I pronounce my name like this: Shay-nuh De-Flee-gur. I use she/her/hers pronouns. I was born and raised as an able-bodied, neurodivergent, cisgender Irish-Dutch-German-American girl on Lenni-Lenape land (Philadelphia, PA). I spent my early adulthood on the West Coast and abroad, studying psychology and education, and working as a public elementary school teacher. I returned to the East Coast to pursue applied research in human development and early education in 2017.

 

My master's research focused on understanding and communicating the science of early childhood adversity to practitioners and policymakers in education. My doctoral research has focused on teacher education activities and ecologies that promote teacher wellness and trauma-responsive, racially equitable practice. 

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Currently, I engage in qualitative and mixed-methods research at the intersection of teacher mental health and social justice at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In this role, I enjoy listening, imagining, and agitating with educators to help advance healthy, just, and regenerative learning spaces. A beneficiary of trauma-responsive teachers, and a trauma-responsive practitioner, myself, I am deeply committed to amplifying the voices of teachers and teachers-to-be, and co-constructing pathways to healing and growth.

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I enjoy traveling (when public health conditions allow), doing the New York Times Spelling Bee and Crossword, exchanging snail mail, gardening, running, and cooking.