Email:  ksteinmayer@hostos.cuny.edu

Office Tel: 718-518-6571

Biography:  Karen M. Steinmayer holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology with a Health Psychology Concentration from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her research on the social construction of embodied experience examines the narratives, discourses and practices through which embodied gender is constructed, and their relation to health. She is conducting research, in collaboration with the Dental Hygiene Program, to investigate and address issues involving ethnic health disparities related to immigration using this approach. Most recently she has been developing qualitative research using the biographic, narrative, interpretive method of very open-ended interviewing to investigate how individuals themselves construct their Place Identities, which refers to their unique, biographical narratives of who they are and where they belong in the world. This project combines research and education to involve faculty and students in comprehending and contributing to the development of the democratic, sustainable city, fostering social justice and inclusive societies. Dr. Steinmayer brings this research experience to her teaching, emphasizing the examination of gender, ethnicity and immigration on embodied experience and health and the development of a pedagogical strategy combining research and learning to develop global citizenship in students, equipping them to live in today’s multicultural environment. 

Courses Usually Taught:
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
PSY 110 Lifespan Developmental Psychology