Research
I am currently a post-doctoral fellow at Youth-Nex, The University of Virginia’s Center to Promote Effective Youth Development. This interdisciplinary position lets me focus on a number of my interests, from social and personality psychology to education and after-school programs. While preparing my dissertation (see below) for publication I am also working on a variety of projects at Youth-Nex, including data analysis on a mentoring program for middle school girls (Young Women’s Leadership Project) and designing a project to work collaboratively with the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville, VA. While here at UVa I am hoping to gain further community-based research experience, graduate and undergraduate teaching experience and improve my training in mixed-methods research.
Professional Service
I am active in two divisions of APA: Division 9 – The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues; and Division 5 – Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics. This year with SPSSI I am moderating/managing the listserv and helping with 2012 conference planning. I’m also the membership chair for the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (SQIP) which will hopefully become a recognized section of Division 5 in 2012.
Teaching and Pedagogy
Since finishing my coursework I have spent the last three years immersed in thinking critically about pedagogy and facilitating professional development opportunities for CUNY students and faculty. After a year of undergraduate teaching I had the opportunity to step back and focus on writing strategies as a Writing Fellow. This year I will focus on instructional technology as explained below. For more current news on these activities please visit my blog where I frequently post on teaching and pedagogy.
During the last two academic years I had the privilege of serving as a Writing Fellow at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York. This fellowship involved working directly with faculty members taking part in the Writing in the Disciplines (WID) professional development program. As a fellow I assisted with course design, assignment creation and scaffolding, assessment, and professional development. Responsibilities also included working with students in the Writing Center and working on professional development materials (newsletter and conference presentations). In the previous academic year I was a Graduate Teaching Fellow at Hunter College of the City University of New York. I taught two courses within the Psychology Department: Theories of Personality (PSYCH 220) and Lifespan Human Development (PSYCH 150). I also served as TA for General Experimental Psychology (PSYCH 250).
This year I have the opportunity to work with the Office of Instructional Technology at Bronx Community College as an Instructional Technology Fellow. My responsibilities will include providing professional development and resource support for faculty members who are working with a variety of technologies including: Blackboard, Eportfolios, blogs and wikis, screencasts/podcasts.
The SOURCE Teen Theatre
In my dissertation I investigated the experiences of young adults involved with a teen theatre program in central Florida (The SOURCE). Located in Sarasota, FL and affiliated with the Planned Parenthood of Central and Southwest Florida, The SOURCE Teen Theatre provides a unique space for youth to deal with the challenges of adolescence. The SOURCE theatre members write plays, present them throughout Southwest/Central Florida, and conduct safe-sex education. With funding provided by the Leslie Glass Foundation, I worked with Michelle Fine and Melissa Rivera to investigate the unique impact The SOURCE has had on the young women and men who have participated in it through its 25 years of existence. I continued the project with funding from the Graduate Center Doctoral Students Research Grants Program. This funding allowed for final data collection through interviews and an online survey. Preliminary results have been presented at conferences. Last year I was awarded the Social Sciences Dissertation Fellowship to support the final writing stages of the project. I successfully defended my dissertation in March ’11 and am now working on disseminating the results via empirical articles.
Plan B Consumer Experience Survey
I worked with Linda Simkin at AED to develop a national online survey to study consumer experience with Plan B (emergency contraception, the “Morning-After” pill). The survey, launched in December 2007, remained active through March 31, 2008. Data on access, experience, and other contraceptive use was obtained from more than 1,600 women from across the U.S., aged 18-44. This project won an Innovation award from AED for the use of online survey methodology. More information on the results is available here.