Ana Eclair is an Associate Professor in Gender Studies and Insight Fellow at the Contemplative Studies Centre at the University of Melbourne. Her research intersects feminist, queer, decolonial and care studies and investigates the ways in which structural inequalities shape people’s experiences of everyday life. Ana is passionate about understanding contemporary pursuits of eudaimonia – the cultivation of human flourishing and living well. Her current contemplative practice research builds on her work on modalities of healing for long-term effects of intergenerational harm and gendered violence, such as systemic work, psychedelic medicine, art therapy, and mindfulness, among others.
Blake Colaianne is an Assistant Research Professor at Penn State University. His research examines how contemplative education supports social and emotional development in high school and college students. Currently, he is developing and implementing systems-level programming within K-12 and university settings. His relational approach to contemplative practice focuses on cultivating community and interdependence.
At Penn State, Blake teaches Art and Science of Human Flourishing and Mindfulness in Human Development. He is trained as a relational facilitator through the Courage of Care organization. He completed his Ph.D. at Penn State University, M.Ed at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and B.S. at Juniata College. Prior to graduate school, Blake was a high school science teacher for five years.
Jennifer B. Webb, Ph.D., RYT-200 is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science and the Health Psychology Ph.D. Program at UNC Charlotte where she directs the WE ARE MIND-BODY KYND Lab. She received her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Harvard University. She went on to complete her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Southern California and postdoctoral fellowship training in clinical health psychology at Duke Integrative Medicine. Dr. Webb’s research program is informed by a non-dieting, weight-neutral philosophy on wellness equity promotion in culturally- and body-diverse groups. A particular emphasis is placed on enhancing the integration, dissemination, and accessibility of evidence-based mind-body approaches (e.g., yoga, self-compassion, mindful and intuitive eating, mindful self-care, etc.) to strengthen embodied self-regulation, positive body image, and well-being among individuals during the developmental transitions of adolescence, emerging adulthood, pregnancy, and the postpartum. Dr. Webb also currently serves as an Associate Editor for Body Image: An International Journal of Research, an advisory board member of the Give Back Yoga Foundation, an ambassador for Accessible Yoga, a community partner with the Yoga and Body Image Coalition, an academic advisory network member of the Embrace Collective, and is a former member of the Scientific Program Committee of the Symposium on Yoga Research.
Anat Perry is an associate professor at the Psychology department, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she established the University’s Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. Before joining the Hebrew University, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. Perry studies various facets of empathy and related social processes through the prism of social cognitive neuroscience. Three pressing questions motivate her research. (1) First, what are the behavioral and brain mechanisms that underlie social psychological phenomena, specifically those relating to empathy and understanding others? (2) Second, what overlap or divergence exists between social and non-social cognitive processes? (3) Finally, how can answers to the previous two questions help us understand deficits in social cognition (e.g., autism, social anxiety, psychopathy)? Her research combines theoretical insight with a broad set of research techniques in order to elucidate the methods by which we empathize with others.
Matthew K. Nock, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Research in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Nock’s research is aimed at advancing the understanding why people behave in ways that are harmful to themselves, with an emphasis on suicide and other forms of self-harm. His research is multi-disciplinary in nature and uses a range of methodological approaches (e.g., epidemiological surveys, laboratory-based experiments, and clinic-based studies) to better understand how these behaviors develop, how to predict them, and how to prevent their occurrence. This work is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and several private foundations, and has been published in over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles that have been cited over 60,000 times. Nock’s work has been recognized through the receipt of four early career awards from the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the American Association of Suicidology; and in 2011 he was named a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow.
Joyce Christine Nakiwala is a Ugandan dance artiste, choreographer, entrepreneur, and yoga trainer. Since the age of 16 Joyce has been dancing in both traditional and modern genres—deepening her practice through various trainings. In 2020 she joined Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT) where she currently is leading the SHINE programming as HaRT’s senior program manager. In addition to her technical and facilitation skills, Joyce has the exceptional ability to mix voice and movement patterns to inspire connection and healing.
Joyce holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance from Makerere University (Uganda), a Diploma in Traditional and Contemporary Dances of Africa from Ecole Des Sable/Janti Bi (Senegal), and has completed various yoga and meditation courses with the Africa Yoga Project Academy (Kenya), the Sunday School Yoga (UK) London and Living Life Limitlessly University (US). She is currently pursuing her masters in Counseling at Makerere University (Uganda).
Ericka Echavarria, LMSW, JD, is an Associate Director of Field Education and Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University School of Social Work. She is dedicated to preparing social work professionals for justice-based practice, emphasizing a lens of power, race, oppression, and privilege. Ericka also incorporates contemplative practices for self-care and self-awareness, social justice advocacy, and ethical professionalism.
Before her role at CSSW, Ericka worked as a mitigation specialist and sentencing advocate, supporting clients in complex legal cases. She also served youth, children, and families in community-based agencies. With a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University and a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School, Ericka brings a diverse skill set to her work. As an Afro-Dominican mother and caregiver, she aims to inspire future social workers while leaving a legacy of love, courage, hope, and compassion.
Find out more about her work here.
Dominique Marie Brown is a dedicated educator and holistic practitioner, specializing in the wellbeing of women in the African diaspora. In her journey of grief and healing after the loss of her mother, she found a need for spaces that centered Black women’s wellbeing and wholeness, which inspired her work. With a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Miami University, Dominique develops anti-oppression curriculums, facilitates critical dialogues, and creates spaces that prioritize women of color.
Currently serving as the Director of Participatory Research + Community Wellbeing at Design Impact (DI), she is deeply committed to promoting womanist healing practices for and with Black women. Her expertise spans somatic movement, meditation, and contemplative practices, collaborating with various healing practitioners to address racialized trauma. Dominique is also a published academic, writer, traveler, and ardent supporter of grassroots community organizing. Her research interests encompass Cultural Studies, Contemplative Education, Critical Pedagogy, African Diaspora, Womanist Spirituality, Intersectional Feminism, and Decolonial Feminism.
Find out more about her work here.
Sarina Rodrigues Saturn, PhD, was a faculty member at the University of Portland. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from New York University under the mentorship of Joseph LeDoux. Her dissertation focused on molecular, cellular, and behavioral studies of the amygdala, the key brain structure for emotional processing. She was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, under the guidance of Robert Sapolsky, where she investigated the role of stress hormones on the brain’s emotional circuitry. At the University of California, Berkeley, Saturn was a postdoctoral fellow in Dacher Keltner’s lab and here she began her attempts to bridge neuroscience and social psychology. Her research investigates the biology underlying positive emotions, and her goals are to illuminate the roots and development of social well-being.
Sarina Saturn (née Rodrigues) is an experienced neuroscientist, educator, parent, researcher, mentor, and community builder devoted to health equity, social justice, and belonging for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQIA+ (Trans and Queer), disabled, and other people from non-dominant identities who have been historically excluded from guiding decisions or norms that impact their well-being. Sarina is a Chamoru and Indian queer femme and prolific scholar-activist whose expertise centers on intersectional advocacy, antiracism, feminism, and the neuroscience and psychology underlying emotions, intergenerational trauma, compassion, coping, affirmation, healing, and post-traumatic growth.
Find out more about her work here.
Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu is a psychologist at Stanford University, exploring human development through mindfulness, Asian wisdom, science, and compassion. As an author, speaker, and workshop leader, he merges diverse cultural heritages, combining Japanese, Irish-American, Buddhist, Shinto, Celtic, and Catholic influences. With a background in early childhood education, East Asian medicine, and mindfulness, he received his doctorate from Harvard University, studying multicultural mindfulness. Over five decades, his work has spanned topics like human development, transformative learning, cultural diversity, and healing. Stephen is dedicated to blending traditional wisdom and modern science in his teaching, research, and clinical practice, promoting holistic healing and personal transformation. Currently, he’s a faculty member at CARE: Center for Asian Health Research and Education at Stanford University.
Find out more about his work here.
