Heather-Lyn Haley

Heather-Lyn Haley, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, with an additional affiliation in the Department of Medicine. She is also affiliated with the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. A sociologist by training, she integrates sociological theory into medical education with a focus on race, power, privilege, and cultural competence.

Education:

• BA in English, Worcester State College
• MA in Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• PhD in Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Research Focus:

Dr. Haley's scholarly work centers on community-based health education, reflective practice, and social justice in healthcare. Her research includes:

• Designing and evaluating curricula for medical students and residents in population health and community engagement.
• Collaborating with refugee populations from Burma to develop culturally tailored health promotion programs.
• Enhancing correctional health education through academic partnerships.
• Measuring teacher identity and reflective capacity among primary care educators.
• Training faculty and students in restorative justice and equity-centered pedagogy.

Leadership & Service:

Dr. Haley currently serves as Program Director for Community Health in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She previously held roles as Project Manager for the DRIVE (Diversity, Representation and Inclusion for Value in Education) Committee and the Collaboratory Community Engagement Data Initiative. She is a trained restorative justice practitioner and serves as an ombudsperson for faculty, staff, and learners navigating harm and institutional reporting processes.

Publications & Impact:

Her peer-reviewed work spans medical education, public health, correctional health, and refugee health, with a strong emphasis on qualitative methods and curriculum innovation. Her research has been featured in journals such as Medical Education, Journal of Community Health, Academic Medicine, and Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Teaching & Mentorship:

Dr. Haley is deeply involved in teaching medical students and residents, particularly in areas of population health, community engagement, and social determinants of health. She founded the MLK Semester of Service Student Awards, which supports students in community-based health projects.