San Jose State honored health science and recreation lecturer Kevin Roe with the 2022-23 Outstanding Lecturer award.
Roe has taught at SJSU since 2011 and has spent 25 years working and volunteering for public health organizations including ones advocating for gay men’s sexual and community health, HIV prevention and against anti-gay violence.
Roe said his life’s experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community has helped him be a better lecturer.
He said by sharing his personal experiences, he was able to aid students from the LGBTQ+ community, even if it didn’t always work in his favor.
“I never hold back on anything that I've experienced either as a professional or as a community member,” Roe said. “I think sometimes it might get in the way because some students at San Jose State can be somewhat shocked and horrified to hear somebody talk openly and expressively.”
Anji Buckner, assistant professor for the Department of Public Health and Recreation, said she’s known Roe since they were earning their master’s in public health at SJSU.
Buckner said Roe’s life experience forced him into public health as he has actively advocated for his own life and fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community as a man with HIV.
“His experiences and perspectives related to disparities, equity, healthcare discrimination and policy are essential to understanding our history and our potential,” she said. “I appreciate that Kevin is always ready for meaningful confrontation that will invite change.”
Buckner said they both share similar philosophies on the potential impact of the program because they were both practitioners before coming into teaching.
“We have a shared understanding, based on our own experiences, but also in watching the journey of so many students over the years, that people can leave our program and really make a difference in the community,” she said. “Because of this perspective, we aim to teach practical, hands-on skills and perspectives that can be applied in the real world.”
Roe now lives in Ohio and conducts his work in a virtual setting.
He said when he was a student, he remembered sitting in large lecture halls 400 feet away from the instructor. He said he is trying to do the opposite for his classroom by involving the students as much as possible so they could effectively learn from him.
“I try not to do ‘banking education’ where I just throw information out to people and expect them to absorb it,” Roe said. “I always try [to] wrap things around, trying to get as much student participation as possible.”
He said the coronavirus pandemic was a public health issue that was relatable to every student in his classes and it resulted in students having a better understanding of their own degrees.
Roe was also the advisor for the Pre-Physicians Assistant Society student organization and the Queer Public Health and Recreation Collective. He said while he hasn’t worked with the Pre-Physicians Assistant Society for a few years, he’s trying to figure out how to keep the Queer Public Health and Recreation Collective alive.
Roe, who was the founder of the organization, said he thought the Queer Public Health and Recreation Collective should have someone who can advise the club in-person.
“For me as a lecturer, you have a choice of just doing your classes or getting deeper involved in departments and the university,” Roe said. “I chose that route which is more exciting and more engaging.”
Monica Allen, Public Health and Recreation department chair, said Roe’s obligations as lecturer with the university doesn’t require him to advise any student organization, but he has done so on his own time.
“He doesn't get administrative time for serving in [advisement roles],” Allen said. “But for years he was the advisor.”
