In addition to her work as Professor of Education, Dr. Ensher is Coordinator of two master's degree programs in the School of Education at Syracuse University: Early Childhood Special Education and the Inclusive Program on Severe Disabilities. She received her doctorate in special education from Boston University in 1971. Prior to receiving her doctoral degree, she taught for 3 years in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Quincy, Massachusetts. She later assumed a position on the faculty at the Pennsylvania State University in State College prior to taking a position on the faculty at Syracuse University. For many years, Dr. Ensher has been actively involved in teaching, writing and research, and community service related to families and young children who are at risk and have developmental disabilities. At Syracuse University, she teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels about methods and curriculum in early childhood special education, families of young children with special needs, the assessment of infants and young children, and the theoretical foundations of early childhood special education. She has extensive experience in clinical work with infants, young children, and their families and continues to train graduate students in this area of expertise. She has authored play-based assessments for infants and toddlers, most recently Partners in Play: Assessing Infants and Toddlers in Natural Contexts (Thomson/Delmar Learning, 2007). In addition, Dr. Ensher co-authored with Dr. David Clark the first and second editions of Newborns at Risk: Medical Care and Psychoeducational Intervention (Aspen Publishers, 1986, 1994). Dr. Ensher is a single mother of two daughters adopted from Calcutta, India-Kimberly and Lindsey. Dr. Clark is a pediatrician and neonatologist who trained at North Carolina Memorial Hospital, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and completed a Neonatology Fellowship at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. Dr. Clark's certifications include Diplomate, American Board of Pediatrics; the American Board of Pediatrics, SubBoard of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine; and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Regional Instructor. Dr. Clark is a member of 25 professional societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics-Fellow, Section on Perinatal Pediatrics, Section of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Section on Transport Medicine, and Critical Care Section; the Society of Pediatric Research; American College of Nutrition; American Pediatric Society; and the New York Academy of Sciences. Dr. Clark's curriculum vitae includes a total of 103 peer-reviewed publications; four books; more than 200 abstracts; and numerous invited chapters, reviews, and presentations. Dr. Clark is the father of three daughters and a grandfather of five, including William David (WD), who tragically died at the age of 4 years during Hurricane Katrina.
