Psychology & Religious Studies

B.A.
New York University, New York
1992

Theology

M.A.
Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology, Pasadena
1996

Clinical Psychology (APA Accredited)

Ph.D.
Fuller Theological Seminary, Graduate School of Psychology, Pasadena
1999

Pre-Doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship
Boston University Medical Center, Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP), Boston
1999

Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in HIV/AIDS
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
2000

District of Columbia Licensed Psychologist

PSY# 1001192

Affiliate Professor, Howard University Hospital, College of Medicine

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Adjunct Professor, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda

Department of Community Health and Social Medicine

Psychopathology and Mental Illness (Undergraduate Honors Seminar)

Cultural contexts are pivotal in shaping our identification, experience, expression, and treatments of mental illness across the human lifespan. This course unpacks the messy relationship between culture and psychopathology, recognizing that culture encompasses social roles, local norms, transnational migration, and new information technologies (yep TikTok). The complicated interplay of these interactions influences the dignified treatment of people from diverse backgrounds living with mental illness. We will embark on the study of mental illness, that is psychopathology, by critically examining the phenomenology, epidemiology, classification, illness experience, and treatment for 8 major clinical syndromes. We do so by integrating universal and culture-specific approaches to understanding mental illness. The objectives of this course will be to stimulate your curiosity about culture-bound definitions of mental illness (and wellness) and its prevention and treatment – three ambitious and rewarding tasks we will approach through lectures, discussions, writing, and readings.  By our mutual commitment to learn together, by the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. Identify and evaluate key and emerging theories of cross-cultural psychopathology.
2. Understand the expressions of and available treatments for 8 clinical syndromes within different cultural contexts.
3. Describe emerging questions and applications of cross-cultural psychopathology to global mental health.

Adult Neuropsychological Assessment (Doctoral)

This course introduces the theory and practice of neuropsychological assessment – a specialized field of clinical psychology that measures and interprets the relationships between human central nervous system functions (with a focus on the brain), cognition, emotion and behavior. The goal of assessment is to identify patterns of performance across different cognitive and behavioral domains that meaningfully influence people’s lives. You will learn the standard test battery, collaborative therapeutic neuropsychological assessment model (CTNA), and “hypothesis testing” approaches to assess for attention, processing speed, memory, language, executive functioning, visuospatial, reasoning, and motor function in adults. Particular attention will be given to race, ethnicity, gender, and social class - all of which can interactively influence cognitive function and test performance. Taken together, the underlying principle of this course is that neuropsychological assessment is not a “one-size-fits-all” practice because values, experiences, and social expectations of behavior can differ across settings, and these differences bear significantly on how we interpret and use our assessment findings.

Cognitive Psychology (Undergraduate)

This course presents an overview of research on and applications of cognitive psychology, “a study of how people perceive, learn, and think about information” (Sternberg, 2009). We will investigate everyday activities, and in doing so, much of our ordinary mental abilities would seem a bit more extraordinary. Cognitive psychology takes us behind the scenes of the simplest daily experiences - perception, attention, memory, language, reasoning, decision-making, and problem solving - and demonstrates the ridiculously complex processes that make it all happen. The objectives of this course will be to stimulate curiosity about how we juggle and apply information and knowledge, and to critically examine (and appreciate) major theories that have helped explain how we carry out everyday activities

Ethical Principles and Conduct in Health Service Psychology (Doctoral)

What values inform how psychologists practice as practitioners, scientists, and teachers? What constitutes proper professional conduct? Is the motivation “to do the right thing” sufficient? How do psychologists address “moral distress” when professional ethics and law collide? Handelsman and colleagues (2005) proposed that addressing these knotty questions (with real-world implications) requires more than simply applying a set of rules or algorithmic formulas, but calls for adapting a new professional “ethical culture” that is defined by a system of symbolic meanings (e.g., Ethical Standard 2.04) anchored in social institutions (i.e., American Psychological Association) and patterns of interpersonal interactions (psychologists and person receiving psychological services).  Just as many of you are adjusting to the rich culture at Howard this year, you will similarly begin the process of “ethical acculturation.” The goal of this course is to help you begin this process. By our mutual commitment to learn together, by the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. View ethics as a way to promote the highest professional ideals rather than as prohibitions that must be followed;
2. Act in accordance with the APA Ethical Principles for Psychologist and Code of Conduct, relevant laws, regulations, and policies governing health service psychology; and to
3. Recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise and apply ethical decision-making processes in order to resolve the dilemmas.

HIV and Applied Principles of Community Psychology (Undergraduate)

The disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS in global cities coupled with a decrease in HIV mortality and morbidity have created an opportunity to apply principles and values of community psychology to help guide our understanding of the complex interplay of environmental and individual-level drivers that influence HIV primary prevention and care for persons living with HIV.  Community psychology, the study of person-environment interactions, offers a unique perspective on how social structures, neighborhoods, and individuals shape HIV prevention and care delivery particularly for communities living in urban poverty. Specific theories of participatory-action research, multi-level community interventions, structural dimensions of HIV stigma, HIV syndemic framework, and public health policy implications will be critically examined and discussed. 

American Psychological Association Policy Fellowship, 2023

SAMHSA, Center for Mental Health Services

Fulbright Specialist, 2022

University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda

Fulbright Specialist, 2016

University of Ibadan, Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Nigeria

Fulbright Specialist, 2013

University of Chiang Mai, Department of Pediatrics, Thailand

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; 1R15 MH117631-01)

Improving Child Mental Health Service Utilization in Ibadan Nigeria Using a Community Based Participatory Research Approach (with Community Partner: University of Ibadan). Principle Investigator. 9/11/2018 – 9/10/2021

Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS) Pilot Grant, 2021

Living with HIV Across the Lifespan Shapes Treatment Views of Black Adults with Perinatal HIV Infection

Distinguished Faculty Award (Outstanding Scholar 2019-20)

Howard University, College of Arts & Sciences