mlefkari@hunter.cuny.edu
212 772-4670
902 West

Professor Lefkarites completed her BS degree in Health and Physical Education at the City College of NY and began teaching at Hunter College as an adjunct faculty member shortly after completing her MS degree in Health and Physical Education at Hunter.  She became a full time faculty member at Hunter College as a lecturer.  She completed her Ph.D. at NYU in International Community Health Education and moved into a professorial rank. Her post-doctoral work included being selected nationally and trained by the Women, Health & Healing Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (1984).

Teaching

Professor Lefkarites taught for a short period of time in a New York City public high school.   During her long-term Hunter career, she taught in and coordinated the Health Education major for teacher candidates in junior and senior high schools in New York City.  She has been involved in health education curriculum initiatives, including the co-development of one of the first models in AIDS education for grades K- 6. She is a recipient of the Harold S. Ladas Award for Excellence in Teaching (1994). She teaches health education courses in the QUEST program and in the graduate early childhood and childhood education programs. She has taught and continues to teach a course in the Women and Gender Studies Program in Arts and Sciences. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Welfare Rights Initiative and a mentor for the CUNY BA program.

Other activities related to her educator role include serving as a member of the New York City Commission on the Status of Women of the Mayor's Office (1993-1995).  Professor Lefkarites has worked with state and city-wide professional groups in New York on curriculum development in health education, especially in HIV/AIDS education, as well as on immigrant health issues. At the invitation of the Ministry to the Presidency in Athens and TOKTEN program of the U.N., Professor Lefkarites prepared a proposal for the inclusion of sex education in the public school system of Greece. Her varied roles include having been a presenter, keynote speaker and workshop leader nationally as well as in Malaysia, Greece, and Dominica. She is a certified sex educator with the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, a member of the American Public Health Association, and an honorary member in the Golden Key National Honor Society (1998).

Research

Professor Lefkarites has held a primary research interest in birthing experiences, which was the focus of her doctoral work and resulted in the publication of an article based on that work in Medical Anthropology.  At an earlier time, she prepared an instructor’s manual for a textbook entitled Health by Jean Mayer, a noted nutritionist. Other research interests relate to health issues among Greek Americans.  Her publications include a book chapter on “Sex Education and Greek Americans" and journal articles on parenting issues related to substance abuse prevention in the Greek American community.  Over the years, many of her presentations at local and national conferences have focused on these themes.  She serves on the advisory board of Annual Editions: Drugs, Society and Behavior and as a reviewer for the American Public Health Association.  She has been recognized for her work in childbirth and cited in professional publications..  One of her current research interests relates to the influence of environmental factors on the health of children.