My research examines social determinants of health and well-being of individuals (click here for current projects). This work brings together relevant research in the social sciences from the areas of gender studies, social psychology, and community psychology with each project focusing on at least one of the following features:

• examining the influence of gender, gender roles, gender ideology and/or stereotypes on aspects related to behavioral health,
• collaborating with community partners to evaluate promotion, prevention, and intervention strategies within an ecological, multi-level framework, and
• focusing on individuals and groups who are who are marginalized, under-served, or under-represented within specific contexts to understand needs, barriers, and improving the provision of services for social change.

As an educator at an undergraduate liberal arts college, a meaningful aspect of this research centers on supervising, supporting, and mentoring undergraduate students. As a member of the undergraduate research mentoring lab I created in 2011, students are provided with opportunities to get hands-on experiences, participate in a variety of research-related activities, develop skills and expertise, and begin to accomplish tasks consistent with graduate student training and professionals in the field.

Students begin on instructor-initiated projects early on in their involvement and progress towards student-initiated empirical investigations aligned with their Senior Capstone experience. Conducting literature reviews, writing proposals, designing studies, recruiting participants, learning to code, analyze, and interpret results, and disseminate findings to peers (e.g., Senior Projects Presentation Day) and professional audiences (e.g., conference presentations, journal articles) are just some of the activities students engage in.

Through their involvement, students become more competitive applicants for future careers in the social services, research settings, working with in the community, and in graduate programs inside or outside of the field. Many students who I have collaborated with decide to continue their education by seeking out degrees in the areas of Psychology (Clinical, Counseling, Social, Community, Health), Social Work, and Public Health.

By clicking on the link provided, you can read more about students, news, accomplishments, and our work. For the full copy of my Research Statement, please click here.