Alumni

Faculty Five - Craig Anne Heflinger

Guest Editor Libby Williams spoke with Craig Anne Heflinger about her experience teaching HOD in a recent discussion on campus.

How did you come to Peabody?
I received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Vanderbilt's College of Arts and Science in 1973. Following this, I took a job as a research assistant at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. This job inspired me to get my Master of Arts in Peabody's child development specialist program.

Ironically, this was actually the precursor to HOD and was headed up by Bob Innes. After working in community mental health for 8 years, I returned in 1983 to get a doctorate in transactional ecological psychology.

I left Peabody to work at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies where I had the opportunity to work on the National Institute of Mental Health's first grant for children's mental health services in 1989. In 2000, I was recruited to come back to Peabody to teach in the new Community Research and Action doctoral program.

Do you think there will be any changes in HOD in the near future?
HOD is always changing, and it is change that has made this program so successful. The HOD faculty is dedicated to creating an innovative curriculum, and this is accomplished through constant collegial discussion about opportunities in the curriculum. HOD seeks to help students understand the larger community and give them the knowledge to be successful. To achieve this mission, the curriculum is constantly being tweaked.

What is your favorite class to teach?
It is Systematic Inquiry (HOD 1700). I like this class because I love researching and think the ability to conduct research effectively is an important skill that all students should learn.

It has a service-learning component so each class takes on a community project as their research project. Past projects include working with the TennCare Advocacy Program and with north Nashville community schools through VU's Community Outreach Partnership Center.

I find that students really understand information better if they are engaged in the process. And the community benefits with our help. Each year more and more students choose to take my course because of the unique service-learning component.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a teacher?
The biggest challenge I face is the never-ending battle of knowing what the greatest education needs of students are and how to fill them.

Where do you like to travel?
I am a fan of humpback whales and have traveled the world to see them. Next on my list are the banks north of the Dominican Republic where the North Atlantic humpback whales go to give birth and mate....and spring break is perfect timing....so maybe Spring Break 2007?!

Professor Heflinger studies many aspects of health service delivery to children and adolescents, focusing on mental health and substance abuse services and family-related issues in her work. This work usually has a policy focus, examining the effect of policies, like TennCare, on how services are delivered and their quality. She is currently funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to study rural issues that influence service delivery.