Mary Mendenhall, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the International and Comparative Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research is situated at the intersection of the fields of education in emergencies, refugee and forced migration studies and teacher education. Her studies examine refugee education policies and practices across camp, urban, and resettlement contexts with a particular focus on teacher support and professional development, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mendenhall recently concluded a four-year research study on teacher and student well-being among displaced populations in Uganda and South Sudan through an EU-funded consortium led by Oxfam. 

During 2022-23, she was working on a new study about teachers of persons of concern across 16 different countries in collaboration with the UN. Mendenhall is an active member of an inter-agency effort to provide continuous, quality professional development to teachers working in displacement contexts. She is also a member of Columbia University’s Committee on Forced Migration and a faculty affiliate with the Care and Protection of Children Learning Network, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.

Biography current as of January 2023