2024 Public Health Newsletter

I started the 2022-2023 school year, my fifth year at Western, with a huge professional accomplishment--being granted tenure and promotion! In addition to sincerely enjoying getting to know every public health pre-major and cohort member each year, I continue to happily mingle with the Honors College. I chaired honors theses and started as a new member of the Honors Advisory Board. I also updated and taught my seminar on Abortion in the United States for honors juniors and seniors in Fall 2024. With the changing legislation across the country related to abortion, I served on several university-wide panels on abortion and reproductive rights.

Another highlight continues to be mentoring undergraduate research assistants the Research in Repro And Sexuality (RRAS; “razz”) lab. Last year, I took three RAs to the 2022 annual conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) in Vancouver, Canada. They were able to network and see research presentations from social scientists, educators, and counselors across the country. This year, one of my RAs, honors student, and public health senior, Tasha Denton, made her conference presentation debut and brought a poster to the 2023 SSSS conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a lab, we have been working on several projects over the past few years, including a mixed methods, large-scale sexuality climate survey, a mixed-methods survey on intimacy during the pandemic, a qualitive study on LGBTQ+ nonconsensual experiences, and a qualitative project exploring sexual situations that involve cannabis.

Dear alumni and friends,

As we navigate through another academic year, I am delighted to share some updates. Besides what I normally teach, such as Epidemiology and Research Method, I am enthusiastic about the inclusion of the "US Health Care System" course in our curriculum, a recent addition designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of US health care system through the lens of public health. Furthermore, I have assumed the responsibility of teaching the Social Marketing course as part of our curriculum changes. I am actively seeking community collaboration opportunities to enhance our students' learning experiences through real-life social marketing projects. If you have any ideas or potential partnerships in mind, I would greatly appreciate your input.

On a personal note, I have embarked on a journey to deepen my understanding of students' perspectives by taking science courses at WWU. I have successfully completed general chemistry series (CHEM 161, 162 & 163, formerly CHEM 121, 122, 123). Looking ahead, my plan is to enroll in Bio 348 & Bio 349 during the winter and spring quarter of 2024 respectively, contingent upon available space. This endeavor not only enriches my own knowledge but also enhances my ability to support and connect with our students.

Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration