Jane Beal

Jane Beal, PhD (“Dr. B”) is a member of the faculty at the University of California, Davis. She is currently a lecturer and associate researcher in the University Writing Program. She has also taught in English, Comparative Literature, Religious Studies, the UC Davis Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and the University of California Washington Center in Washington, D.C..

After receiving her BA (Sonoma State University), MA (Sonoma State University), and PhD (UC Davis) in English literature, and holding a post-doctoral fellowship at her alma mater, she worked as a professor at Wheaton College and Colorado Christian University, teaching literature, creative writing, and rhetoric and composition. She also received a Certificate in Midwifery from Mercy in Action College of Midwifery and served as a midwife in the U.S., Uganda, and the Philippines. She later received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing and a Certificate in Narrative Medicine from Bay Path University. She is delighted to be a part of the award-winning University Writing Program, teaching upper-division courses such as “Advanced Composition,” “Business Writing,” and “Writing in the Health Professions." Her unique background in writing and midwifery care is particularly relevant to preparing future health professionals for their careers.

Her current research in writing studies focuses on narrative medicine for healthcare providers and their patients, with a special focus on the lives of midwives and childbearing women. Her publications in this field appear tri-annually in Midwifery Today. She is also interested in pedagogical strategies that foster student motivation in the college composition classroom. She has presented on this topic at the Northern California Writing Across the Curriculum  Conference. Her published articles on collegiate pedagogy appear in This Rough Magic, The Once and Future Classroom, and SMART. At all times, she loves to see her students learn, grow, and succeed.

https://janebeal.wordpress.com