Regina Chow Trammel, PhD, LCSW, professor in the Master of Social Work program, is passionate about addressing mental health challenges at the individual and community levels. Her upbringing in northeast Los Angeles taught her about inequity and the importance of diverse communities. As a professor, she integrates faith into social work to teach students how to understand the world, how it’s organized, and how individual people and communities are affected in different ways.
Trammel graduated from Occidental College with a degree in psychology and a minor in Asian studies, which she said was a formative experience. Through her studies, Trammel realized that she had an interest in research and looking at psychological issues from a macro-societal perspective. Trammel became a licensed clinical social worker and therapist. “I had a passion for working with people with persistent mental illnesses,” she said. “Getting my masters in social work was a great fit for me.”
Several years later, Trammel found the opportunity to teach at Azusa Pacific University which she believed would be a great chance to combine her research interest in mindfulness of eastern religions with philosophical thought and practice embedded in Christian history. Trammel obtained a PhD in social work from Baylor University and is co-author of a book on Christian mindfulness published by Zondervan/Harper Collins Christian. “I want to educate people, in and out of the classroom, on how to find intersections between cultural diversity and its impact on an individual’s wellbeing by drawing from multiple philosophies, but primarily Christian faith.”
Faith integration in academics is an important part of APU, but Trammel also finds
it as a way to tell her story. “Faith integration in social work allows us to understand
how God made us and where he placed us,” she said.
Trammel’s view of social work inspires her students to contemplate their own stories through a Christian lens and see where God is working in their lives.
Trammel primarily works with graduate students. She is excited to dive deeper into critical issues with grad students because they already have a foundation of learning and understanding of the social sciences. Now they are able to tackle the bigger questions about truth, how the world works, and what change mechanisms would improve communities and wellbeing. “It’s not just asking who, what, when, and where,” she said. “In grad school, it’s also how and why.” In her teaching at the masters level, Trammel found that contemplation of epistemology, how we know that what we believe is true, is critical for students. “My students aren’t always Christ followers, so when we ask and contemplate the unanswerable questions about measuring love and wellbeing together, we realize that there’s more to life than one person’s experience.”
In an effort to equip faculty within each discipline to understand God and promote faith in the classroom, APU has a brand new initiative called the Faith Integration Fellows. Trammel serves as a fellow where she encourages her faculty member colleagues to ask deep questions within their curriculum to help students grow in their faith. The fellows initiative is another way that APU builds academic, communal, and relational support. “APU is a brave space,” Trammel said. “What students learn here is meaningful, and the experience is different for everyone because we believe that Christ has a calling on every student individually, and each student is an integral part of the body of Christ.”