13th Annual NORDP
Research Development Conference

"Mindfulness" with Dr. Kelcey Stratton
Dr. Stratton is a clinical psychologist and the Program Manager for Resilience and Well-Being Services in the Michigan Medicine Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience. In this role, she develops programs and strategies to enhance well-being for faculty and staff at Michigan Medicine. She has a particular interest in the areas of stress and resilience, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and the use of narrative and reflective practices.

Prior to coming to University of Michigan, Dr. Stratton lived and worked in South Africa for several years, where she served as a mental health clinician and consultant to Peace Corps volunteers and medical providers in over 65 countries. She has also worked as a clinician and researcher in the VA health system, where she focused on post-traumatic stress concerns.  

'The Gift'

‘The Gift’ is an accessible installation that animates contemporary astrophysics research to open up metaphorical space for grief, loss, renewal, and care. It is co-created by Janani Balasubramanian and Dr. Natalie Gosnell, with creative producer Andrew Kircher. The Gift consists of an all-ages book—with illustrations by Amy Myers—and an original musical score by Tina-Hanaé Miller. It is designed as a large-scale museum installation, a classroom teaching tool, and a private at-home experience. The work has been created with the generous support of The Public Theater, the Sundance Institute, the Guild of Future Architects, MAP Fund, Stanford University, Brooklyn College, Creativity & Innovation at Colorado College, The University of Colorado—Colorado Springs, The Tow Foundation, and the New York Community Trust.

In this presentation for NORDP, we will discuss how opportunities for open research were crucial to the development of the work and how institutions can make space for—and resource—such innovations in authentic and mutual art-science co-creation. We will also facilitate a Q&A, where participants reflect on how our co-creation process (and 'The Gift' itself) might impact their own research development practice.

Speaker Bios

"Mindfulness" with Dr. Kelcey Stratton
Dr. Stratton is a clinical psychologist and the Program Manager for Resilience and Well-Being Services in the Michigan Medicine Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience. In this role, she develops programs and strategies to enhance well-being for faculty and staff at Michigan Medicine. She has a particular interest in the areas of stress and resilience, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and the use of narrative and reflective practices.

Prior to coming to University of Michigan, Dr. Stratton lived and worked in South Africa for several years, where she served as a mental health clinician and consultant to Peace Corps volunteers and medical providers in over 65 countries. She has also worked as a clinician and researcher in the VA health system, where she focused on post-traumatic stress concerns.  

Kelsi has nearly 15 years of experience as a yoga practitioner and earned her 200-hour Baptiste Yoga Instructor Certification in 2012. In 2018, Kelsi launched the Wilderness Yoga Company in Boone, North Carolina, offering guided hikes and outdoor yoga in the Western mountains of NC. Kelsi's teaching style is rooted in the elements - water, air, earth, and fire - and focuses on mind-body connection. Kelsi currently resides in Bellingham, Washington and enjoys mountain biking and hiking with her dog Fig in the PNW wilderness.  

In this 30-minute session, we will focus on expansion and release. The practice will incorporate meditation with restorative floor movements to expand the side-body, open through the hips, and release emotional tension.