Note: This session will be offered in person only.
Decolonizing research methods is often discussed at the level of critique, but many instructors still need concrete tools for teaching students how to conduct research differently in practice. This interactive workshop focuses on how to teach decolonizing research method practices in the classroom, especially in public health, global health, and related social science or health professions courses, while remaining adaptable across disciplines. Drawing on examples of challenged assumptions in research design, participatory and community-engaged approaches, and Indigenous methodological frameworks, the session will help participants examine how colonial logics can shape research questions, terminology, sampling, measurement, interpretation, authorship, and dissemination. Participants will work through short cases, positionality and reflexivity prompts, and a redesign exercise in which they revise an assignment, classroom activity, or methods module to better center community expertise, historical context, reciprocity, and ethical knowledge production.
This session is intended for faculty, instructors, postdocs, graduate student instructors, and staff who teach or support research methods, evidence-based practice, or community-engaged learning. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to identify where colonial assumptions can enter research design and teaching, apply practical strategies for teaching reflexivity and community accountability, and leave with at least one adaptable classroom tool or assignment revision they can use in their own courses.
Instructor and Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Equity, Georgetown University
Dr. Shikha Chandarana is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Health Equity in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center. She is a public health researcher, educator, and advocate whose work advances health equity through interdisciplinary and community-engaged... Read More →
