Seventh Annual CHSS Showcase held virtually on April 7

Program

Jump to specific time in video:

• Introduction by Dean Alvarez
• "A phenomenological study of critical aspects of pandemic academic work," by Mickey Eliason
• Moderator and Panelist Introductions
• Panel Discussion
• Q&A

Panelists

Gretchen L. George, Ph.D., RDN, ACUE (moderator)

Associate Professor of Nutrition & Dietetics, FINA

Gretchen L. George is passionate about prevention and empowerment. In her position as associate professor of Nutrition and Dietetics and program lead in the Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel Department at SF State, she facilitates learning through nutrition education, metabolism, community nutrition and research courses. In the classroom she includes students in her food literacy and basic needs research on the community and college student. More recently she has begun exploring weight stigma in health-related majors from a social justice perspective, with the overall goal of eliminating weight bias in health professionals through incorporation of intuitive eating models in the classroom. Beyond the focus on eliminating weight bias, an imperative goal of hers is to strengthen the understanding of what health means, connecting individual, trauma, access, environment, and biological mechanisms to dispel stigmatizing false information. In her free time, Dr. George lectures for Stanford Healthy Living, part of the BeWell Program, enjoys hiking, and loves traveling with her family.  

Julie Chronister, Ph.D.

Professor, Counseling

Julie Chronister is a professor in the Department of Counseling at SF State and a faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She is a committed teacher, scholar and advocate who has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and books. Dr. Chronister has received funding from NIMH to conduct research in the area of social support and serious mental illness and has been awarded training grants from the RSA to provide scholarships for her students. She is committed to improving the lives of the most marginalized and stigmatized communities through her research, teaching, and community partnerships.

Dr. Chronister received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2004 and has been writing and conducting research in the areas of social support, coping, caregiving, serious mental illness and disability for more than a decade. She is also a co-editor of the book, Understanding Psychosocial Adjustment to Chronic illness and Disability, and has presented at mre than 50 national conferences. Dr. Chronister is on the editorial board of several top-tier peer-reviewed journals and is currently a CALPCC board member.

Dr. Chronister recently received a behavioral health workforce grant from DHHS to fund the Equity and Justice-Focused Integrated Behavioral Health Counselor Training Project, of which she is the principal investigator. The project aims to increase the supply of counselors trained to work in integrated behavioral health settings from an equity and justice-focused orientation. A primary aim of the project is to strengthen relationships with community health centers that provide services to the most underserved, including our communities of color and other communities that have been harmed by our health care system.

Ruby N. Turalba, MPH

Lecturer, Public Health

Ruby Turalba is a child of immigrants from La Union, Philippines. She is an educator, ally, and mentor who describes herself as a scholar practitioner working for community, health and justice. She has been teaching public health at SF State since 2010, and her teaching practices integrate cultural humility, liberation education and personal narratives to explore social and health inequities. She has served 2000+ undergraduates, many who are low-income, immigrant, and first-generation college students of color. She regularly infuses class time with health and wellness, self-reflexivity and relationship building.

Much of her community work centers on the health and wellness of the Filipino community, particularly in the South of Market area. In partnership with a local organization, she recently conducted a Community-Based Participatory Action Research project working with multi-generational, multilingual community health ambassadors to improve health among Filipino residents of San Francisco. While the primary focus was on chronic diseases, the project pivoted in response to the pandemic and included COVID-19/vaccine education, distribution of basic needs to seniors and families, as well as mental health and community support while in lockdown. The opportunity also provided workforce development and employment opportunities especially during economic uncertainty. The initiative was truly a collaborative effort among Filipino residents, scholars, activists, and entrepreneurs embodying the spirit of Bayanihan/community and kapwa/connection.

She previously worked in tobacco prevention within school, community, and health department agencies and is now working on a project that focuses on the development of students’ self-confidence, positive identity, and sense of belonging in relation to their participation in a Filipino language program at their school. She is also currently pursuing an educational doctorate and is a research consultant for the South of Market Community Action Network, a non-profit serving Filipinos in San Francisco.

Stephanie Windle, DNP, RN, CNE

Assistant Professor, Nursing

Stephanie Windle is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at SF State. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of San Francisco and her MSN and BSN from the University of Wisconsin. She teaches psychiatric mental health nursing and integrates holistic health content and healing practices in the curriculum.

Her research focus is on teaching guided imagery in undergraduate nursing education and teaching stress management skills to nurses and nursing students. She teaches guided imagery and relaxation techniques in our skills lab to give students a chance to both experience and provide those practices. She also chairs the School of Nursing Success and Wellness Committee and provides brief stress management tips in the weekly School of Nursing newsletter. Dr. Windle also works with horses and has an equine therapy practice that harnesses the power of horses for healing, growth and insight.