People
Leadership
Dr. Karen Dobkins
I am a professor in the Psychology department and director of the Human Experience and Awareness Lab (HeaLab), where we study the mechanisms of human flourishing. I created the LSW course (Psyc 88) because, over my 30 years here, I have come to believe that students need more than an academic education; they need skills to help build healthy and compassionate relationships with themselves and others. By scaling LSW across campus, we hope to enhance student (and faculty!) well-being, as well as build community.
Dr. Janna Dickenson
I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in gender, sexual orientation, and sexual wellbeing. My work in advocacy, teaching, and clinical practice focuses on increasing sexual literacy to improve overall wellbeing. Enhancing sexual wellbeing can aid in preventing non-consensual interactions, reducing discrimination, and addressing sexual disorders. As part of the LSW program, I aim to support student wellbeing, hoping that greater ease in their lives will positively impact all areas, including their sexual health.
Associated Faculty
Dr. Amy Bintliff
As a developmental psychologist and former K-12 teacher, I am drawn to participate in the LSW program because of my relationships with undergraduates interested in going into teaching and counseling, both high burnout professions. In recent years, even prior to COVID-19, the number of undergraduate students in distress has risen in university settings. By teaching LSW, I hope to provide students with more tools and understanding about well-being so that they can flourish at UC San Diego and in their future careers.
Dr. Bradon Seward
I believe we are all connected, and our lives matter. Caring for myself, loved ones, and my community is my priority. Teaching in this program allows me to spread compassion, which is especially important today. I’m particularly interested in bringing these discussions to math students, as emotions and compassion are often absent from math education. Since mathematical technologies shape our world, it’s crucial for those trained in math to reflect on care and compassion in their work.
Dr. Carolyn Kurle
I’m a conservation biology professor and have talked to dozens of students grappling with stress, discontent, and unhappiness over my years at UCSD. Teaching the LSW course to UCSD biology undergraduates expands my interest in communicating ways to connect with and be true to our most authentic selves and creates an opportunity to invite our students to relax into their natural state of compassionate self- and other-awareness. This in turn will lead to a more contented, empathic, and increasingly emotionally intelligent student body which helps everyone on campus and beyond.
Dr. Drew Walker
I love UCSD and have been here for years! I earned my undergraduate and PhD in Experimental Psychology and now teach in the Cognitive Science Department. I cover topics like statistics, learning, memory, attention, and perception—introducing students to these ideas is a joy! I also created two electives, Beauty and the Brain and Humor, exploring human experiences through cognitive science. My research focuses on humor, group attractiveness, and social reasoning. When not teaching or researching, I’m busy wrangling my two energetic boys.
Dr. Huihui Qi
As a Mechanical Engineering professor, I’m passionate about helping students succeed academically and personally. Teaching Compassion for Self and Others within engineering allows me to address unique challenges in this demanding field. By integrating well-being practices into the curriculum, I help students build resilience, foster collaboration, and develop self-compassion—essential skills for handling rigorous coursework and professional life. This approach supports my commitment to holistic education, preparing students to thrive not just as engineers but as balanced, empathetic individuals.
Dr. Johanna Peterson
By participating in the LSW program, I hope to help students build resilience, feel comfortable reaching out to resources for support, and encourage mindfulness as a way to fruitfully engage with the learning process. I also hope to connect ERC students to the College's mission to create global citizens by providing them the opportunity to learn or deepen compassion for themselves as a way to facilitate their ability to build global understanding and participate in a university and a world with diverse perspectives and experiences.
Dr. Kristina Markman
I am excited to be part of the LSW program because I believe education should address both academic and personal growth. In the Humanities Program, we explore timeless questions about the human experience from a literary and philosophical perspective. I want to help students connect these ideas in meaningful and practical ways to their lives, building a foundation for resilience, self-awareness, and emotional well-being.
Dr. Liz Popko
I am part of the LSW program because I love helping students see just how smart, strong, and capable they are. I believe part of thriving in this world requires an ability to identify and analyze the narratives that infuse our culture and the courage to write new stories. The LSW program gives me another, and more direct way to address the way students manage this uncertain world, specifically as it affects their learning. I am grateful for the opportunity to help develop students’ resilience.
Dr. Trevor Bonjour
From my interactions with students, I've noticed that many grapple with balancing their workload and personal well-being. By teaching this LSW course, I want to give students the tools to approach their studies with a healthier mindset, helping them thrive in and beyond their academic journey. I'm excited to learn alongside them and encourage a supportive environment for growth
Willie Terrazas
I strongly believe that caring about our community and fostering its well-being is key to its future viability and growth. In my opinion, no meaningful educational process is even possible without such care. I decided to join the LSW program with the hopes of receiving proper training to deepen and expand my knowledge and experience in compassionate teaching and connect it to creative practices so I can help contribute the best I can to our community's well-being, in particular to our students'.
Dr. Becky Marquez
I am a behavioral health researcher with a focus on relational health. My interest in LSW stems from my training in systems thinking and cybernetics which view individuals as members of a social ecology. Through LSW, I am in the privileged position to help students engage in exploration of self in order to further connectedness to self and others. Students will develop valuable insight and life skills that will enhance their emotional and relational intelligence, supporting their personal growth and professional well-being.
Dr. Michel Estefan
I teach sociology at UCSD, which means I think a lot about how the world messes with us—and how we might, collectively, mess back. My approach to well-being is grounded in social science and care. In this course, we’ll pause the hustle to ask big questions: What does it mean to live well? What gets in the way? And how do we care for ourselves and each other in a world that often forgets to? My goal is to help you build clarity, community, and a toolkit for well-being that’s both practical and hopeful.