Melissa Fenton, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University, studies ways to prevent and reduce health disparities in rural populations, an interest she developed growing up in a rural community in Nebraska.
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m originally from rural Nebraska. I earned a B.S. in child, youth, and family studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an M.A.S. with a leadership education specialization also from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Ph.D. in youth development and family science from the University of Florida. I took breaks between my degrees and worked in the insurance industry as a claims adjuster and 4-H extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Outside of academia, I love being outside and spending time with my family. We enjoy exploring all of the beautiful places around Fort Collins and I enjoy seeing mountains when I walk my dog every morning. I also like to read pretty much anything and everything.
What brought you to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at CSU?
I was in year one of a two-year National Institute on Drug Abuse T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Florida when I was forwarded the advertisement for an assistant professor position at CSU focused on mental and behavioral health in rural populations. I jumped at the opportunity to apply for a position in my research area at an institution that clearly valued rural people and places. I am truly honored to join the CSU HDFS department and to contribute to the amazing teaching, research, and engagement happening in HDFS.
What are your research and/or teaching interests, and how did you get interested in that topic?
The overarching goal of my program of research is to reduce behavioral health disparities among rural adolescents and young adults. To reduce these disparities, my research examines the influences of individual, family, and community level risk and protective factors in rural contexts, with the goal of informing intervention and prevention.
My upbringing in a very rural, isolated community drives my interest in my research. Unfortunately, access to mental health treatment and prevention was limited in my home community and it was needed. Place is really important to people, and I feel that you shouldn’t have to choose between your place and your health, which really drives my passion for my area of research.
In this role, I hope to be able to increase access to prevention and behavioral health services for rural Coloradans. As part of the rural health initiative, I’m excited for interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty working on different aspects of this complex problem. I hope to develop cultural adaptations of prevention programs to fit the rural context and determine if there are optimal ways to implement these programs in rural settings with the goal of this research informing rural behavioral health equity efforts in other states.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that learning is a social process with learners co-constructing knowledge through collaborative work with their peers and the instructor. I believe the deepest learning occurs when students connect experiences and existing knowledge to course concepts. My pedagogical values include empowerment, respect, contribution, active learning, self-reflection, and critical thinking. I value a learning environment where students feel empowered to share their lived experiences and aim to build a culture of trust and respect in the classroom.
What is your favorite thing about CSU so far?
The people! Everyone here is so kind, welcoming, and supportive. I felt like I belonged the minute I got here.
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
