As a true practitioner, I study clinical practice. Specifically, I look for ways to help universities and schools build sustainable partnerships that improve student outcomes and teacher readiness. Much of my research focuses on establishing high-quality school-university partnerships, as well as how to select, train, and support mentor teachers.

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Recently, I have begun to work on a teacher pipeline initiative at St. John Fisher University. The overarching goal is to recruit more students of color in teacher preparation programs and, ultimately, in K-12 classrooms. As part of this work, I continue to research the qualities or competencies a mentor teacher must have in order to effectively work with a teacher candidate of color. In other words, what are the characteristics of a culturally responsive mentor teacher? This is a large gap in the literature, so this is very exciting research.

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I also study social justice and equity-based instructional practices. I dedicate a significant amount of time to my own professional development around anti-racist curriculum, and I engage in any diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts available to me on campus. I have been researching the impact of an equity-minded syllabus on students' perceptions of belonging, and look forward to digging into this more and publishing my findings soon.

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The buzz around Generative AI in higher education and how it can enhance instruction has piqued my interest, and I have begun implementing AI in various ways. For example, I now use Chatbots to engage teacher candidates in reflective conversations after teaching a lesson in the field. I also use Chatbots to provide teacher candidates practice with interacting with parents and families, particularly around difficult conversations, to better prepare them for the field. I am currently part of a Community of Practice focused on AI and OER, where I am looking to use more Generative AI to create free OER resources for my students. This is an exciting area, and I continue to look for additional ways to use AI to grow my practice.

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Finally, I have begun to study the mental health needs we increasingly see in schools and how they impact student performance, specifically focusing on adolescents. I am partially through a Master of Social Work program in order to enhance the teacher preparation curriculum in my department. My goals are to better equip future teachers with knowledge and strategies that can help them engage with students who may be in crisis.