SACRPH is a one-of-a-kind community that brings together scholars and practitioners. We are excited to showcase our members’ work and what SACRPH means to them.
Meredith Drake Reitan
Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, University of Southern California
What are you currently working on?
For the past few years, I have been working on a project called Bunker Hill Refrain. As part of an interdisciplinary team that includes librarians and game designers, we are developing an immersive digital model of a Los Angeles neighborhood lost to urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s. This summer, a group of high school and college students have joined us. The students are interviewing the neighborhood’s former residents and will use these interviews to create short films that will be embedded in the larger project.
What excites you most about your field right now?
As Even Friss noted in his profile in May, it’s been great serving as a Co-chair of the 2024 conference Program Committee. Many of the submissions were outstanding and should make for an interesting couple of days in San Diego. Personally, I was particularly interested in proposals that emphasized public engagement, community collaboration, and digital technologies. With both virtual and in-person opportunities, I am also excited about the ways that we can now include folks who may not be able to attend the conference in person..
Why did you join SACRPH?
A faculty member recommended SACRPH when I was working on my graduate degree. I think my first conference may have been Portland, Maine in 2007. At the time, I was wowed by the sessions and energized by the discussions. That feeling never left. I like the mix of fields that seem to find a home at SACRPH. I also appreciate all the organization has done to welcome practitioners, community members, and those who haven’t followed a traditional academic path to the conference and journal.
