medical knowledge and expertise in the upstate area as the first Executive Fellow of the Rutland Institute for Ethics. This opportunity is only available due to Clemson’s partnership with AnMed Health, one of the leading healthcare providers in the upstate. Dr. Adams will address nursing students, medical students, and the constituency of the South Carolina Deans, Directors, and Chief Nursing Officers Summit in the Fall of 2024. He will return to the upstate area in the Spring of 2025 to talk to students and faculty directly on the Clemson University campus. During both visits, Dr. Adams will also address the community of Anderson, SC.
For more information, please contact Dr. William McCoy at wmccoy@clemson.edu.
Luke Rapa | Faculty Fellow
Dr. Luke Rapa is an Associate Professor in the College of Education, and joined the Institute as a Faculty Fellow in January 2024. Dr. Rapa received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Michigan State University in 2016 and his Bachelor and Masters degrees in English from Grand Valley State University in 2003 and 2010 respectively.
Rapa’s research rests at the intersection of developmental and educational psychologies. Broadly, Rapa studies how contextual, sociocultural, and sociopolitical factors—including socioeconomic disadvantage, structural constraints, and societal inequality—shape key developmental and psychological processes and promote or constrain adolescents’ development and academic success. More specifically, Rapa’s program of research examines (1) how adolescents critically analyze societal inequities and develop the motivation and agency to redress such inequities, or develop “critical consciousness;” (2) how youth navigate structural constraints or marginalizing systems (e.g., institutional racism, discrimination, stereotypes in school) to achieve academic success and well-being; and (3) how social identity threats shape development and how and social-psychological interventions can bolster academic performance and promote well-being.
With the Institute, Rapa delivers faculty presentations on The Question Project and maintain Clemson’s role in the program, as well as coordinates and delivers Graduate Distinguished Ethics Scholars Workshops semiannually. Rapa will also direct the ACE Awards program, launching for Clemson faculty and graduate student researchers in Fall 2024, and be utilized in classrooms and the community as an internal and external presenter on ethical decision-making and ethical leadership.
Karen Burton | Faculty Fellow
Karen Burton is an Assistant Librarian for Clemson Libraries where she supports the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences and Clemson Extension. Burton graduated from Clemson in 2003 with a B.S. in Entomology and received her Master’s of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina in 2021. Burton has worked in many different roles at Clemson over the years, from raising beetles for biological control to providing academic support to student athletes as part of the Athletic Academic Services Department. Before joining Clemson Libraries in 2022, she worked for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine–Greenville where she supported the Continuing Medical Education program for Prisma. Her research interests include scholarly communication, open access, and predatory publishing.
At the Institute, Burton chairs the Faculty Advocating for the Commitment to Ethics (FACE) Committee, organizes semiannual “Hot Topics” events featuring civil discourse on modern ethical dilemmas, and enhances ethical education across Clemson's campus with insightful presentations about ethical decision-making and applications of ethics across disciplines.
Joan Dubinsky | Executive Fellow Emeritus
Joan Dubinsky offers over 30 years of professional experience in organizational ethics, compliance, and responsible business conduct. She is a leader in the global business ethics movement, having served as the chief ethicist for several leading international organizations and corporations, including the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, BAE Systems, Inc., and the American Red Cross. Dubinsky helps organizations maintain an ethical organizational culture amidst the diversity and complexity of their operations. Dubinsky’s portfolio includes ethical leadership, program effectiveness, provision of confidential advice, retaliation protection and prevention, whistle blowing, asset and interest disclosure systems, and ethical risk assessment. Read more about her work and her ethical reflections for the Institute below.
