In her teaching, Stefanie’s goal is to share her passion for public health and love of microbiology while helping students build the scientific literacy they need as future health professionals. This includes core classes that explore public health, research and evidence based practice, as well as epidemiology. She also teaches several electives, many of which focus on infectious disease microbiology. Stefanie’s teaching practice emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and understanding the complex relationships among microbes, hosts, and environments, while also connecting science to history, social justice, and real-world health challenges. She strives to create a learning environment that is engaging, flexible, and supportive, using clear organization, active learning, and new technologies to meet students needs. Above all, she teaches with integrity and compassion, holding high standards while serving as a mentor and advocate for her students.

Stefanie’s scholarship focuses on advancing socially responsive and inclusive microbiology and STEM education. Her current work centers on integrating social justice perspectives and trauma-informed pedagogy into pre-clinical STEM education, with particular attention to curriculum focused on microbiology, infectious disease, and public health. The goals for this work is to develop coursework and teaching resources that situate the life sciences within the broader social, historical, and ethical context, while supporting student engagement, belonging, and success. Stefanie’s current scholarship efforts are grounded in her background as a research scientist in the field of microbial pathogenesis and sexually transmitted infections.