On Friday, June 13, Erin Sanders O’Leary, Inaugural Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning, and David N. Myers, Director of the Bedari Kindness Institute, shared this message via Bruin Post.
The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) and the Dialogue across Difference Initiative are excited to announce the second cohort of the year-long Dialogue across Difference (DaD) Faculty Fellows Program. Participants collaborate with colleagues from across the university with the goal of building capacity to support dialogue in their classrooms. The inaugural cohort has completed its activities for the 2024–25 academic year and will continue to incorporate DaD concepts into their teaching.
The second DaD Faculty Fellows cohort will learn best practices for evidence-based, inclusive teaching that foster learning environments in which open dialogue can thrive. Participants will also build community while working to incorporate DaD values of intellectual engagement, curiosity, empathy, active listening, and critical thinking into their course materials and teaching practices during the 2025–26 academic year.
Cohort 2 Members
- Jennifer Chatmon; School of Education & Information Studies
- Faith Deckard; Sociology
- Cambria Garell; David Geffen School of Medicine, Pediatrics
- Elisheva Gross; Psychology
- Aryun Hahm; Undergraduate Education Initiatives
- David Kim; European Languages & Transcultural Studies
- Deborah Lehman; David Geffen School of Medicine, Pediatrics
- Robert Lucero; School of Nursing
- Victoria Marks; World Arts and Cultures/ Dance
- Lauri Mattenson; Writing Programs
- Grace Meng; School of Law
- Chris Mott; English
- Caitlin O’Grady; Anthropology
- Emily Quinn; Human Genetics
- Jimena N. Rodríguez; Spanish and Portuguese
- Philip Sayegh; Psychology
- Jason Sexton; Sociology
- Rebecca Shipe; Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
- Raffi Wartanian; Writing Programs
- Chris Wegemer; Sociology
Inaugural Cohort Members
The TLC and DaD extend our appreciation and congratulations to the inaugural cohort members:
- Katrina DeBonis; David Geffen School of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Rebecca Jean Emigh; Sociology
- Julie Elginer; Fielding School of Public Health, Health Policy and Management
- Dana Rose Garfin; Fielding School of Public Health, Community Health Sciences
- Jonathan Heldt; David Geffen School of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Rachel Ketai; Writing Programs
- Tamara Levitz; Comparative Literature
- Aaron Littman; School of Law
- Paul Macey; School of Nursing
- Michele Moe-Forsyte; Writing Programs
- Hirsch Perlman; Art
- Abigail Saguy; Sociology
- Caitlin Solone; Disability Studies
- Brenda Suttonwills; School of Law
- Natasha Wheaton; David Geffen School of Medicine (Emergency Medicine)
- Sanford Williams; School of Law
More information about the DaD Faculty Fellows program is available on the TLC website or by contacting EDP@teaching.ucla.edu. Sign up for the TLC Newsletter to receive information about the TLC’s programs and resources. For updates from the Dialogue across Difference Initiative, which is housed in the Bedari Kindness Institute, join the Bedari Kindness email list.