Civic Cafe: Mindfulness for the Engaged Citizen

On Tuesday, Sept 24, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement will host a Civic Skill Building Workshop: Mindfulness for the Engaged Citizen.

About the topic:

In this season of uncertainty, learn mindfulness skills that can help us inhabit the moment, restore equilibrium and cultivate connection to support us and our work as engaged citizens. Join certified mindfulness teachers Diana Parra, researcher and faculty member at the Brown School, and Katie Bucklen, M.D. to begin or strengthen your mindfulness practice.

About our guest speakers:

Diana C. Parra, is Assistant professor at the Brown School and Associate Director of WashU’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity (CRE2). Her research seeks to improve health equity and well-being of under-represented populations centered on Latinx immigrant communities by: a) developing and adapting inclusive, culturally-grounded physical activity, nutrition, social connectedness, and mindfulness programs; b) identifying effective dissemination and implementation strategies for community-based programs; and c) understanding how mindfulness and cultural humility can be used as tools for structural change and transformation at the organization and societal levels, addressing and reducing the impacts of racism, bias, and discrimination.

As co-lead of the Mindfulness Science and Practice Cluster, Dr. Parra helped launch the inaugural WashU Mindfulness Day in 2023 and has organized WashU’s Mindfulness and Anti-Racism speakers series for four consecutive years. She is an advanced yoga instructor, certified mindfulness facilitator and a vibrational sound therapy practitioner.

Katie Bucklen is a retired pediatrician with a B.A from New York University and an M.D. degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Before retirement, she served as faculty in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine as a hospital-based pediatrician often caring for children facing the uncertainty of serious illness. It was through caring for this vulnerable population that she became interested in mindfulness as a means of both providing improved communication and care, but also in hopes of alleviating suffering for families, patients and fellow care providers.

While at Wash U, it was her privilege to learn, practice, and teach mindfulness principles and meditation to patients and their families, as well as to fellow providers and medical trainees. She has practiced mindfulness and meditation since 2017, studied Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and is a certified teacher of MIEA Mindfulness; a program specifically for emerging adults (aged 19-29). She has also studied the science behind the benefits of mindfulness such as stress reduction, resiliency, and improved communication in healthcare…and life. Katie practices meditation and mindfulness regularly and remains an avid student of all aspects of mindfulness – from the neurologic basis of its benefits to the ancient teachings that inform the practice.

Civic Cafe is a weekly event series that occurs every Tuesday evening at Stix House, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Each night fits the theme of either a Skill Building session, Democracy Dinner, or Civic Storytelling event. Students of every level and discipline are invited to attend. Learn, eat, and meet other civically-minded individuals.

Register for this event

While not required, RSVP’s assist our team in ordering enough food. Please RSVP on the event page to reserve your spot. If you can no longer attend, please email gephardtinstitute@wustl.edu to cancel your RSVP.