Prof. Jessica Ruglis

essica Ruglis holds a PhD in Urban Education from the Graduate Center of The City University of New York. A former teacher, she also earned a Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Urban Public Health/Community Health Education from Hunter College, a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Secondary Science Education from Union College, and Bachelors of Science (BS) in Human Biology from University at Albany. Jessica’s dissertation is a mixed method, youth participatory action research project that investigates the connections between schooling, education and health; and which culminates in positing schooling as a social determinant of health. Jessica's work also (re)theorizes school dropout and introduces a new critical theory of school non-completion. Her research experience includes participatory action research projects that study corporate disease promotion practices; the intersections between the education, health, and criminal justice systems in New York City; and the role of a school based health center in academic achievement and community health. With an interest in policy, Jessica has served as a legal consultant for State Supreme court cases on issues of educational inequity and consequences of diploma denial due to implementation of high stakes exit exams, as well as for a New York City court case dealing with child welfare. She has also written and presented on the historical origins of school dropout, educational dispossession, diploma denial, critical youth engagement and critical public health. Beginning in Fall 2009, Jessica will begin a two year post-doc at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD as part of the a Kellogg Health Scholars Community Track program.