- LisaRe Brooks Babin, Ph.D. Research Psychologist Lisa earned her Ph.D. in Learning and Comparative Experimental Psychology in 1996 at the University of Montana. She taught psychology classes at Montana State University from 1996 to 1999 as an adjunct professor and was an assistant professor at SU... moreLisaRe Brooks Babin, Ph.D.
Research Psychologist
Lisa earned her Ph.D. in Learning and Comparative Experimental Psychology in 1996 at the University of Montana. She taught psychology classes at Montana State University from 1996 to 1999 as an adjunct professor and was an assistant professor at SUNY College at Buffalo from 1999 to 2005 where she taught numerous psychology and biology classes, chaired several committees, oversaw the comparative and learning laboratories, and was a consultant to the Buffalo Zoo. From 2006 to 2009, Lisa taught psychology to military personnel as an associate professor for the University of Maryland's European Division in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and England.
Dr. Babin deployed to Afghanistan from 2010-2011 as a DA civilian working with 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) where she engaged with Afghan women to develop local economic opportunities and report to the RC-East Division Commander the perspectives of the local women related to operationally relevant issues. Lisa also taught U. S. Army Female Engagement Teams (FETs) to engage with local nationals and coauthored the FET curriculum for the Army still accessible on the Army Training Network. Collaborations with the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) and Peace Keeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) resulted in several published papers and reports regarding FETs as a way forward for the Army.
Lisa’s research has also focused on female Soldier influence during engagements with host nationals and gender considerations in sociocultural systems thinking for military decision-making. She wrote a chapter entitled "Gender Considerations for Engagements in Afghanistan and Beyond" and has presented her research in numerous forums to include both academic and military audiences.
Her current research focuses on the development of practical exercises to assess and promote sociocultural systems thinking in Army leaders, identifying qualities of productive discourse in both classroom and operational settings, developing curriculum for Army leader coaching, mentoring, and counseling using active listening skills as a mechanism to improve officer and Soldier relationships, and establishing best practices in the application of systems thinking to frame complex problems.
Dr. Babin’s awards include the Commander's Award for Civilian Service, the Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service, the Global War on Terrorism, and the Superior Civilian Service Award. Lastly, Lisa earned her black belt in Aikido in 2004 from Aikido Schools of Ueshiba.edit
Presentation of Female Engagement Teams
Research Interests:
Today military actions are diverse, complicated, and ever-changing. U.S. Soldiers are trained warriors, but are also expected to be diplomats, mediators, and humanitarians over numerous consecutive deployments (Odierno, 2012). Success on... more
Today military actions are diverse, complicated, and ever-changing. U.S. Soldiers are trained warriors, but are also expected to be diplomats, mediators, and humanitarians over numerous consecutive deployments (Odierno, 2012). Success on the battlefield is no longer based on counting the bodies of the defeated, but on winning the trust and confidence of the populace. Of course, this is more easily said than done. When engaging effectively with individuals of a foreign country, there are cultural and social nuances that are not easily acquired or understood. Even with extensive cultural and language training, Soldiers may find it difficult to consider all aspects of the sociocultural environment that could impact mission success. This macro-level understanding can come only from thoughtful and strategic consideration of the many dynamic and interrelated components of the environment in which military leaders find themselves (i.e., sociocultural systems thinking). Sociocultural systems thinking forces the leader to consider not only the problem at hand, but also the numerous social and cultural variables that impact and are impacted by the problem. " Effective use of these discriminating conceptions requires both a clear understanding of the operating principles of sociocultural systems and unambiguous recognition of the emerging challenge of handling interdependent variables " (Gharajedaghi, Chapter 1, p. 1). Important sociocultural variables identified elsewhere in this anthology include the physical environment, resources of the region, political considerations, war-related factors, and individual biases of perception and thought. Cutting across these elements of a sociocultural system is the significant impact of gender. For military leaders, understanding how gender fits into the sociocultural system can have a tremendous impact on identifying underlying issues of conflict, productive problem resolutions, and steps to achieve sustainable stability. Understanding the significance of gender on mission success is accomplished at two levels: the interpersonal and the macro. At the interpersonal level, leaders can identify mission-relevant gender issues by engaging directly with males and females of a population to identify their needs, expectations, and grievances. At a higher-order systems level, leaders look across their area of operations to larger groups and incorporate gender considerations in their military strategy and decision making processes. For example, leaders utilizing sociocultural systems thinking and incorporating gender considerations might facilitate stabilization in a conflict region by supporting equality in education, healthcare, and/or human rights for boys and girls. By helping to develop national programs, not just working one-on-one with the population, the U.S. military might reduce the influence of an insurgency over a society by making the population smarter, stronger, and more confident to stand up for its rights. This chapter intends to facilitate discussion about the importance of gender considerations when working at both the interpersonal and macro levels in complex sociocultural environments for future military operations.