MMC Professor Helps Students Shine with Two New Publications
Dr. Nava Silton
Nava Silton, Ph.D., a psychology professor and director of Marymount Manhattan’s Center for Health, Human Development, and Creativity, is celebrating the recent publication of two new books—one of which includes nine MMC students as contributors!
In July, Silton published the graphic novel Realabilities: The Mental Health Edition, a series designed for 11 to 15-year-olds that explores mental health disorders. The book is a sequel to her award-winning comic collection Realabilities: The Omnibus, which follows a group of children with visible and invisible disabilities on thrilling adventures.
The two series “teach about disabilities and mental health disorders in an authentic way, but also in a way that would make typically developing kids more interested in interacting with and getting to know kids with diverse abilities,” Silton said. Both titles have earned five-star reviews from critics.
Earlier in the summer, she also published her seventh textbook, The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child, Adolescent, and Adult Development. It explores how the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted those with disabilities and affected schooling, relationships, and mental, physical, and developmental health.
The books are among several multimedia projects about health and human development Silton has in the works, including content for the stage and screen that’s been optioned by LeVar Burton Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company.
MMC students have assisted her along the way, supporting her research and quality control efforts. “With the comics, we did pre- and post-testing throughout to make sure that we’re enhancing kids’ intentions, their knowledge, and their attitudes towards kids with disabilities,” Silton said.
With the textbook, Silton gave students in her classes the opportunity to author whole chapters. The list of MMC contributors published in the book includes Emily Angelillo ’22, Brianna Blackwell ’21, Ingrid Brussier ’21, Regina Colie ’21, Amanda Hall ’21, Manuella Hounton ’21, Ariana Lopez ’21, Alexandra McClellan ’22, and Justin Vrana ’21.
“I love it when Marymount Manhattan students publish articles before they leave us,” Silton said. “That way, when they pursue graduate school, they have a real feather in their cap. It’s important to me to promote our students in any way I can.”
Published: August 08, 2022
New MMC Center Helps Students Find Creative Paths in Health Care
Professor Nava Silton has had a varied career in health and human development. She’s created graphic novels about the adventures of children with visible and invisible disabilities and produced an off-Broadway musical about disabilities and bullying. Levar Burton and The Jim Henson Company are developing two of her projects for the small screen.
But she wouldn’t have been able to envision it in her early days as a premed student; back then, she thought building a career in health meant following a narrow professional track. “I remember thinking, okay, maybe I’ll be a physician or teach in a medical school,” she said. “I’d always been creative, but I never thought it would relate to any professional goals I’d have in health.”
That changed when she took a developmental psychology class that showed her how rich and exciting the field could be and worked with a professor who helped her realize that creativity could be an asset in health—and not just a passion she pursued on the side.
Now, as the director of MMC’s new Center for Health, Human Development, and Creativity, Dr. Silton is helping Marymount Manhattan students reach that same understanding from the moment they step foot on campus.
