Matt is a Research Assistant Professor and Distinguished Chair in Public Health and Wellbeing at the Center for Healthy Minds. He received his Ph.D. in Human Development from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also holds a M.Ed in Middle School Humanities for Lesley College and a professional teaching license in Massachusetts where he was formerly a middle school teacher. Matt has extensive experience in curriculum development and evaluation, including the development and testing of secular contemplative trainings for youth and adults.
Matt’s program of research seeks to understand the competencies that are most essential to healthy development and how these competencies can be systematically strengthened. He is particularly interested in in-person and mobile health contemplative-based wellbeing trainings, including mindfulness and other meditation-based interventions, as methods for strengthening wellbeing skills. His research has focused on adolescents, college undergraduates, teachers and other school system employees, and healthcare providers in Mexico. Matt believes in the transformative potential of education for the individual and society. His aspiration is that his research informs the creation of educational systems that are holistic, equitable, and compassionate.
