The founding members of Women of Color in Academia at FSPH (from left): Drs. Courtney Thomas Tobin, Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim, Angie Otiniano Verissimo, Whitney Pirtle, and May Sudhinaraset. Photo by Alexandra Foley.
For Angie Denisse Otiniano Verissimo, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Community Health Sciences, the new academic year offers an opportunity to explore how building connections between instructors can support educational innovation. Through the Project SPARK (Students & Partners Advancing Real-world Knowledge) Learning Community, she and fellow faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and teaching assistants at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH) will explore strategies for using community engagement across the curriculum.
Otiniano Verissimo, a founding member of Women of Color in Academia and the first Professor of Teaching at FSPH, believes that Project SPARK’s focus on intentional community partnerships will offer a way to demonstrate the field’s core values while developing new educational approaches.
“This is a chance to learn together, reflect deeply, and develop tangible strategies that honor our commitments to equity, justice, and partnership in public health education,” she noted. “Now, more than ever, I am reminded of the importance of building community.”
Project SPARK received funding through a Tier 4 Implementation grant from the Teaching and Learning Center’s (TLC) Educational Innovation Grant program, which supports teams of instructors working towards integrated reforms to address particular learning challenges within the curriculum. The pilot project’s vision highlights the potential for instructional transformation across the academic unit.
“By opening this learning community to people across roles at the Fielding School of Public Health, Angie and her co-PIs model the goals of Project SPARK of bridging a gap amongst scholars, practitioners, and the communities they belong to and serve,” said Lisa Felipe, Interim Director of Educational Development Programs at the TLC. “We at the TLC are excited to support this work and help them achieve their goals.”
Participation in Project SPARK is open to all teaching assistants, postdocs, staff, and faculty from FSPH. Additional details can be found on the summary page for the project. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on September 26. If you are not a member of FSHP, but are interested in participating in Project SPARK, you are encouraged to complete the application to learn about future opportunities. Contact Professor Otiniano Verissimo at angie.verissimo@ucla.edu with questions.