Marsa Daniel

I hold a dynamic role within the Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Policy (EDFLP) area of the College of Education, supporting EDFLP students with experiential learning, internships, and career preparation, while teaching and conducting research in the Leadership in Higher Education (LHE) specialty area.

My work is interdisciplinary and grounded in two core aims: enhancing human health, well- being, and development; and supporting learners in translating learning into practice. My research employs qualitative, co-constructivist methods—that is, I work with students and members of our community to co-create mitigators to the following problems: 

Students’ Experiences with (In)attention 

Attention is a limited resource that is vital to human health. This resource is being intentionally manipulated by social media platforms, resulting in expansive harms to individual and community well-being. Youth and young adults—those who are in critical stages of brain development—are particularly susceptible to the harms of attention manipulation. 

In collaboration with current students in higher education, I study how attention can be reclaimed to support students’ sense of agency, well-being, connection with self and others, and academic engagement.

Female-Specific Health Literacy 

Biomedical research has long been conducted by and for men, resulting in vast gaps in knowledge and healthcare for women and girls. Women, for example, are over twice as likely than their male peers to face autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, and depression. Adding to this problem is widespread stigma associated with women’s health topics—e.g., hormone and menstrual health. Social stigma can be particularly harmful to adolescent girls, as they do not feel safe to seek help for menstrual health concerns and instead resort to avoidance of school, sport, and social settings. 

My research in this area focuses on increasing female-specific health literacy in coaches of female athletes—as coaches are crucial sources of mentorship for girls and women. In this research, I coalesce concepts in neuroscience, learning science, and social psychology to help coaches adopt practices that support female health, performance, and longevity in sport. 

The State of Play 2026 

Physical activity is crucial to youths’ physical and social-emotional development. Yet youth face barriers to accessing physical activity (PA) and play.

In collaboration with community leaders, I work with researchers at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington Center for Leadership in Athletics to identify the barriers youth face in accessing PA and play. In early 2027, we will release the current State of Play for youth in Washington State—a resource which can be used to inform policy change and promote play equity for Washington youth.