Laura discovered photovoice in 2000 while exploring arts-based approaches to youth programming and civic engagement for a Master’s of Education in Instructional Design.
Having previously worked as a photojournalist in Africa and Asia, the script was flipped in 2001 when Laura designed a photovoice civic engagement project that put cameras in the hands of teenage girls.
That award-winning project led to a photovoice facilitator’s guide, as well as photovoice projects with such diverse participants as South African youth, adults with traumatic brain injury, and individuals living with anxiety disorder.
Since 2008, Laura has led photovoice trainings
for medical schools, professional societies, community funding organizations, and government agencies, and offered photovoice professional development courses for clinicians, researchers, educators, students, and managers. In 2018, she launched PhotovoiceWorldwide’s “Talking with Pictures: photovoice” course through the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Outreach College and Center on Disability Studies.
Laura received her PhD in Social Policy from Brandeis University and a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She holds a BA in English Literature from Bowdoin College.
