Amanda L. McGowan, PhD
Contact
Note: I will not be accepting students at this time. Link to information about working in the lab.
Dr. McGowan (they/iel/*)
Dr. McGowan (they/iel/*) is an Assistant Professor at Concordia University. Dr. McGowan is a transdisciplinary scientist, drawing upon expertise in health neuroscience, education, psychology, quantitative methods, developmental science, and health communication. Dr. McGowan is passionate about equitable health and education as well as health and wellness. Informed by past experiences, Dr. McGowan's research broadly is interested in helping people live happier, healthier, longer lives. How can we work with communities to tackle the world's most complex problems: equitable health and education for all while minimizing our impact on the planet? As we adopt emerging technologies into healthcare and education, how can we ensure equitable, ethical, and just-in-time personalized interventions, especially for marginalized communities? Dr. McGowan has over 10 years' experience in educational settings, working from preschool to university levels. Dr. McGowan has taught in the areas of Health and Physical Education, French and English languages, Health Promotion, Leadership, Statistical Consulting and Quantitative Methods, Geography and Environmental Studies, Outdoor Experiential Education, and Kinesiology. Dr. McGowan's greatest strength and motivation as an educator is helping students to discover the joy in learning, to pursue their curiosity, and to engage them in experiential and active learning processes.
Prior to faculty appointments, Dr. McGowan worked as a public school teacher across various grades and curricula; university student services across a variety of functional areas, including residential life, undergraduate research, and scientific writing and communication; municipal services in youth summer camp and recreational programming; and as a postdoctoral researcher in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania (see recent studies). Recent work has focused on using smartphones and connected health devices to understand child-caregiver health behaviours and family dynamics in daily life. Dr. McGowan has delivered health and safety training for summer camps, designed and facilitated leadership development and teambuilding workshops, and served as a consultant for quantitative methods and designing educational curricula.
Dr. McGowan holds a PhD in Kinesiology with a specialization in Cognitive Motor Neuroscience from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Education in Outdoor Experiential Education from Queen's University as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Kinesiology & Physical Education and Bachelor of Arts in French from Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. McGowan is currently a member in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers and in the spirit of continued professional development, holds a Google UX Design Professional Certificate.