New Faculty Profile

Dawn Lewis
(Assistant Professor, School of Education)
Department of Health Studies, Physical Education, and Human Performance Science

A brief overview of background, area of expertise, research and teaching.

I am a native New Yorker, raised in Staten Island, who received my B.A. (1995) in psychology from Hunter College of CUNY. I then completed my M.S. (1999) and Ph.D. (2004) in kinesiology at Michigan State University (MSU). My major emphasis at Michigan State University was educational sport psychology with additional cognates in motor development, pedagogy, and statistics. During my seven years at the MSU, I taught a variety of professional level courses (sport psychology, motor development, program design and evaluation, etc.) and physical activity courses (track and field, racquetball, general conditioning, strength training, etc.) to kinesiology majors. As a graduate student, I was also strongly encouraged to conduct and publish research and consult with athletes for performance enhancement.

My area of research and consulting is the psychology of sport injuries. Thankfully, I have had a number of athletic trainers, coaches, sportsmedicine physicians, and educational sport psychologists who valued my line of research and practice. Through the collaborative efforts of the kinesiology, athletics and counseling psychology departments, I was part of a team that implemented the first Injury Support Group (ISG) at MSU. The ISG groups continue to meet today - once a week, eight sessions per semester. I also served as assistant coach to the men's track and field team and traveled extensively during the spring semesters, making time management a key component to my health, welfare, and academic progress. Today, I am an assistant professor to the Department of Health Studies, Physical Education, and Human Performance Science where I teach Sport Psychology, Social Issues, Research Methods, Track and Field, and Women in Sport to physical education majors.

Why did you come to Adelphi? What has been your experience so far?

To some folks, this may sound silly, but September 11, 2001 was the most influential reason for my coming back east to Adelphi University. I was in Michigan when the towers came down. The event left me with an immense desire to be closer, geographically, to my parents and sisters. So, when I was ABD, I aggressively searched for positions in the region that fit my teaching and research agendas. I chose Adelphi because the department's and University's philosophy mirrored my expectations for collegiality, collaboration and professional development. The department's chair, Ron Feingold, and faculty have been extremely helpful in getting me involved immediately in intra-department and School of Education committees, without overburdening my schedule.

What do you wish to contribute? What do you feel strongly about in regards to teaching or your specialization?

As an instructor, I hope to contribute to the strength of the physical education program here at Adelphi University. Also, I've been fortunate to have had exemplary teaching models throughout my academic career. So, I hope my students find my teaching and advising methods worthy of modeling when they enter the work force. However, if I am not what they chose to model, I hope they find that I have presented course content in a matter that is relevant both at the time they are in my classroom and post-graduation when teaching in the schools or working with clients in the fitness field.
My research agenda is quite ambitious. Without overstating myself, my career plan is to become one of the most proliferate researchers and consultants in the area of the psychology of sport injury. I know this is a lofty goal, for which I have set 2, 5, 10, and 15 year plans. Wish me luck !

What do you wish to impart to your students?

The value of critical thinking, creating an informed argument, ethical behavior, and INTRINSIC ENJOYMENT OF MOVEMENT.