In This Story
Iulia Fratila is an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health. She joined the College of Public Health in fall 2023. Fratila teaches courses such as Social Determinants of Health, Introduction to Public Health, and Health Promotion Strategies.
Prior to joining Mason, Fratila was employed as an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at James Madison University (JMU). During her time at JMU, Fratila taught classes including Social Determinants of Health and Ethics in Health Sciences. Additionally, Fratila taught one section of the capstone research methods class. In this research methods class, student groups proposed a quantitative research question to investigate, applied for IRB, collected data, analyzed data, and created two deliverables (i.e., manuscript/research paper and poster presentation). To conclude the semester, all sections of the research methods class presented at the 2023 JMU Health Sciences Poster Symposium. Two of Fratila’s student groups won awards for their poster presentations (15 total posters were judged and 3 total posters were awarded).
As a PhD student at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Fratila co-developed a new course on Inclusive design in recreation, sport, and tourism (for both undergraduate and graduate levels) that prepares students to create recreational programs and events for individuals with diverse identity markers (i.e., ranging across physical, cognitive, learning, and sensory abilities, racial/ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ identities, religions, ages, genders, and languages). The course she co-developed was originally restricted to students within the major, but has since expanded and is now offered as a general education elective to the entire university.
In the classroom/learning context, Fratila prioritizes creating an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome. She also seeks to strengthen and expand students’ critical thinking, while approaching situations and conversations in a respectful manner that creates space for diverse perspectives. Additionally, Fratila designs courses in alignment with Universal Design Learning Principles that offer student choice in topics of exploration/assignment as well as utilizing various formats and medium of teaching curriculum (e.g., podcasts, videos, guest speakers, thought experiments, etc.).
Fratila’s research has sought to complement biomedical knowledge by exploring the psycho-socio-cultural factors of various risk behaviors (e.g., recreational drug use and sexual activity) across different life stages. Specifically, Fratila’s dissertation work investigated young adults’ perceptions of and experiences with recreational cannabis in/as leisure, related risks and benefits, and their responses towards different drug education approaches. This qualitative study employed photo elicitation by showing young adults different cannabis drug education posters and learning how they relate the information to their own experiences and perceive the effectiveness of the messaging and health communication features.
The implications of Fratila’s research line are related to the enhancement of health promotion, health communication, and health education materials (e.g., drug education and sexual health education). Fratila’s research has been presented at both national and international conferences (e.g., The Leisure and Recreation Association of South Africa [LARASA] International Congress, The International Sociological Association [ISA] World Congress of Sociology, and the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry [ICQI]) and has been published in top journals within the Leisure Studies field. She has also worked on interdisciplinary research teams with faculty from various departments, including kinesiology and community health, psychology, social work, and communication studies.
Fratila serves as an assistant editor for the Journal of Leisure Sciences and the Book Review Editor for the International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure. Within the college, Fratila serves on the Global and Community Health Department MPAC (Master’s) committee. In terms of community involvement, Fratila is an appointed commissioner on the City of Alexandria Human Rights Commission.
Fratila graduated with her PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022. She is a junior faculty member who is eager to continue growing her teaching effectiveness, student engagement, and contributing to research in her field and the scholarship of teaching.