Douglas Kennedy, PhD

Dr. Kennedy brings extensive K-12 and higher education teaching and intercultural competence research and facilitation experience to his work at the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. Currently, Dr. Kennedy teaches courses on mindfulness to undergraduate and graduate students and conducts research on complementary and integrative health interventions as an NCMIC Research Fellow with the Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program. As a member of the research team, Dr. Kennedy is involved in intervention design, qualitative data analysis, and community engagement. From 2016-2020, Dr. Kennedy led the design, piloting, and evaluation of the Center’s school-based mindfulness program for teachers and speaks both regionally and internationally on the topic of mindfulness-based interventions in education. Dr. Kennedy has completed the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center’s Training in Mindfulness Facilitation program, is a certified Mindful Schools Instructor, and is both a Level 2 Certified Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Facilitator and Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator. Outside of the University of Minnesota, Dr. Kennedy enjoys snowboarding and traveling with his family.

Expertise

Community engaged research

Mindfulness in education

Intercultural competence

Teacher capabilities and classroom behaviors

Awards & Recognition

Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching (India, 2010)

Research Funding Grants

Partners for Pain & Wellbeing Equity: A Randomized Trial of Community Supported Complementary and Integrative Health Self Management for Back Pain (1R61AT012309-01 Evans/Leininger) -- National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Mindful Movement for Physical Activity and Wellbeing in Older Adults: A Community Based Randomized Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study (4R33AT0009110, Evans) -- National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Spinal Manipulation and Patient Self-Management to Prevent Back Pain Chronicity -- PACBACK (4UG3AT008769, Bronfort) -- National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Publications

Design of a mindfulness-based intervention to support teachers’ emotional regulation behaviors. Curr Psychol (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02696-w

Courses

CSPH 3201 - Introduction to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

CSPH 5225 - Meditation: Integrating Body and Mind

CSPH 5226 - Advanced Meditation: Body, Brain, Mind, and Universe