Postdoctoral Fellow
UIC LEND
Christianna "Chris" Danguilan, PhD, MPH, has spent over 30 years working with vulnerable populations. She began her career during the AIDS epidemic, focusing on HIV prevention, intimate partner violence, and harm reduction. During this time, she earned a Master of Public Health in Women's Health Education and Community Organizing before taking time to raise her children.
Returning to academia, she completed a PhD in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where her research explored family-supported entrepreneurship as a postsecondary transition pathway for autistic young adults She has been a LEND and AUCD Diversity Fellow and is currently the UIC Postdoctoral LEND Fellow. In this role, her research encompasses Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), quality of life and well-being for individuals with IDD, and community-based participation in research collaborations.
In her role as an instructor in the UIC Department of Disability and Human Development, Dr. Danguilan was awarded the AHS Student Success Intramural Grant for her project "CATALYST: Customized Adaptive Teaching and Assessment by Leveraging AI Systems in Higher Education." This research examines the feasibility of utilizing artificial intelligence to adapt college curricula, aiming to improve academic performance among diverse student populations.
Looking ahead, Dr. Danguilan is passionate about exploring and improving the interactions between the criminal justice system and neurodivergent young adults, striving to foster more equitable and supportive environments.
Disclosure information not submitted.