Summary
In her role as Senior Public Health Diversity Advisor, Sara Hanafi is responsible for the oversight and day-to-day operations related to the Larson Institute’s learning management system. Sara has extensive experience in instructional design, adult-learning methodology and processes related to curriculum and training development. She has designed and implemented courses using various modalities and has trained target audiences including public health and intersectoral professionals, healthcare providers, community advocates and other community members including parents, teens and children, and people who are currently incarcerated. She is well-versed in cultural competency, anti-oppression theory, and trauma-informed practice and carefully applies these principles in the design and implementation of professional training programs, particularly those that are rooted in health equity and seek to advance the health of underserved and marginalized communities. Her research interests lie in equitable approaches to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV), specifically through promotion of comprehensive sexuality education; she has experience working in the non-profit sector to support healthcare providers throughout Nevada to develop more effective protocol in screening and intervening in IPV cases while also collaborating with youth service providers to implement inclusive sex education programming and trauma-informed support in unhealthy adolescent relationships.
Research interests
- Health equity and social determinants of health
- Cultural competency in health care
- Innovative approaches to prevent intimate partner violence and sexual assault
- Comprehensive sex education programming and policy
Selected publications
-
Lucero, J.E., Hanafi, S.L., Emerson, A.D., Rodriguez, K.I., Davalos, L., & Grinnell, L. (2020). Sexual health and sexual health education: Contemporary perceptions and concerns of young adults within the millennial population cohort. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 15(4), 476-490.
-
Hanafi, S.L., Lucero, J., & Rodriguez, K.I. (2023). Millennial perceptions of sexuality: Making the case for better sexuality education. In Taverner, W.J. (Eds.), Sex education research: A look between the sheets (pp. 241-250). Routledge.
Classes taught:
- CHS 310
- CHS 345
- CHS 440
Education
- MPH, Social and Behavioral Health, University of Nevada, Reno
- B.S., Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno