Faculty Highlight - Dr. Layla Garrigues

“People are gems of inestimable value. I have worked with many different populations from different backgrounds in rural to urban settings, locally and globally. The application of social justice in nursing practice and in our interactions with each other is where we can truly see the threads of humanity and love that bind us all together.” – Dr. Layla Garrigues

Dr. Layla Garrigues is an assistant professor at the University of Portland, currently teaching Nursing Simulation Course 306 (Professional Practice: Population Health & Wellness) and Nursing Course 316 (Population Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan). She is also the founding chair of the International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion (IEDI) Committee, and an R.N. who obtained her Ph.D. from Oregon Health & Science University.

Dr. Garrigues was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, but spent most of her childhood overseas. Her father, an anthropologist, lead the family across the world and piqued Dr. Garrigues’ curiosity of people, their languages, and cultures. It was this curiosity and her deep empathy that opened her eyes to population health and social justice. Living in northern India as a child, she was eye-level with people who were “sitting on the ground, people with leprosy, people with limbs missing, suffering from various viral infections and parasites.” Instead of recoiling, she would engage with people and listen to their stories which had a pivotal impact on her. Additionally, the vibrant diversity in India was incredible, and riding in rickshaws through the bustling markets was exciting and memorable. In junior high and high school, she experienced a completely different culture in the Kingdom of Tonga, a beautiful chain of islands in the South Pacific located north of New Zealand. Dr. Garrigues deeply identified with their warm and inclusive culture. Although isolated on the tropical island, without television, telephone, or Internet, she connected with 105 pen pals, aged 12 to 79 years old, across the globe. These profound experiences inspired Dr. Garrigues to study public health at the University of Illinois and nursing at University of New Mexico.

Currently, we can find Dr. Garrigues at the head of the IEDI Committee. She and her team are looking to do big things at UP, whether it be educating faculty and students, encouraging an inclusive campus culture, or creating international immersion programs for students (To read more about the IEDI Committee and their mission statement, click here). However, the biggest things to keep in mind, according to Dr. Garrigues, are cooperation, elimination of prejudices, and social justice. “How do we learn to be a cooperative society? How can I prevent someone from getting an illness? But it goes beyond that. How do we uplift society?” She goes on to point out some of the specific populations that are severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; “there are immigrants and refugees living in close quarters. How can we best serve them? Because if we are able to uplift disenfranchised populations, we can have a healthier society for everyone.” Creating and sustaining a culture of equity and inclusivity is what Dr. Garrigues hopes to achieve and uphold through the IEDI Committee. She is guided by the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics and her strong sense of service to the community, which she believes are aligned with the University of Portland Mission Statement and the School of Nursing’s Mission Statement.

What does Dr. Garrigues do for fun, though? She is an avid photographer and she loves to snorkel and free dive in the coral reefs of Hawaii, Mexico, and Belize. She has explored the Hood Canal, where there are massive octopi, wolf eels and forests of pink and white sea anemones. A lifelong cartophile, she loves analyzing maps and will “…wake up in the middle of the night, at 3 am to…study maps and learn more about places online. I’m always wanting to explore.”