Focus
Mental health literacy, health promotion, AI-resilient pedagogy, teaching innovation
Biography
Christi M. Navarro, Ph.D., CPH, is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. A proud “Double Panther,” she earned her Ph.D. in Public Health (Health Promotion & Disease Prevention concentration) and B.S. in Biological Sciences from FIU, along with an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University (NSU).
As a forward-thinking educator, Dr. Navarro specializes in bridging academic theory and real-world public health practice through experiential learning, educational technology, and advanced asynchronous design. Her pedagogy integrates learning-centeredness, AI-resilient learning experiences, and inclusivity. Her curriculum-driven creative works include the 22-part Competency Spotlight multimedia series and an immersive capstone simulation, alongside editing the textbooks Leadership That Matters: Principles & Practice for Public Health and Understanding Mental Health as Public Health.
Dr. Navarro’s current focus is pedagogical innovation and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Her previous collaborative projects secured internal funding as Principal Investigator investigating mental health literacy in university populations, and external funding as Co-Investigator on a U.S. Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health grant evaluating health equity programs. Through her active mentorship, Dr. Navarro has empowered her students to present at national conferences, co-author peer-reviewed publications, and transition into the workforce as confident, future-ready public health practitioners.
As a Certified in Public Health (CPH) professional, Dr. Navarro actively leads within her field, serving as the elected Treasurer for the American Public Health Association's (APHA) Mental Health Section and as the former president of the Alpha Xi Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.
Education
- Ph.D. in Public Health, Florida International University
- MS in Educational Leadership, Nova Southeastern University
- BS in Biological Sciences, Florida International University
- Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, Florida International University
- Certified in Public Health (CPH), National Board of Public Health Examiners
Micro-credentials
- Teaching in the Age of AI
- Interprofessional Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
- Teaching with Writing in the Disciplines
- Quality Enhancement Plan Micro-Credential Alignment
Courses Taught
- PHC 6113 Community Health Promotion Planning & Research
- PHC 6104c Public Health Management and Leadership
- PHC 6410 Health Behavior and Public Health
- PHC 6580 Contemporary Issues in Public Health
- PHC 6930 Integrative Seminar in Public Health
Selected Publications
Navarro, CM, & Perez, C. (Eds.). (2025). Leadership That Matters: Principles & Practice for Public Health. LiveCarta.
Navarro, CM. (Ed.). (2020). Understanding Mental Health as Public Health. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Navarro, CM, & Shah, S. (2024). The Association Between Overweight Obesity Status and Hypertension in a Rural Community in Dang District, Gujarat, India: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus 16(10): e72030. doi:10.7759/cureus.72030
McCoy HV, Shehadeh N, Rubens M, Navarro CM. (2014). Newcomer Status as a Protective Factor among Hispanic Migrant Workers for HIV Risk. Frontiers in Public Health.
Beck-Sagué C, Pinzón-Iregui MC, Abreu-Pérez R, Lerebours-Nadal L, Navarro CM, Ibanez G, Soto S, Halpern M, Nicholas SW, Malow R, Dévieux JG. (2014). Disclosure of their Status to Youth with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in the Dominican Republic: A Mixed-Methods Study. AIDS & Behavior.
Selected Presentations
Navarro, CM. (2026). Illuminating Competencies: A Miami-Inspired, Multimedia Model with AI-Enhanced Scenarios. Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Annual Meeting, Arlington, VA
Navarro, CM. (2026). Leading with Vibes: Using AI + Miami Energy to Build Connection + Success. FIU Faculty Innovations for Student Success Showcase, Miami, FL
Chhabra, A. & Navarro, CM (2024). Utilizing item-analyses method to identify opportunities for improving mental health literacy training programs. 2024 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN
Navarro, CM, Parma, S., Aziz, Z., & Doranala, S. (2023). A Socio-Ecological Approach to Exploring Factors Influencing Mental Health Literacy in Higher Education Communities. Health Literacy Annual Research Conference (HARC), Virtual.
Aziz, Z., Navarro, CM, Parma, S., Doranala, S., Ali, A., & Montoya, M. (2023). Associations Between Religion, Perceived Family Openness to Mental Health, and Mental Health Help Seeking Among South Asians. American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Creative Works & Innovations
The Navarro Framework: Ethical AI-Use Guidelines for Public Health Education (2025–2026)
An AI policy and assessment architecture adapting the Perkins et al. (2024) AI Assessment Scale for graduate public health curricula. Establishes transparency through five tiers of allowable AI use (from Level 1 Human-Only to Level 5 Innovation).
The "Chef and the Oven" Pedagogical Framework (2025–2026)
An instructional philosophy developed to define human-led, machine-assisted collaboration in graduate education. The model positions the student as the "Chef" responsible for core evidence, context, and critical judgment, while utilizing AI as the "Oven" for synthesis and formatting.
S.P.E.C.T.R.A. Agency: Immersive Capstone Simulation Shell & Briefings (2026)
An original, Canvas-native digital simulation environment designed for the MPH capstone. The capstone simulation shifts students into active public health consultants navigating real-world surveillance data across four specialized mission tracks, supported by an AI-narrated multimedia briefing series.
The OMPH Playbook: Program Competency Series (2025)
A 4-part studio-produced, multimedia video series designed to bridge foundational competencies with real-world practicum readiness across Online MPH Generalist program competencies.
The OMPH Competency Spotlight Series (2024-2025)
A 22-part high-media webinar series mapping the CEPH MPH foundational competencies directly to applied workforce practice. Developed using a multi-tool tech stack, the series features embedded scenario-based learning and was evaluated with a 98% student satisfaction rate across five domains.