teaching portfolio catalina lawsin

Teaching Catalina Lawsin,

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TEACHING PORTFOLIO

CATALINA LAWSIN, PH.D.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

!! Teaching Statement !! Sample Lectures from Undergraduate Health Psychology: Health Disparities


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TEACHING STATEMENT !!

Teaching Experience !

I have a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring that has grown over years of experience. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to educate students and respect this privilege by constantly trying to sharpen my teaching skills. Over the past 14 years I have instructed students at various levels of training. At the undergraduate level I have taught classes ranging in size between 12 and 1300 students. My lecturing style is adaptable to a range of audiences and always promotes student participation even amongst larger groups. I organize classes to be very interactive, encouraging students to use each other as learning resources. While I have primarily taught courses in the area of health psychology, over the past few years have also taught related areas such as Abnormal Psychology, Introductory Psychology and Psychology for Social Work. Considering my research and clinical experience, I am confident in teaching a wide array of courses at all levels of training. !

At the postgraduate level I have taught classes in the Masters of Health Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programs ranging from 16 to 20 students. Since students in these programs are mostly clinically focused, I have structured my classes to be very experiential, providing students the opportunity to practice empirically based interventions that can then be applied in their therapeutic work. I have also served as a clinical supervisor for first year doctoral students from a cognitive behavioral perspective. At this level of training, my primary goal is to instill confidence in budding psychologists. My supervision encourages students to examine the impact of interventions on the therapeutic relationship and the process of change over the course of therapy. During both individual and group supervision, I process students’ own reactions to the therapeutic process to encourage self-reflection and teach students to heighten their awareness of the here and now during therapy. !

Over the past seven years I have also taught communication skills and physicianship to medical school students. These interactive small group teaching sessions merge by research and teaching interests to improve patient-physician communication and heighten awareness of psychosocial concerns in medical settings. !

I have enjoyed mentoring students in research and appreciate the importance of integrating students in research projects early in their training. As a professor I have supervised 29 students working in my research lab. While supervising individual research projects I encourage my research students to collaborate on projects together to foster teamwork and shared learning across different levels of study. I convene journal clubs where students present their own or others’ research and train students to take an analytical approach to research. I encourage students to share their findings through publications and presentations, thus I have provided financial support for students’ attendance at professional conferences. !

Having taught in the United States and Australia, I have experienced differences between the two systems and appreciate the strengths of both. After arriving to the University of Sydney, I had to tailor my teaching style to accommodate these differences. For example, in Australia I team- taught courses with colleagues in the school with similar research interests. Therefore, in each course I work with my colleagues to coordinate the course syllabus and assessments, while lecturing only in my portion of the class. This structure provides students the opportunity to learn from individuals with expertise in specific areas while fostering a manageable teaching load


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amongst faculty. Upon returning to the United States, I am now teaching the communications arm of a physicianship course. Having worked across settings and topics, I am looking forward to sharing the new insights I have gained towards development of future course offerings. !

Teaching Philosophy !

I perceive each course I teach as a unique community that is shaped by the talents and interests of both the students and me. As with any community, the strength of the community relies on the involvement of all of its members. I believe my role as a professor is to facilitate the development and growth of this community in a culturally-sensitive manner. To achieve this I encourage mutual respect amongst the students and I that develops trust over time. !

Each class is an opportunity to for students to learn more about themselves and the world around us. Education is a door to examining our strengths and weaknesses as humans within a social context. I aspire to teach students how to learn, regardless of the topic being taught. I encourage students to apply lecture materials to their personal experiences so they learn materials for the sake of knowledge, rather than in preparation for assessment. Throughout classes I stress individuality of thought and reward students when they challenge common assumptions and share alternative perspectives. This approach to teaching fosters an environment where students feel empowered to think independently and critically. I have had much success in applying this philosophy as evidenced not only by positive student evaluations, but by also being asked to work on curriculum development initiatives within my departments. !

My teaching is guided by the following four principals: !

1) Enthusiasm for Teaching I am an enthusiastic individual by nature, and when I enter a teaching environment my enthusiasm grows to indescribable levels. I believe an effective teacher must be enthusiastic not only about the topic but, more importantly, about the learning process. Each class I use my enthusiasm to ignite students’ interest and model for them the excitement and joy one can experience while learning. Enthusiasm in teaching motivates students to act and action promotes learning, which in turn, promotes growth. My goal as an instructor is to encourage students to think critically and I strongly believe that passion and enthusiasm foster such thought. !

2) Collaborative Relationship with Students I value the collaborative relationship between professor and student. Professors provide material for students to ponder, while students provide questions for professors to explore. By maintaining a collaborative relationship with students I am modeling for them effective communication and respect. If I am to receive the respect of students I teach, I must respect the knowledge they have to share and the lessons they have to teach me. While I provide feedback to students’ performance using formal assessments, I solicit feedback from them using formal evaluations throughout the course to tailor the class according to their evolving interests and needs. !

3) Respect for Diversity of Learning and Experience As an ethnic minority, I embrace diverse thinking and appreciate the diversity of students I teach. Students bring with them their knowledge shaped by their cultural and psychosocial experiences. I welcome students to share their experiences with the class to teach one another of their culture and to provide alternative perspectives to the subject matter. As a professor, I believe it is my role to foster an environment in which students feel comfortable sharing their opinions and insights regarding the class subject honestly and openly. If students practice asserting their thoughts amongst a class audience, I believe they will be prepared to assert their thoughts in other arenas in their life, professionally


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and personally. Having taught large introductory courses as well as smaller seminars/tutorials, I appreciate the role of class environment and individual differences in learning. I try to tailor courses to be as tailored to individual learning styles as much as possible. !

4) Multi-Modal Teaching Design My respect for diversity in learning described above translates into how I disseminate information in the classroom. Considering that individuals vary in their verbal and visual-spatial skills, I believe it is important to utilize a variety of teaching modalities to encourage effective encoding of class material. I teach each lecture amid the backdrop of a PowerPoint presentation to stimulate students’ visual and auditory senses simultaneously. I also call on talented artists to teach lessons with videos and music. I often invite guest speakers to share their personal experiences with students so they can associate a particular individual who exemplifies the theory previously discussed in class. In addition, I believe that guest lecturers provide students the opportunity to ask questions that formal lectures may not have stimulated. I have also asked students to participate in activities (e.g. a diversity experiment required in a Psychology of Diversity class) or engage in particular behaviors (e.g. behavioral change project in a Health Psychology class) so they can apply, personally, the lessons learned in the classroom. As a student and as a professor I have appreciated how much personally applying class material encourages information to transcend into knowledge. Teaching Interests !

Teaching Interests !

My research and clinical experiences make me best suited for teaching in areas surround clinical health psychology. However, I have also taught in several related areas and am eager to expand into new areas. I am currently qualified to teach the following classes based on previous teaching, preparation, coursework, research endeavors, and clinical experience: !

Health Psychology: I have taught this course over the last 10 years at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. !

Abnormal Psychology: I have taught this course for three years. !

Psychology of Stress Management (Stress & Coping): I have taught this course previously and have trained numerous trainees and practitioners in this area. !

Introductory Counseling Skills: I have previously taught this course to medical students and also have provided clinical supervision to doctoral level trainees in clinical psychology. !

Introductory Psychology: I have lectured and developed assessments for this course and can teach this course based on my coursework and previous clinical experience. !

Psychology of Diversity: I previously prepared for this class and can teach this class based on my research area and clinical experience. !

Psychology in Medical Settings: I can teach this course based on my clinical and research experience. !

Community Psychology: I can teach this course based on my clinical and research experience. !

Environmental Psychology: I was a teaching assistant for this course and provided guest lectures.


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!Psychological Assessment and Evaluation: I can teach this course based on my coursework, supervision and clinical experience. !

Qualitative Methodology: I can teach this course based on my experience conducting qualitative research as well as training students and colleagues in qualitative methodology. Behavioral Medicine and Global Health: I can teach this course based on my research, teaching and clinical experience.

Catalina'Lawsin , 'Ph .D.INEQUALITIES'IN'HEALTH

! Define'heal th'and'heal th'care 'inequalit ies! Assess'evidence'of'heal th'inequali ties'worldwide! Understand'factors'contributing'to'heal th'di sparit ies! Understand'st rategies'to'reduce 'heal th'di spari ties

LECTURE'AIMS

! It�s'important'to'distinguish'between:! Health'(STATUS)'disparities! Health'(CARE)'disparities

! �Health'disparities'are'dif ferences'in'the'incidence,'prevalence,'mortality,'and'burden'of'diseases'and'other'adverse'health'conditions'that'exist'among'specif ic'population'groups'in'the'United'States.� NCI

!Differences in'rates'of'diseases!Differences in'health'outcomes

affecting)the)health)status))))of)certain))groups

What)are)�Health)Disparities�?

MODEL'OF'HEALTH'CARE'DISPARITIES

Source:(Gomes,(C.(and(McGuire(T.G.( 2001.(Identifying(the(sources(of(racial(and(ethnic(disparities(in(health(care(use.(Unpublished(manuscript(cited(in:(IOM,.( 2002.(Unequal(Treatment:(Confronting(Racial(and(Ethnic(Disparities(in(Health(Care.(Smedley,(B.,(A.(Stith(and(A.(Nelson,(eds.(Washington(DC:(National(Academy(Press(

Quality(of(Care

Minority

NonJMinorityClinical(Appropriatenessand(Need

Patient(Preferences

Access(to(Care

Operation(of(healthcare(systems(and(legal(and(regulatory(Climate

Discrimination:(Biases,(Stereotyping,(and(Uncertainty

Difference

Dissimilarity

Disparity

!Atleast 200'million'children'do'not'reach'their'developmental'potential

!Women'have'a'significantly'longer'life'span'than'men

!However'depending'on'the'location,'women'fair'worse'in'terms'of'food'access,'violence,'division'of'

work'and'earning'power

!A'girl'born'in'most'industrialized'countries'can'live'on'average'80'years'while'in'

poorer'countries'only'45

EVIDENCE'OF'HEALTH'DISPARITIES

Commission'on'Social'Determinants'of'Health'X Final'Report,'WHO'2008

http://www.who.int/social_determinants/final_report/en/index.html

! Al though'per'capi ta'heal th'sector'spending'i s'18%'higher'for'indigenous'people,'hal f'of'thi s'i s 'spent 'on'hospi tal'care .'! This'is'put'down'to'a'reluctance'by'Aboriginal'people'to'visit'doctors� surgeries]'as'a'result'they'turn'up'at'emergency'departments'

AUSTRALIA

! Aboriginals'make'up'2.5%'of'Aus'populat ion'>>'yet 'account 'for'the 'majority'of'the 'heal th'di sparities'in'the 'areas'of:! Higher' infant'mortality! 3X�s'more'likely' to'contract'diabetes'! 2X�s'as'likely'to'suffer'heart'disease'between' the'ages'of'35'and'44'than'the'total'population'

! Higher'prevalence' of'liver,' cervical,' lung'cancer'! ATSI'population'born'in'2010X2012'have'a'lower life)expectancy)than'nonXindigenous'populations'(10.6'males,'9.5yrs'females)

! Al though'per'capi ta'heal th'sector'spending'i s'18%'higher'for'indigenous'people,'hal f'of'thi s'i s 'spent 'on'hospi tal'care! Attributed'to'a'reluctance' by'Aboriginal'people' to'visit'doctors�surgeries]' as'a'result' they'turn'up'at'emergency' departments'

HEALTH'INEQUALITIES'IN'AUSTRALIA

AIHW'2014.'Mortality'and'life'expectancy'of'Indigenous'Australians'2008'to'2012.'Cat.'no.'IHW'140.'Canberra:'AIHW.

! Higher'unemployment'rates! Lower'weekly'income! Poorer'housing! Less'access'to'educat ion! Poorer'chi ld'and'maternal'heal th! Higher'suscept ibil ity'to'STI’s! Greater' drug'and'alcohol'use! Death'rates'mental'and'behavioural 'di sorders'due'to'drug'use 'i s'12Xs'that 'for'men'and'20Xs'for'women

! Suicide'rates'3xs'the 'rate 'for'general'Aust ralian'population

FACTORS'INFLUENCING' INEQUALITIES'AMONGST'ATSI'POPULATIONS

! Approximately'25%'of'Australian'population'is'overseasXborn'and/or'of'immigrant'background'

! English'prof iciency'may'be'poor'and'culturallyXinformed'beliefs'may'inf luence'health'behavior

!Not'only'newlyXarrived'but'wellXestablished'immigrants'may'experience'multiple'barr iers'to'healthcare

! Immigrants'may'be'at'higher'r isk'of'poor'health'outcomes'than'other'Australians

IMMIGRANT'HEALTH'IN'AUSTRALIA

" Cancer i s a leading cause of death worldwide

"Each year over 7.9 MILLION (in 2008) people die of cancer worldwide" It is expected the death rate due to cancer will grow to nearly

13.1 million by 2030

"Approximately 70% of cancer deaths occurred in low to middle-income countries

"Cancer-causing v i ra l infections (e.g. HBV/HCV and HPV) are responsible for up to 20% of cancer deaths in low-middle income countries

WHO 2013

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INEQUALITIES IN CANCER

"The survival rate for many common cancers has increased by more than 30 per cent in the past two decades.

"However in developing countr ies, cancer patients are approximately twice as l ikely to die from the disease

#Treatment aims tend to focus more on palliative rather than curative care

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INEQUALITIES+IN+CANCER

12http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/countryXhealthXprofile/bhutan

WHAT'CONTRIBUTES'TO'THESE'INEQUALITIES?

! Socia l'gradient! Stress! Early'l i fe! Socia l'inclusion/exclusion'(assoc'w/'poverty)

! Education! Employment/occupation! Unemployment! Earnings/disposable'income

! Socia l'support! Addiction! Food'and'nutr ition! Transport! Race'and'culture! Disabil ity! Crimina l'records'and'incarceration

! Responses'by'the'health'system'to'the'person'with'disease

SOCIAL'DETERMINANTS'OF'HEALTH

!Poverty! In'general,'the'poorer'the'population,' the'worse'the'health…there'are'exceptions'through'(U.S.A.'&'Aus)

!Inequities'in'power,'wealth'and'access

!Awareness'of'problems'at'individual'and'systemic'levelXoften'related'to'education

!Faulty'policies/programs

FACTORS'CONTRIBUTING'TO'HEALTH'DISPARITIES

! Poverty! In'general,'the'poorer'the'population,' the'worse'the'health…there'are'exceptions'through'(U.S.A.)

! People'who'live'in'developing'countr ies'live'signif icantly'shorter'lives'than'those'that'live'in'the'more'aff luent'developed'countr ies'(WHO'2000).'

! Contr ibuting'factors'are'economic,'environmental,'and'social'– lack'of'safe'water,'poor'sanitation,'inadequate'diet'and'poor'access'to'health'care.

FACTORS'CONTRIBUTING'TO'

HEALTH'DISPARITIES

! People'who'l ive'in'developing'countr ies'l ive's ignif icantly'shorter'l ives'than'those'that'l ive'in'the'more'aff luent'developed'countries'(WHO'2000). '

! Contributing'factors'are'economic,'environmental,'and'socia l'– lack'of'safe'water, 'poor'sanitation,'inadequate'diet'and'poor'access'to'hea lth'care.

! There'is'a'l inear re lationship'between'income'(however'measured)'and'health.'

! Subtle'difference'may'a lso'impact'on'health:!Marmot,'DaveyXSmith'&'Stansfield'(1991):'middle'class'executives'who'own'one'car'are'more'likely'to'die'earlier'than'equivalent'earners'with'two'cars.'

IMPACT'OF'POVERTY'ON'HEALTH

Commission'on'Social'Determinants'of'Health'X Final'Report,'WHO'2008http://www.who.int/social_determinants/final_report/en/index.html

EVIDENCE'OF'HEALTH'DISPARITIES

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr29/en/index.html

EQUIVALENT'FULL'HEALTH'YEARS'FOR'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''THE'RICHEST'AND'POOREST'

COUNTRIES

Explanations'include:!Some'social'groups'have'extremely'poor'health,'more'characteristic'of'poor'developing'countries'rather'than'a'rich'industrialised'one.'

!The'HIV'epidemic'caused'a'higher'proportion'of'death'and'disability'among'young'and'middleXaged'Americans'than'in'most'other'advanced'countries.'

!One'of'the'leading'countries'for'cancers'relating'to'tobacco.

!High' incidences'of'homicides'compared'to'other'industrial' 'countries.

EXCEPTION'TO'THE'RULE:THE'UNITED'STATES'OF'AMERICA

Social'Causation'Model! Low'SES' ‘causes’'health'problems.'! There'is'something'about'occupying'a'low'socioXeconomic'group'that'negatively'influences'the'health'of'individuals.

Social'Drift'Model!Health'problems'‘cause’'low'SES.'!When'individuals'develop'a'health'problem,'they'may'not'maintain'a'job'or'the'levels'of'overtime'required'to'maintain'their'standard'of'living.'They'therefore'drift'down'the'socioXeconomic'scale.'

SOCIAL'CAUSATION'VS. SOCIAL'DRIFT

People'occupying'lower'SES'groups'!Higher'intake'of'alcohol! Eat'a'less'healthy'diet! Take'less'exercise

Why?! Less'aware'of'risks! Lack'of'opportunities! Stress'associated'with'living'with'poverty!Coping'! Inhibit' longXterm'consequences'of'health'damaging'behaviour

DIFFERENTIAL'HEALTH'BEHAVIOURS

Individuals'in'low'SES'groups'often'have'poor'working'and'living'condit ions

!Lowe'et'al.'(2003):'Renters! Male'renters'are'at'1.48'times'higher'risk' of'developing'CHD,'and'women'renters'were'2.6'times'more'likely' to'develop'CHD'than'their'ownerXoccupier'counterparts.'Why?

!More'damp,'poor'ventilation,'overcrowding,'etc! Further'away'from'amenities!May'earn'less'than'people'who'own'their'house! Psychological'consequences'of'living' in'differing'types'of'accommodation'may'directly'impact'on'health

ENVIRONMENTAL'INSULT

Excess'mortality'in'low'SES'groups'may'result''from'working'environments

!Dangerous'occupations!Job'alienation!Drinking'culture!Long'working'hours!Job'stress!Poor'social'support!Inconsistent'social'control

Work'and'Health'– SES'Differentials

DEMANDXCONTROL'OCCUPATION'STRESS'MODEL

Karesek'&'Theorell'Job'Strain'Model'(1990)

1. Demands'of'the'job2. Degree'of'control'about'how

to'cope'with'demands3. Degree'of'social'support

Stress'='Hi'demand,'Low'controlLow'SS

The'WHO'Suggests'3'Principles'of'Act ion:1. Improve'daily'living'conditions2. Tackle' the'inequitable'distribution'of'power,'money'and'

resources3. Measure'and'understand' the'problem'and'assess' the'impact'of'

action

Now'that'we'know…what'do'we'do?

Healthy'Places…Healthy'Lives

! Priori tize'heal th'and'heal thy'l i v ing'in'government! Promote'heal th'equi ty'between'rural 'and'urban'areas'addressing'poverty,'landlessness'and'di splacement'of'people'from'the i r'homes

! Improve'l i v ing'and'working'condi tions

Healthy'Places…Healthy'Lives

Take'action'early…

2.'TACKLE'THE'INEQUITABLE'

DISTRIBUTION'OF'POWER,'MONEY'

AND'RESOURCES

! Place'the'responsibility'for'action'on'the'highest'level'of'government'

! Adopt'a'social'determinant'framework'health'care'policy…identifying'what'factors'support'health'and'create'policies'to'foster'these

! Publicly'f inance'health'care'and'education'programs'for'all

! Support'responsible'marketing'of'goods:'environmentally'and'employee'fr iendly'companies

! Reinforce'the'government�s'responsibility'over'essential'health'(e.g.'water/sanitation)'and'regulation'of'negative'factors'of'health'(e.g.'tobacco'and'alcohol)

! Address'gender'equi ty:! Promote'programs' that'encourage'women' to'gain'higher'educations'and'equal'opportunities'in'the'workplace

! Empower'di senfranchised'sects'to'take 'act ion'

2.'TACKLE'THE'INEQUITABLE'DISTRIBUTION'OF'POWER,'MONEY'AND'

RESOURCES,'CONT.

!Generally'speaking:'�Universal'health'care'is'the'belief'that'all'cit izens'should'have'access'to'affordable,'highXquality'medical'care.�

! Build'health'care'systems'that'are'equitable'and'focus'on'health'prevention'and'promotion

! Build'the'healthcare'work'force

!Nearly'46'million'Americans'have'no'insurance! 25'million'more'are'underinsured

UNIVERSAL'HEALTH'CARE

UNIVERSAL'HEALTH'CARE

�The'United'States'is'the'only'wealthy,' industrialized'nation'that'does'not'provide'health'care' to'all'it�s'citizens.�~Institute'of'Medicine

! Complete'regist ries'are 'needed! Col laborate'wi th'demonstrated'leaders'in'thi s'area'and't rain're levant'workers

! Invest'in'rai s ing'publ ic'awareness

3.'MEASURE'AND'UNDERSTAND'THE'PROBLEM'AND'ASSESS'THE'IMPACT'OF'

ACTION

! Limi ted'research'wi th'thi s'population'due'to'the 'pol i tical'cl imate'(Torzill o,'1999)

! Immediate'need'for'st ronger'research'wi th'thi s'group'(Morri s,'1999)

! Next 'week’s'tutorials'wi l l 'examine'heal th'inte rventions'wi th'ATSI'people

RESEARCH'WITH'ATSI'PEOPLE

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