The Future of Education
Cassandra Peel
Institution: Pacific Oaks College
Country: United States
Dr. Peel is a Core Faculty (MSW) in the School of Cultural and Family Psychology. Born into an immigrant family in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Peel is a first-generation scholar practitioner who has taught, served and worked extensively in healthcare (hospitals, academic medical centers, hospice, ambulatory clinics) and higher education industries for over 15 years. She has taught and held leadership roles at The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, The Claremont Colleges, and most recently Pacific Oaks College since 2020. Dr. Peel's research area of expertise is socioemotional support systems for healthcare workers, health disparities, end of life issues, aging, grief, chronic illness, congenital and acquired disability and its intersections, and COVID-19 long-haulers.
Dr. Peel has published in the Journal of Higher Education, and is currently the Editor for the Health and Social Work Journal. In 2021, Dr. Peel received a Faculty grant to provide a virtual grief programming for the Pacific Oaks College community in response to the long-term socioemotional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has expanded into a partnership with Pasadena Unified School District through Pacific Oaks' Center for Community & Social Impact (CCSI), and Dr. Peel is working with K-12 families on toolkits and strategies for grief support for students and their families. She has also represented Pacific Oaks College in the Global Distinction Program in partnership with the Mexican Consulate's Ventanilla de Salud program, where she co-wrote the strategic plan for their mobile health unit in Los Angeles County.
Dr. Peel is a gifted public speaker and facilitator, and has given countless presentations at The California Institute of Technology, Point Loma Nazarene University, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her curricular areas of expertise are within mezzo and macro practice: social welfare policy, advanced qualitative research methods, disability, aging, healthcare and field education/internships/practicums. She is also the Chair of the Faculty Development Committee, advocating on behalf of the Pacific Oaks College Faculty.
Dr. Peel holds a Bachelor's Degree from Claremont McKenna College, a Master's Degree from Loma Linda University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Arizona. In 2020, she was recognized at the Arizona State Capitol for her award-winning social impact programs, and was honored as Tucson's 40 Under 40 - the highest regional honor for young professionals and community leaders. Dr. Peel resides in Tucson, where she has lived for nearly a decade and serves on Tucson's End of Life Coalition. In her spare time, she serves as a patient advocate, volunteers, co-runs an online rock radio station with her husband Michael called Rarity Rock Radio, and spoils her two dogs Jesse and Rudie.
Dr. Peel has published in the Journal of Higher Education, and is currently the Editor for the Health and Social Work Journal. In 2021, Dr. Peel received a Faculty grant to provide a virtual grief programming for the Pacific Oaks College community in response to the long-term socioemotional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has expanded into a partnership with Pasadena Unified School District through Pacific Oaks' Center for Community & Social Impact (CCSI), and Dr. Peel is working with K-12 families on toolkits and strategies for grief support for students and their families. She has also represented Pacific Oaks College in the Global Distinction Program in partnership with the Mexican Consulate's Ventanilla de Salud program, where she co-wrote the strategic plan for their mobile health unit in Los Angeles County.
Dr. Peel is a gifted public speaker and facilitator, and has given countless presentations at The California Institute of Technology, Point Loma Nazarene University, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her curricular areas of expertise are within mezzo and macro practice: social welfare policy, advanced qualitative research methods, disability, aging, healthcare and field education/internships/practicums. She is also the Chair of the Faculty Development Committee, advocating on behalf of the Pacific Oaks College Faculty.
Dr. Peel holds a Bachelor's Degree from Claremont McKenna College, a Master's Degree from Loma Linda University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Arizona. In 2020, she was recognized at the Arizona State Capitol for her award-winning social impact programs, and was honored as Tucson's 40 Under 40 - the highest regional honor for young professionals and community leaders. Dr. Peel resides in Tucson, where she has lived for nearly a decade and serves on Tucson's End of Life Coalition. In her spare time, she serves as a patient advocate, volunteers, co-runs an online rock radio station with her husband Michael called Rarity Rock Radio, and spoils her two dogs Jesse and Rudie.
