Mel Ferrara

Lecturer

College of Arts and Letters

Education

  • PhD (2021) University of Arizona (Gender and Women's Studies; Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory minor)
  • MA (2017) University of Arizona (Gender and Women's Studies)
  • BA (2015) Muhlenberg College (Gender & Sexuality Studies; Philosophy/Political Thought)

Research

Primary Fields:
Feminist Science and Technology Studies; Trans Studies; Intersex Studies; Medical Anthropology; Medical Humanities; Feminist Disability Studies

Research Interests:
Infertility and assisted reproduction; endocrinology and hormones; X and Y chromosome variations; transgender medicine; race and gender formations

Current Project:
My current research examines the biomedicalization of 47,XXY/Klinefelter Syndrome (KS) since the 1940s and its impacts on the contemporary social experiences of adults with 47,XXY/KS and parents of children with 47,XXY/KS.

General Information

Education:
University of Arizona: Ph.D. in Gender & Women's Studies (minor in Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory), 2021

University of Arizona: M.A. in Gender & Women's Studies, 2017

Muhlenberg College: B.A. in Gender & Sexuality Studies; Philosophy/Political Thought

Institutional Service

  • Freshman Experience Faculty Meetings Member
  • Freshman Experience Program Renaming Ad-Hoc Committee Member

Consulting Service

I have experience working on DEI policy development, curricula development, and training at universities and within healthcare systems. While intersectional, my work thus far has focused on LGBTQIA+ issues.

My experience includes but is not limited to:

- Working as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Arizona's Office for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence.

- Creating a curriculum on LGBTQIA+ inclusivity for healthcare providers. Available at: http://libguides.library.arizona.edu/LGBTQIAHealthcare/home

- Providing trainings on LGBTQIA+ inclusivity to healthcare providers at University of Arizona Campus Health and Banner Health

- Providing trainings on intersex medicine and ethics to medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine

- Consulting with University of Arizona Campus Recreation on gender-inclusive policies for intramural sports

- Working as a SafeZone facilitator at theUniversity of Arizona, where I assisted in the development and implementation of a digital training program.

- Serving on the University of Arizona Health Sciences LGBTQ+ Interest Group

- Serving on the University of Arizona Diversity Task Force Spaces and Facilities Subcommittee, where my work included:
(1) Co-leading a focus group for all-gender restroom signage
(2) Collaborating with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in creating a campus map of all-gender restrooms.
(3) Collaborating with Campus Recreation on a gender-inclusive locker room project

Professional Societies

  • ASA – American Studies Association Member
  • NWSA – National Women's Studies Association Member

Grants, Contracts and Funds

2017 – 2020: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)

2016 – 2020: Point Foundation Scholarship

2015: University of Arizona University Fellows Program

Selected Publications

Journal Articles
Ferrara, Mel and Monica J. Casper. Genital Alteration and Intersex: A Critical Analysis. In Current Sexual Health Reports 10(1-6), 2018. DOI: 10.1007/s11930-018-0142-9.

Book Chapters
Ferrara, Mel and Monica J. Casper. Biopolitics. In Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2021.

Ferrara, Mel. Feminisms Coming and Going. In Sex and Gender: A Reference Handbook, ed. David E. Newton. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc, 2017.

Richmond, Kate, Theodore R. Burnes, Anneliese A. Singh, and Mel Ferrara. Assessment and Treatment of Trauma. In Affirmative Counseling and Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Clients, eds. Anneliese A. Singh and lore m. dickey. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2017.

Ferrara, Mel. Untangling Cisnormativity in Reproductive Healthcare. In Companion to the Anthropology of Reproduction, eds. Cecilia C. Van Hollen and Nayatara Sheoran Appleton. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, forthcoming.

Book Reviews
Ferrara, Mel. Book Review: Queer Embodiment: Monstrosity, Medical Violence, and Intersex Experience (Hil Malatino). In Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2020. DOI: 10.1177/0361684320929335.

Ferrara, Mel. Book Review: Trans Medicine: The Emergence and Practice of Treating Gender (Stef M. Shuster). In Medical Anthropology Quarterly, forthcoming.

Courses

Courses Taught at Stevens:
CAL-103: Writing and Communications
CAL-105: Knowledge, Nature, Culture
HST-120: Introduction to STS

Past Courses:
Topics in Women's and Gender Studies
Science and the Gendered Body
Queer Politics
Women in Western Culture - Critiques of Western Feminisms
Sex, Health, and AIDS
Race/Gender: Genealogies, Formations, Politics
Sexuality and Gender
Gender and Society