Monica D. Griffin, PhD

Monica D. Griffin (PhD, Sociology) earned her doctoral (1998) and master’s (1993) degrees at the University of Virginia, focusing in her theses on the intersections of race, class, and gender in culture and family systems (e.g., through interpretive analyses of hip-hop content and identity and quantitative analysis of how household structure impacts social and economic deprivation). Her areas of specialty in teaching and research include inequality studies in higher education and medicine; participatory action research methodologies and partnering; medical sociology and community health; and literary and narrative studies.

With more than 25 years of experience in higher education teaching and research, she currently serves as Director of Engaged Scholarship and the Sharpe Community Scholars Program in the Charles Center for Undergraduate Research at William & Mary. In this capacity, Dr. Griffin cultivates faculty and community partner engagement with undergraduate scholars in courses that train students to conduct community-based research. During the summer semester, she serves as an advisor to academic research interns in partnership with local and global governmental and nonprofit organizations.

Monica began her formal study of Bowen family systems theory as a participant in the Postgraduate Program from 2018 to 2022. Her continuing interests in family systems research include societal emotional processes in communities and organizations; biomedical systems processes; family research in grief and chronic illness/disability; and narrative medicine. She lives with her young adult daughter in historic Williamsburg, VA, and enjoys walking, knitting, and spending time with friends and family.

She can be reached at mgriffin@thebowencenter.org.