In the book, Teaching to Transgress, bell hooks so eloquently captured the essence of what propels me to teach. I believe teaching is a practice of freedom, and that “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility.”  I strive to foster critical thinking and apply critical theories and pedagogies to not only help students better understand the world around them, but to change it.

I gravitate to Constructivist strategies that involve problem-based learning, active learning, design thinking, and community engagement. Constructivist-centered teaching defies didactic thinking and elitism, in that it positions the student as an active partner and source of power. As such, I seek out ways in which to foster and amplify student voices in the classroom and to provide space to reflect on their experiences as well as see the relevance of what they are learning in their practice settings and daily lives. I support Freire’s assertion that a lecture-based, passive classroom promotes the dominant authority in society and disempowers students.²

For most of the classes that I teach, I build in community-based learning opportunities to help students translate what they are learning directly into practice.

I view the student-faculty relationship as reciprocal and synergetic: we learn from each other. I also believe, as hooks wrote, that I must “teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students if [I am] to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin” (p.13)¹ Therefore, I strive to create a supportive learning community for my students, where they can bring their whole selves, and feel they can question, apply, and refute concepts presented in the classroom.

My research, teaching and praxis are interdisciplinary and greatly influenced by Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, and bell hooks’ and Audre Lorde’s writings on education, social injustice, and feminism. I examine the bio-psycho-social, cultural, and systemic factors that influence the health and well-being of individuals and communities. As a social scientist and practitioner, my work  is rooted in principles of community-based participatory research and critical theory. I  work in partnership with communities to co-design, implement and evaluate tailored programs, campaigns, and strategies that are culturally responsive and community-driven. My scholarship over the past 30 years has covered a range of issues, including: interpersonal violence, mental health, sexual harassment, eating disorders,  cancer, mhealth, mis/disinformation, eating disorders, diabetes, HIV, and COVID-19.

Another stream of my research examines the link between digital equity and health and the effectiveness of digital strategies and pedagogies in public health and higher education.