Faculty Research Interests

• Community engagement
• Inter-professional education
• Scholarship of teaching and learning
• Self-efficacy

• Emotional Intelligence in Graduate Occupational Therapy Students
• Trauma Informed Care and DV/IPV
• Graduate Occupational Therapy Doctoral Education Impact on the Profession

• Child Narrative Development
• Maternal Reminiscing
• Child Language and Literacy
• Reflective Writing in Clinical Practices
• Curriculum Alignment in Clinical Education Practices

I have two main areas of research. The first focuses on the impact of community engagement on both students and community partners. The second focuses on physical performance in older adults. 

My research agenda has two areas of focus. First, I am interested in the concept of functional core stability. There are no gold standards of how to measure this concept, and I and am researching the clinimetrics of one such test. Second, I am interested in the student-run pro bono clinic model and how it can be an extremely valuable part of student education- particularly in the areas of interprofessionalism and clinical education.

• Tropical and Infectious diseases
• Disaster Preparedness & Mass Casualty Management
• Immigrant Medicine
• Veterans Affairs

My research interests include: (a) mindfulness to reduce burnout in occupational therapy practitioners and students, (b) scholarship in teaching in learning, including contemplative pedagogy and learner-centered feedback, and (c) the role of yoga and mindfulness in promoting well-being across the lifespan, encompassing individuals with varying abilities.

• Underrepresented minority (URM – as defined by the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy) student pursuit of PT careers 
• The role of pipeline programs in URM student success in gaining admission to PT education programs
• Physical Therapy student perceptions of value and self-efficacy within service learning

My research interests focus upon praxis, the “reflection and action upon the world order in order to transform it” (Freire, 1972 p. 33).  This research investigates (1) core reading programs, (2) children's literature, (3) the use of critical literacy, (4) mindfulness in education, and (5) best practices in teacher education. Much of my research focuses on the role of teaching to strengthen communities.

My scholarship has been concentrated in the areas of pediatric and school psychology, with a focus on the clinical applications of research and the formulation of practice guidelines for health care and school professionals. Student dissertations under my mentorship have explored child and family adjustment to cancer and other major pediatric medical issues.

Recent publications have included chapters providing guidelines to medical care providers on meeting the psychological needs of children and families with severe illness, guidelines to school teams on meeting the needs of traumatized or maltreated students, and a formulation of the role of gender in cognitive assessment.

My research broadly focuses on behavioral health assessment, suicide risk identification and prevention, and mental health equity. Currently, my research endeavors revolve around the critical task of evaluating and enhancing existing mental health assessment tools for diverse populations of youth. My aim is to refine these tools to enable more precise differentiation of diagnoses and to enhance our ability to predict future suicide risk. Importantly, this research extends its reach across diverse demographic groups, including cultural communities, students who receive special education services, and youths who identify as LGBTQIA+.

I currently have three primary areas of ongoing research for publication and scholarship. These include: (1) sexual minority professional identity and development; (2) social work and human sexuality pedagogies; and (3) social work and human sexuality textbook efficacy.   

As an offshoot from my dissertation, the professional development of sexual minorities in the field of social work continues to interest me greatly. My dissertation raised numerous questions about the role of oppression, social identity, and organizational culture as well as how these factors, among others, influence sexual minorities pursuing graduate level education and beyond. As a result, I continue to explore identity management within the context of applications to therapists and educators.   

In light of my approach to pedagogy as an experiential educator, my respective fields of social work and human sexuality, and the institutional support of experiential learning in Widener University’s Strategic Plan. I am also passionate about studying the art and science of teaching.   
Finally, I have recently co-authored a textbook book on sexuality and social work to be employed within the context of both social work and human sexuality classrooms. Analyzing the efficacy of the text will be a focus for some years ahead.

I identify as an educator, a sexologist, and an interculturalist. As such, my research agenda is focused on combining these professional identities. As an educator, my interest lies in the development of curricula, interventions, and in the evaluation of sexuality education in communities, schools, and professional settings. 

As a sexologist, I am incredibly interested in the implications of sexual diversity on professionals' practice, whether they are working as educators, counselors/therapists, or researchers. As an interculturalist, I am interested in exploring the role that intersecting cultures play in the provision of service to individuals and groups that are culturally different from that of the provider. Each of these interests combines with the others throughout my research agenda. The focus of my scholarship is the measurement of the guided development of dispositions and skills in sexologists that reflect culturally sensitive practice that is responsive to sexological diversity. Sexological diversity is a term that references all aspects of human sexuality and their many iterations and facets, the variety of sexual expression, identities, and the many ways they manifest in individuals, societies, and cultures or subcultures. Historically, scholars have struggled to measure professional training designed to develop sensitivity to this diversity. I am working to define, develop, and understand sexological worldview, a construct that explains people's varied perspectives on human sexuality that is informed by their life experience, socialization, and cultural background. 

In addition, I am moving toward publishing and presenting further on the construct's use in approaches to education and training. Until now, the Intercultural Development Continuum (Hammer et al., 2003) and the related Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) have been used to inform and evaluate training that is done with human service professionals to develop intercultural skills and dispositions. I have developed several learning activities, assignments, and other ways to engage students in the development of a sexological worldview that is interculturally sensitive.

Broadly speaking, I am interested in researching the topics of psychodynamic psychotherapy, culture, and relationships. For the last few years my work has focused primarily on the study of an applied psychology of religion and spirituality. I am interested in the integration of religion and spirituality into psychoanalytic theory, psychotherapy, and professional training. I also enjoy partnering with students to better understand the psychological experiences of marginalized groups, such as gay black men, individuals diagnosed with stigmatizing mental illness, and transgender clients seeking gender confirmation surgery.

My research interests include organizational context issues, trauma, field supervision, and issues of deviance and stigma in mental health.

My overarching research interest concerns the nature of comprehension in general, which underlies my interests in reading comprehension and developmental psycholinguistics. My teaching duties continually push me to study current literature in educational psychology, research methods, and statistics. Misunderstanding and misuse of brain research in educational settings has led me to study brain research that is enhancing our understanding of language and reading difficulties so that my students will develop a higher level of sophistication with that literature.

My research interests focus on decolonial and indigenous knowledges and practices, and sexualities through languages.  

My research interests include practice evaluation, integrated care and the treatment of trauma, and social work and chronic health care.

My research interests includes two major areas. The first one is the development and validation of measurement instruments, including student assessments and survey instruments. My work in this area has been published in the most respected scholarly journals and presented at national and international conferences. 

The second area is applications of research methodology into broader areas in educational practices, such as design and scoring mathematics performance assessment, developing and validating social and emotional learning survey instrument, assessing non-cognitive skills, and evaluating educational curricula and instructional programs. My work in this area is reflected in my numerous refereed publications and presentations at national and international organizations, scholarly collaboration with other faculty members within and outside of Widener, and doctoral students. 

The highlights of my research are: (1) a prestigious research grant (Co-PI with professors from the University of Delaware and Marquette University, $1.5 million) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 2010-2015; (2) a research grant funded by the Lindback Foundation, and (3) my leadership role and long-term research activities in the development of the Widener Emotional Learning Survey and in the promotion of student social and emotional learning. I have also been invited to serve as a psychometric/statistical consultant for a number of national and international research projects.

My clinical research interests relate to providing best practice and evidence to enhance occupational therapy practice in the acute care, rehabilitation and stoke and brain injury populations.