Description of Research Expertise

Areas of Expertise
Mindfulness and Mental Health
Integrative Medicine
Sustainability and Public Health
Qualitative Health Research

Professional Biography
After receiving her doctorate from University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Mackenzie conducted research at Penn’s Institute of Aging on cultural competence and health beliefs. From 1998-2003 she was a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Penn’s School of Medicine, where she did innovative research on spirituality and mental health among older adults. Dr. Mackenzie teaches in the Health and Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and is an Associate Fellow of the Center for Public Health Initiatives and an Associate Fellow of the Institute on Aging. She has held positions as a Penn Writing Fellow, Senior Research Associate at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Project Director at the Center for Mental Health Policy and Research. Dr. Mackenzie has presented at numerous national and international conferences, most recently the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference at UCSD Center for Mindfulness. Dr. Mackenzie teaches and publishes in the fields of integrative medicine, psychosocial determinants of health, the psychology of sustainable culture, and mindfulness meditation.

Research Interests and Current Projects
Current projects include a qualitative study of the feasibility and effectiveness of teaching mindfulness based interventions in the virtual classroom, developing an undergraduate course in education and sustainability as part of Penn’s Integrating Sustainability across the Curriculum initiative, as well as exploring ways to study the feasibility and efficacy of social emotional learning (SEL) approaches to education. Dr. Mackenzie’s research interests center on transdisciplinary approaches to evaluating innovative approaches to societal dysfunction.