FOCUS
Discretionary discipline is one of the key drivers of suspension and expulsion rates in primary and secondary schools across the United States. Moreover, it is well documented in the education literature that discretionary discipline inequitably targets Black and Latino students in those schools. Catherine’s research focuses on exploring the possible health effects of this racially discriminatory practice to inform education policy interventions aimed at mitigating those effects. In so doing, she aims to contribute to the ongoing efforts to transform the institution of education to one that is more equitable – where all young people are afforded opportunities to come to school and learn in healthful environments that prioritize their well-being.
MORE ABOUT CATHERINE
Catherine is an epidemiologist with a background in social theory and an interest in the mutually reinforcing ways in which education and health collide in the real world—specifically, that we are not students one day and healthful beings the next, but both and more simultaneously. Therefore, to address our most intractable contemporary health issues requires a transdisciplinary approach that Catherine looks to embody in her doctoral training and research, her HPRS experience, her career, and her life.
