Teaching
I position myself as a culturally relevant teacher and aim to create inclusive classroom environments where my students are expected to “engage the world and others critically” (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p.162). My teaching practice is characterized by the following: (1) crafting curriculum and experiential learning opportunities that are relevant to students’ diverse lived experiences, perspectives, and goals, (2) engaging with students as co-learners who are responsible for the academic success of themselves and their peers, and (3) teaching with empathy and affect, recognizing the role that emotion plays in learning and critical consciousness.
Picture: Alternative Spring Break study abroad participants building a "bottle house" of recycled materials in the Dominican Republic.
Experiential Learning
I seek to create opportunities for students to connect on a personal level with course material so that the learning is perceived as relevant and responsive. I believe that students are naturally inquisitive and will succeed academically when they are interested in what they are learning, are able to make connections between the theory and their own lived experiences, and feel that the content is important for their continued growth.
Picture: Alternative Spring Break study abroad participants conducting a community needs assessment using participatory techniques in the DR.
Students as Co-Learners
Each student brings with them diverse ideas and worldviews. I strive to activate students’ acquired knowledge and build upon it through active teaching-learning methodologies and by cultivating equitable relationships among learners and between learners and myself which gives students power over their educational experience. In an inclusive classroom, we learn from each other and challenge ourselves.
Picture: Facilitating a Grassroot Soccer lesson on healthy relationships with youth at a Gender Equality Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Affective Teaching
I honor the truth that each learner is a whole, complex human being. As such, I want to harness their emotions in and out of my classroom to enhance the productivity of the learning process. In what Sarah Rose Cavanagh refers to in her book (2016) as being “the spark of learning,” I strive to employ affective science principles in teaching to capture attention, activate long-term memory, and create enhanced neural networks in students' brains.
-Teaching Experience-
Facilitator, Foundations of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Spring 2023
Facilitated learning labs for 26 first year medical students in an introductory epidemiology course, utilizing applied exercises and group discussion.
Co-Teacher, Public Health Narratives (HPS 307)
Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona
Spring 2022
Taught a writing course to 40 undergraduate public health students, collaborating to revise course materials to align with evidence-based teaching practices, incorporating anti-racist and inclusive teaching, and critically reflecting with a co-teacher on strengths and areas for pedagogical improvement.
Co-Facilitator, Global Leadership Academy
International Student Engagement & The International Students and Scholars Center, Arizona State University
Fall 2020, Spring 2021
Facilitated virtual sessions on leadership and professional development for international and domestic students earning certificates in one of 3 GLA tracks: The Human Connection - Non-profit and Global Change, The Economic Impact - Global Business, and Working Together - Intercultural Competence and Communication
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Global Health (HPS 533)
Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona
Spring 2018 - Online and in-person sections
Assisted with class discussions, grading assignments, responding to student queries, and ensuring student progress through course
Co-Director, "Taste of Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic" Global Intensive Experience (study abroad, BIS 394)
College of Integrative Sciences & Arts, Study Abroad Office, Arizona State University
Spring 2016, Spring 2017
Designed the program in partnership with internal and external collaborators, co-led the trips abroad, managed logistical aspects, facilitated experiential learning activities and service projects, guided group discussions, and graded reflexive journal assignments
-Potential Courses-
I am equipped to teach a variety of content and methods courses in health sciences including the following topics:
Intro and advanced global health
Sociocultural aspects of health
Global maternal and child health
Global health systems
Global climate crisis and human health
Community collaboration for health action
Service learning and study abroad programs
Program design and evaluation
Qualitative health research methods
Visual arts research methods
Applied health research courses
Data visualization and science-telling for health promotion
Health literacy and engaging diverse populations
The fourth epidemiologic transition - intersection of infectious and chronic diseases
-Teacher Training-
Postdoc Pathway Program and CIRTL Certification
Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), University of Arizona
Fall 2021, Spring 2022
Completing an online course in "Evidence-based Undergraduate STEM Teaching Practices", participating in a biweekly Faculty Learning Community, and co-teaching in Spring 2022
Workshop: Bringing an Inclusive Mindset to Teaching
Professors Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy of University of North Carolina, CIRTL Network
October 2021
Global Advocacy Certificate Program
Arizona State University
Fall 2020, Spring 2021
Participated in a series of six workshops on intercultural topics and specific strategies for supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students and scholars in the classroom and educational environments to promote a more diverse community for all.
Foundations of Global Advocacy
Best Practices for Facilitating Inclusive Online/Hybrid Environments
Cultural Values in the Classroom
Increasing Cross-Cultural Connection
International Student Panels (Undergraduate and Graduate)
-Evidence of Excellence-
Teaching Course Evaluations for HPS 533 Global Health (for entire course, no TA specific evaluation was recorded):
References:
Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into practice, 34(3), 159-165.
Cavanagh, S. R. (2016). The spark of learning: Energizing the college classroom with the science of emotion. West Virginia University Press.