DAVID S DEREZOTES portrait
  • Chair, Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity (SACD), Academic Senate
  • Co-Chair, University Anti-Racism Committee
  • Chair of Faculty Learning Community, "Teaching in a time of pandmic, protests, and polarization", Ctle Ctr Teach & Learning Ed
  • Professor in MUSE, MUSE
  • Associate Instructor, College Of Social Work
801-585-3546

Research Statement

Research and Scholarship

Using the more inclusive term "scholarship" (as opposed to the more narrow term "research") my scholarship has included both model building and evaluation of training projects over the past years, especially since I was promoted to the rank of Full Professor.

One area of my scholarship is building models of social work practice from an ecobiopsychosocialspiritual perspectice This perspective views people as "body-mind-spirit" organisms and views the well being of the individual as interrelated to the well being of all of humanity, all living things, and the ecosystems that support all life. I also honor and study the "artistic" aspects of practice as much as the "scientific"; these artistic aspects incldue relationship-building, loving-kindness and compassion towards others, presence, and genuinness, I continue to publish articles, chapters, and books that provide these integrative models.

I have been writing a new textbook that explores the relationship between human global survival and the psychology of the ego.

A second interrelated area involves building approaches to dialogue facilitation that can help people peacefully bridge the differences that often divide us in our personal relationships and local and global communities. This work is very "community-based" in the sense that I  "re-search" the best approaches to intergroup dialogue through my practice.with people. In the past year, I have been involved in a number of community-based scholarly intitatives, including:

1. As Director of the Transforming classrooms into inclusive communities" (TCIC) project through the University Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, I was given a two year grant in 2016 to develop and deliver trainings for instructors across campus. This year, I recived another one year grant renewal. To date, TCIC has provided Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) trainings to about 1300 people on campus in over 30 multidisciplinary units. Participants take an paper and pencil evaluation at the end of their trainings, and we have compiled these evaluations and anayzed them in an article our data team has written and submitted  for publication. 

2. As Facilitator of President Watkin's Anti-Racism Task Force, I have had the honor to work with a dedicated group of people who are charged with developign recommendations for the retention of Staff and Faculty of Color on campus. To that end, we have collected retention data, conducted a literature review, and contacted sister institutions.  

3. As Chair of the CSW Diversity and Social Justice Committee, I have secured a Research Assistant to help us conduct a literature review to inform our charge to create REDI recommendations for the College.

 

Presentations

  • Derezotes, D.S. (November, 2020). Living with pandemic, polarization, protests. Go Learn Series. https://continue.utah.edu/golearn/webinars. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 11/2020.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (October, 2019). Creating community. Critical issues for children and adolescents conference. Salt Lake City. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/2019.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (August, 2019). Creating community in the classroom. Annual Teaching Symposium. Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. University of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/2019.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (March, 2018) Community mental health responses to human-caused tragedies and trauma. Generations mental health conference. Salt Lake City. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/19/2018.
  • September, 2017, Staff trainings, Student Affairs Office, School of Medicine., University of Utah. September, 2017. Diversity trainings for first and second year medical students, School of Medicine, U of Utah September, 2017. Peace training for students at Humanities House, University of Utah. Other, Presented, 09/15/2017.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (August, 2017). Moderator, public screening of Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War documentary series, Viridian Event Center, West Jordan, August 10 at 7 pm. Other, Presented, 08/15/2017.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (March, 2017). Spirituality in healing. Capstone presentation. Integrative Health Conference. University of Utah. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/15/2017.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (September, 2016). First keynote speaker for year (series on optimism) MUSE, University of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 09/2016.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (August, 2016). Keynote speaker. Annual teaching conference, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/2016.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (April, 2016). Spirituality in practice. Generations Mental Health Conference. Salt lake City. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/2016.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (April, 2016). Keynote Speaker. Helping Suicidal Friends Forum. University of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/2016.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (March 2016). Capstone presentation. Integrative Health Conference. University of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/2016.
  • Facilitated local workshops: October, 2016. Conflict trainings for students at Humanities House, University of Utah. September, 2016. Trainings for staff of Student Affairs office, School of Medicine, University of Utah. August, December 2016. Conflict resolution training for new medical students, School of Medicine,University of Utah. Other, Presented, 01/2016.

Languages

  • English, fluent.

Publications

  • Derezotes, D.S. (2020). Healing and transformation during a pandemic. Perspectives 2020. College of Humanities. Perspectives 2020. College of Humanities, University of Utah. https://humanities.utah.edu/perspectives/2020/index.php. Published, 09/2020.
    https://humanities.utah.edu/perspectives/2020/inde...
  • Derezotes, D.S. (2020). Forum: The US needs a mental health czar”. Scientific American. Published, 03/2020.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (2019). . Flying Jewel: A single-parent mom moves in. (accepted for publication in Spring, 2020) in Catalyst. Accepted, 12/01/2019.
  • Derezotes, D.S (2019). Using an ecobiopsychosocialspiritual approach to understand and transform human interaction with anthromes and biomes.. The Encyclopedia of the World's Biomes. Amsterdam, Netherlands and New York.Elsevier.. Published, 06/01/2019.
  • David Derezotes & I am sole author (2019). The eternity dialogues: Understanding global transformation. Vol. textbook, Cognella. Published, 06/2019.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (2018). Four organizing principles in peace and conflict studies: consciousness work, systems theory, ecobiopsychosocialspiritual lifespan development, and experiential learning. . (pp. 12). International Conflict Resolution Education.. Accepted, 08/31/2018.
  • David Derezotes & In Batton, J., Shedd, J., Smith, D. & Warters, W. (2018). Organizing Principles in Peace and Conflict Studies. . (pp. Chapter 11). Conflict Studies Collaborative, https://conflictstudies.org/books/manual-pcs-v2/. Published, 01/06/2018.
    https://conflictstudies.org/books/manual-pcs-v2/
  • David S. Derezotes & Edited by Muriel Schmid (2017). 29-46The use of dialogue in transforming religious conflict In Religion, conflict, & peacemaking, An interdisciplinary conversation. (pp. 29-46). University of Utah Press. Published, 12/01/2017.
  • Derezotes, D.S. (2016) Ecopsychology: Adding “Eco” to the Biopsychosocialspiritual perspective. In Turner, F.J. (Ed.) 6th Edition ). Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approaches. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Published, 12/15/2016.
  • Derezotes, D.S. Cheney, S., & Cheney, G. (2016). Transforming conflicts over sustainability through dialogue. In. P. Kellett (Ed.) Conflict Transformation. Vol. II. Boston: Lexington. Published, 12/2016.
  • Derezotes, D.S. & Engar, R. (2016). Spirituality and women’s health. In Frost, C.J. & Digre, K.B., eds. The 7 Domains of Health: Multidisciplinary Considerations of Women’s Health in the 21st Century. Dubuque, I Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishers. Published, 12/01/2016.
  • (2016). Review of “Merging fires”. Journal of Peace Education, 13.. Published, 12/01/2016.
  • Entries in RedBlueDictionary.org. Published, 07/2016.