Research

 

Dr. Ruglis is an Associate Professor of human development and has four primary axes of interdisciplinary research at the nexus of public education and public health: 1) contexts, policies and institutions of human development, with a special focus on structures of (in)justice, health promotion, and embodiment, 2) social determinants of health and education, 3) participatory, community, mixed methods, and arts-based approaches to research and policy, 4) pedagogies, practices, praxes, and approaches for healthy development, parenting and flourishing across the lifecourse. Dr. Ruglis has particular expertise in anti-racism, feminist methods and praxes, equity, arts-based and qualitative research, inclusive approaches to curriculum and instructional design, and gender identity development.

Facilitation and Research Training

Let’s work together! Please email me for all inquiries regarding training, consultation and workshops on: 1) Gender identity development across the lifecourse, incorporating gender identity into school curricula, teacher education (from early childhood through college) and parent education 2) Healthy development in childhood and adolescence, including relationships and communication with adults. 3) School based programs, policies and praxes for flourishing for all students in school, and for reducing school leaving. 4) Feminist, womanist and queer methods, pedagogies and praxes. 5) Community engaged, participatory approaches to research, including: participatory action research (PAR), youth participatory action research (YPAR), community based participatory research (CBPR), community engaged participatory action research (CEPAR), participatory policymaking, participatory evaluation, participatory planning, and policy advocacy—in any setting and with any age group.

Participatory Research and Policy Training

Dr. Ruglis has expertise in training youth, communities, practitioners, professionals, students, and academics in traditions, ethics, his/herstories, methods, commitments, processes, practices, and approaches of participatory research which grew out of her own training as a founding member of The Public Science Project (NYC, USA). She as led and co-led participatory action research training institutes and been invited to facilitate research workshops and training sessions across New York City, and in Baltimore, Boston and Montréal.

Some recent highlights of this work include: 1) Facilitating workshops for youth participating in the “Decision-Makers” Program at Carrefour Jeunesse - Emploi Notre-Dame-de-Grace (CJE-NDG, Project Lead: Lynn Worrell) on policy advocacy, participatory action research, creative arts research, and documentary. 2) Research trainings on x-ray/body mapping (Ruglis, 2011) for community members engaging in health research through the Community Engaged Research Academy, Bronx Community Research Review Board (PI: Dr. Monique Guishard). 3) Co-directing and co-instructing seven-week, full-time Sampling Youth Development Summer Youth Research and Podcast Institutes in Montréal in both 2016 and 2017 (Co-PI Dr. Naomi Nichols). 4) Co-directing and co-instructing a three day Participatory Action Research Institute for university students, faculty and community at UMass-Boston (with Dr. Patricia Krueger-Henney).

Student Research

Students have engaged in research in global contexts and in both urban and rural locales on sexual violence, gender and masculinity, youth development and health, sexuality education and teacher preparation, community based research and teaching, teaching and longitudinal evaluation of participatory action research, youth mental health, and school counselling in contentious social and political climates.