I like teaching about the importance of using theories to explain and change behaviors. I also really enjoy teaching about the prevention of injury and violence.
Professor
I have trained hundreds of teachers, parents, and students in the prevention of bullying, and incorporate the experience into my teaching at the College of Public Health.
I studied psychology at the Catholic University of Chile. Several years after graduation, I came to the United States for my graduate degrees. My master of public health degree is from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a concentration in health promotion and community health sciences. My Ph.D. is from the College of Public Health at the University of Texas in Houston, with a concentration in behavioral sciences. I am a professor in the department of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health. I teach and conduct research in the area of adolescent development and the prevention of bullying and violence.
This field interests me because we know so much about how to live a healthy, long and happy life, yet many people do not apply that basic knowledge to their lives. People don’t think about their health until they lose it. My research has focused on the healthy development of children and adolescents. In particular, I am interested in understanding what differentiates groups of adolescents who follow distinct behavioral trajectories and what are the outcomes of those trajectories. Based on that knowledge, we can develop better programs that are specific to certain groups.
Research, teaching and service all come together in my work on the prevention of violence and promotion of healthy development of adolescents and young adults. As part of my research, we have trained hundreds of teachers, parents and students in the prevention of bullying and other aggressive behaviors, and I incorporate my research experience into my teaching.
My ideal students love to learn, are eager to develop new skills and practice what they preach. I hope my students learn to enhance their critical thinking, writing skills and understanding of human behavior.
My favorite place is the deck behind the graduate school building overlooking the river. You can see turtles and herons; it is very peaceful.
I love to travel and talk with different people. It opens my mind to experience how people from other cultures live. Of course, I like to travel to Chile, my native country. It has the driest desert of the world in the north and one of the wettest, greenest, and lushest places in the world in the south. The lofty peaks and snow-capped volcanoes of the Andean Mountains stand above it all from north to south.
I am a board member of Prevent Child Abuse Athens. I volunteer in multiple groups to talk about how to prevent bullying in schools. I also volunteer each year in the Clarke County river cleanup.
I love Isabel Allende’s books, particularly “Island Beneath the Sea” and “Ines of My Soul.” Both are historical fiction books.
Learn more about Pamela Orpinas