FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS

THEMA BRYANT (MDIV ’16)

Thema Bryant, professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Trauma Research Lab at GSEP, was elected the first president of the American Psychological Association (APA) under the age of 50, and the fourth Black woman to hold the role. The APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing the field of psychology in the United States. The 2021 election was open to APA members—which includes more than 122,000 clinicians, consultants, educators, researchers, and students.

“This historic vote means a lot to me as it is an endorsement of my platform, which centers around addressing trauma, loss, and inequities,” said Bryant. “As a trauma psychologist, I felt this was the right time for me to lead as we seek to address both COVID-19 recovery and racism, as well as other forms of oppression. This is a significant moment for Pepperdine because of its foundational values of seeing faith and scholarship in partnership rather than in opposition, especially as I continue to highlight the role that faith, spirituality, and religion play in the realm of mental health.”

As the organization’s president, Bryant serves as chair of the APA Council of Representatives and board of directors. Under the guidance of her presidential platform, “Thriving in a Post Pandemic World: Applying Psychological Science to Enhance People’s Lives,” her leadership will focus primarily on addressing trauma and loss; attending to inequities and injustices; rebuilding communities; promoting holistic psychology in relation to the body, culture, and spirituality; and incorporating the expressive arts.

CARRIE L. CASTAÑEDA-SOUND

Carrie Castañeda-Sound was the 2021–2022 president of the American Psychological Association’s Division 35, the Society for the Psychology of Women. She also guest co-edited “Feminist Liberation with Latinx Women,” a special issue of the journal Women & Therapy. With Marlene Cabrera (MA ‘15, PsyD ’20), she co-authored the journal’s article “Mujerista Psychology: A Case Study Centering Latinx Empowerment in Psychotherapy.”

WEINA CHEN (MA ’14, P hD ’21)

Weina Chen, along with Jennifer MiyakeTrapp and Kevin Wong, published “Cultivating Connection and Social Presence Through Activities in Virtual Language Classrooms” in the 2022 edition of the California Association for Bilingual Education’s journal Multilingual Educator She collaborated with faculty and staff on eight conference presentations and served in leadership roles with multiple professional organizations, including the TESOL International Association.

KAY DAVIS (E dD ’86)

Kay Davis was the 2021 winner of the Pepperdine Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence. Davis’s courses are academically rigorous and her commitment to student success is unparalleled. She strives for mastery and inspires her students to push themselves to think critically and creatively.

James Dellaneve And Santor Nishizaki

James Dellaneve and Santor Nishizaki were featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, PsychologyToday, and the Boston Globe regarding their recently published work Working with Gen Z: A Handbook to Recruit, Retain, and Reimagine the Future Workforce after COVID-19

REYNA GARCIA-RAMOS

In March 2022 Reyna García-Ramos was elected to serve as the secretary of the California Association of Bilingual Teacher Education. She is working with faculty across the state on issues related to bilingual authorization, dual-language instruction, and the recruitment of bilingual teachers. She is excited to contribute to the organization and join forces with colleagues at other colleges and universities to examine bilingual training programs and use this experience to shape the bilingual authorization program for GSEP.

Lusineh Gharapetian

Lusineh Gharapetian was elected to the board of directors for the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA) in 2021. She served as the conference chair for the 41st annual Western Regional Conference on Behavior Analysis and is a member of CalABA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) committee and the fiscal committee. In her first year as co-chair of the conference in 2022, she established an award to recognize individuals making significant contributions to the advancement of EDI in the applied behavior analysis field.

Susan Hall

In collaboration with student Jessica Burns, Susan Hall received the 2021 Poster Award for Translational Research from APA’s Division 53: Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology for their poster, “Comprehensive Table of Risk Assessment Tools Used in Emergency Departments with Pediatric Patients.”

Judy Ho

Judy Ho coauthored I’ll Give It to You Straightish: What Your Teen Wants You to Know. with teenager and podcast host Max Dubrow. The book provides science-driven clinical insights and parenting strategies for parents of teens, with a focus on Gen Z.

LAURA HYATT (MBA ’99, E dD ’03)

Laura Hyatt coauthored seven contributions to various publications, including “Emergence and Sensemaking in Complex Global Systems: Practical Implications for Leaders Post-COVID-19” in Crisis and Chaos and Organizations: The Coronavirus and Lessons for Organizational Theory. Hyatt also presented work at the sixth annual GSEP Research Symposium 2022, the American Educational Research Association 2022 Annual Meeting, and the 20th annual Hawaii International Conference on Education. She was also invited to serve on the review board for the Journal of Leadership Education .

CARY MITCHELL (’76)

Cary Mitchell’s cowritten article, “The Relationship of Trauma History, Substance Misuse, and Religious Coping to Trauma Symptoms among Homeless Men in Residential Treatment: A Preliminary Study,” was published in the Archives of Psychiatry Research. Mitchell also presented his work “Justice System Involvement and Mental Health Symptoms Among Homeless Persons” at the annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association. Mitchell’s work has been instrumental in obtaining grant support for GSEP’s wellness and mental health treatment programs at the Union Rescue Mission, and Angeles House, the mission’s bridge housing program for families experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

Adel Najdowski

Adel Najdowski published the second edition of A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis, a book about teaching play skills to individuals with autism, a book chapter about women faculty in behavior analysis using values-based living to thrive, a paper reviewing the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the context of applied behavior analysis services, and three additional studies related to teaching individuals with autism. Najdowski also served on the board of directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and on the board of editors for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis

Ed Shafranske

Ed Shafranske generously served as GSEP Faculty Association president for the 2021–2022 academic year. He also gave a major plenary address, “Beyond the Usual: Best Practices in Clinical Supervision” at the Massachusetts Psychology Association Training Conference and was the featured speaker at the 45th annual Symposium on Psychoanalysis, Spirituality, and the Modern World at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and Society. His chapter, “The scientific study of positive psychology, religion/spirituality, and mental health” was published in the Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality.

Erlanger Turner

Erlanger Turner cowrote the chapter “The State of Black Mental Health: Understanding Disparities Through the Lens of Critical Race Psychology,” in Critical Race Studies Across Disciplines: Resisting Racism through Scholactivism and “Confronting Anti-Black Racism and Promoting Social Justice: Applications through Social Media” in Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism. He was the 2021 Emerging Professionals Contributions to Service awardee from the Society for the Psychological Study for Culture, Ethnicity, and Race. He is an advisory board member for the Sesame Street Racial Justice Initiative and an associate editor for African Americans in Psychology: A Series of the Oxford African American Studies Center.

Jennifer Vaughn

Jennifer Vaughn published her article, “Agentic and Receptive Hope: Understanding Hope in the Context of Religiousness and Spirituality Through the Narratives of Salvadoran Youth,” in Religions The study explored how hope is shaped and empowered by ideological and relational contexts. In addition, she presented her research about the health of young children of immigrants’ as part of a symposium titled, “Children of Immigrants Making Meaning During Expanded Immigration Enforcement: Unequal Citizenship, Discrimination & Family Separation” at the 2022 Society for Research in Child Development Special Topic Meeting. In May 2022, Vaughn also received the 2021 Provost Research Grant for her research on the impacts of immigration enforcement on young children of immigrants’ physical and mental health.

Kevin Wong

Kevin M. Wong published seven peerreviewed journal articles during the 2021–2022 academic year on topics related to language learning through educational media, blended teaching and learning, and critical, humanizing pedagogies for language learners. His work was featured in the Journal of Educational Psychology, Computer Assisted Language Learning, TESOL Journal, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and System. Wong was a finalist for the Spencer Foundation’s Racial Equity Grant, and secured a Provost Grant for a pilot study on critical narratives in multiracial children’s storybooks, which was presented at the annual American Educational Research Association conference. In his first year as the MA in TESOL chair, Wong secured a number of global partnerships, added specializations and a research capstone to the MA in TESOL program, and spearheaded a TESOL fall research symposium.