Michelle Coghill Chatman

Dr. Michelle Coghill Chatman is an Associate Professor in the Education, Health and Social Work department at the College of Arts and Sciences, University of the District of Columbia (UDC). She serves as Director of the Violence Prevention and Community Wellness Program and Founding Director of the Mindful and Courageous Action (MICA) Lab, integrating mindfulness, restorative justice, and healing-centered education to advance community resilience and social justice.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, American University, 2013
• Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology, American University, 1998
• Bachelor of Science in Anthropology & Sociology, University of the District of Columbia, 1993

Dr. Chatman's research pioneers healing-centered frameworks addressing violence prevention through mindfulness and African spiritual wisdom. She examines holistic youth development and Black family well-being within systemic inequity contexts, emphasizing decolonizing methodologies and community-driven solutions. Her work bridges contemplative practices with social justice to transform educational and justice systems.

Her publications reveal interdisciplinary convergence across education, computer science, public health, and criminal justice. Key trajectories include decolonizing technological spaces through ancestral knowledge, pandemic-responsive community building, and restorative approaches to youth justice. This scholarship consistently centers marginalized epistemologies to advance equity and holistic wellness.

Her recognitions include:

• Scholar of Promise, UDC (2014)
• Teacher of Promise, UDC (2020)
• Leadership Award, UDC (2024)
• Fellow, National Coalition of Health Equity, Racial Healing (2024-Present)

Dr. Chatman leads major grant initiatives including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Project Youth MIND (2017), National Science Foundation's Ancestral Computing for Sustainability (2019), and Clemens Foundation's Social Justice Mindfulness Certificate (2022). These fund community partnerships advancing violence prevention training and culturally responsive wellness programs across DC.

The MICA Lab and Violence Prevention Program form strategic hubs where Dr. Chatman cultivates cross-sector collaborations with DC agencies and nonprofits. These initiatives operationalize her research through community wellness training, youth development frameworks, and policy interventions focused on systemic healing and resilience building.