Hailing from Ridgeland, South Carolina, Dr. Khadidra Natasha Washington recently joined the Department of Rehabilitation at UMES as an Assistant Professor this Spring of 2023. Dr. Washington obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Counselor Education and Supervision with a focus in Rehabilitation Education from The University of Iowa. While there, she also acquired her Graduate Certificate in College Teaching within Social Sciences, and received the Maureen Medberry Snell Educational Award for three consecutive years. Dr. Washington holds a M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from South Carolina State University, and a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Psychology, English, and Early Childhood Education from Claflin University. Dr. Washington’s research areas focus on access to resources and support in rural areas, supporting individuals living with HIV/AIDS, and counselors’ comfortability when providing services to persons living with chronic illnesses and disabilities. In completing her Ph.D. study, she has traveled abroad to India and Greece. While in India, Dr. Washington observed a myriad of teaching and learning styles when working with students with disabilities. In Greece, she studied the origins and theoretical foundations of Humanistic Counseling. Dr. Washington has
published research that in which focuses on the importance of faculty mentorship at HBCUs, race, ethnicity, and poverty after Spinal Cord Injury, and factors which affect high diabetes rates in the South.