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.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Human Resources Management
• Black Greek Letter Organizations
• Employee Physical and Mental Health
My research interests include occupational Therapy needs of adults with IDD, and the use of technology to support adults with IDD.
My research interests include: missed nursing care, organizational features of nursing (nurse work environment, education, staffing), impact on patient outcomes, implementation, leadership, teamwork, nurse interruptions, incivility, and interprofessional simulation.
Ongoing Projects
My research interests include the Business of Nursing Education, Nursing Leadership, Student Success, Genetics and ethics.
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.
Epidemiology, biostatistics, assessment, survey sampling, educational measurement and database administration, design for data-driven program evaluation skills in psychometric analysis, research design, reliability and validity
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+.
My research interests are in the fields of high performance computing, nanoscience and nanotechnology, magnetism, and computational physics. Basically, my passion is to use the computational power to help calculate physics phenomenon on a very small scale (e.g. nanoscale).
My educational research focuses on the roles of peer-mentoring and undergraduate assistants in the teaching and learning of scientific concepts.
In collaboration with Dr. Liyun Wang (University of Delaware, Mechanical Engineering), I also study skeletal growth and repair and the function of the pericellular matrix in the bone response to load.
Mobile Computing, Trust of Technology Adoption, Systems Architecture, and Wireless Technology
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.
My research explores how culture and the environment influence cognition. Much of my work looks at how intergroup attitudes emerge in different contexts. For example, I’ve looked at the development of bias in childhood in the U.S. and the Faroe Islands. I’ve also studied Faroese attitudes about diversity (e.g., immigration, LGBTQ+ rights). My more recent studies consider how childhood experiences that promote exploration and interactions with nature, may lead to improvements in spatial skills, attention, and overall well-being.
My scholarship focuses on improving health outcomes for marginalized and vulnerable populations by emphasizing culturally responsive care, social determinants of health and health equity. As an academic and Population Health Nurse, I integrate research into nursing education to prepare healthcare professionals to address complex challenges in practice. My research specifically explores effective methods for teaching and providing culturally responsive, holistic care tailored to diverse populations.
I am currently investigating the integration of social and environmental determinants of health into nursing and population health curricula, particularly to address the needs of victims and survivors of human trafficking. This work also involves identifying strategies to enhance healthcare professionals’ understanding of human trafficking, improving their ability to recognize and respond to the needs of affected individuals.
To promote the college access, equity, and persistence of traditionally underrepresented populations (i.e. students from racially minoritized populations) through the examination of the experiences and outcomes of students across diverse institutional contexts in post-secondary education.
My research interests lie in heat transfer related to thermal energy storage. I currently support heat transfer experiments in the heat transfer phenomena lab led by Dr. Saeed Tiari.
My research interests are focused on computer architecture and parallel processing.