Hello, my name is Meghan. I am an Assistant Professor at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. I teach gerontology courses within our Human Services programs (and I teach our Introduction to Human Services and Human Services Internship courses as well.) I am also a member of the Minnesota Board on Aging, and I co-chair the MBA's policy committee.
Teaching in higher education is a second career for me. For twenty plus years, I was in clinical practice. I am a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic, and had a wellness practice where I promoted healthy aging and cared for folks of all ages. As a holistic thinker and practitioner, I considered physical, chemical/nutritional, mental/emotional, and environmental aspects of wellness, as well as the inter-connectivity of those realms. I now enjoy teaching human services concepts, and recognize that social services are a very important piece of the whole, and one which is critical to the overall health and well-being of our communities and their members.
I am interested in all aspects of gerontology, although a desire to broaden my own horizons has me shifting my interests away from the biological and physical health realms and toward the behavioral and social sciences. Because my dean has encouraged me to name (and narrow) my focus, I have identified the following topics as areas of interest: Ageism/Shifting Ageist Attitudes, Elder Narratives (centenarians as a sub focus,) and Aging Friendly Environments (including city planning and aging-friendly university initiatives.) Understanding that there is great connectivity between those focus areas, and with other areas not named here, puts my holistic thinking mind at ease.
I look forward to connecting!