Dedicated to excellence, access and inclusion
Guided by Arizona State University's Charter and Design Principles, we aim to make a positive impact in our local, national and global communities. The EAI:Psych4All committee, composed of dedicated Department of Psychology faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students, enhances inclusivity and excellence by strengthening our capacity to embrace different perspectives that recognize the various identities in our unit. These perspectives shape our approach to professional practice, research, teaching and service. Your ideas and feedback are welcome in our ongoing journey to create a more inclusive future for our department.
Mission and goals
1
Foster a safe and supportive environment that addresses unique perspectives, equity and inclusion through advocacy, service and awareness programs.
2
Create initiatives that foster inclusive excellence in the department, curriculum, and field, addressing barriers that disproportionately affect underrepresented groups, fostering inclusive representation, and promoting variety in guest speakers, research, and coursework.
3
Advise on practices to protect and promote inclusive excellence at both departmental and university levels, covering areas such as hiring, admission, programmatic milestones, retention, promotion, recognition, evaluation and access to financial resources.
Indigenous land acknowledgement
The department acknowledges that our institution, Arizona State University, is situated on the ancestral lands of Indigenous nations. We thank the Native communities of the Salt River Valley — including the Akimel O’odham and the Pee Posh nations — who have inhabited this place for centuries, and whose stewardship of the land and waterways allows us to be here now.
Our psychology community
3,750+
Undergraduate and
graduate students
28%
First-generation
college students
75+
Total faculty members
34%
Students from
underrepresented backgrounds
Academic initiatives
Inclusive Teaching Circles
Explores strategies to support underrepresented and first-generation college students. These monthly meetings offer facilitated discussions on ways to make classes more welcoming and inclusive.
Resources
BIPOC authored psychology papers
Explore varied perspectives in psychology through this curated spreadsheet. Designed for instructors seeking to elevate their syllabi, the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) authored papers showcase voices historically underrepresented in academia.
Committee members
Becky Blais
Associate Professor Becky Blais serves as the Director of Excellences, Access, and Inclusion: Psych4All. Her work focuses is on mitigating suicide risk within the military community, specifically among individuals identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and those underrepresented in studies on sexual violence survival in the military. Blais' lab is actively developing an educational program that seamlessly integrates military and civilian cultures within university classrooms. She's a first-generation college student and earned her PhD in clinical psychology.
Christina Pedram
Associate Teaching Professor Christina Pedram is the faculty advisor for the undergraduate student Psych for All organization. With a solid foundation in research on stereotyping, prejudice, and pedagogy, she delivers a diverse range of foundational and upper-division courses, prioritizing inclusivity and equity in her teaching approach. Pedram also serves as Co-PI of APPS, a mentorship program connecting college students with underrepresented high school students and promoting STEAM majors at universities.
Aaliyah Herndon
Aaliyah Herndon is a fourth-year undergraduate student in ASU's Department of Psychology. They also have a minor in sociology. Their current research interests include minority stress, risk and protective factors of minority groups, Black mental health, BIPOC mental health, LGBTQ+ mental health, women’s mental health and intersectionality in mental health. In the future, Aaliyah plans to pursue a PhD in clinical or counseling psychology. Outside of classes, Aaliyah enjoys listening to all genres of music, going to concerts, watching anime and K-dramas, playing Nintendo Switch games, drinking boba tea and snacking on Pocky!
Audra Attaway
Audra Attaway currently serves as an academic success advisor in the Department of Psychology's Undergraduate Advising Office. Her interests lie in working with first-generation, transfer and non-traditional students. With a background in non-profits and an MSW emphasizing community and organizational leadership, Attaway values broad representation and prioritizes individuals' lived experiences and knowledge for optimal service delivery.
Jane Park
Jane Park is a doctoral student studying clinical psychology at Arizona State University, having completed her bachelor’s of science from the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests focus broadly on trauma within high-risk and underserved communities, with a specific emphasis on studying the characteristics and risk factors of sexual violence victimization among military personnel. In her leisure time, Jane enjoys running, practicing pilates and traveling to new places with friends.
Jennifer Kennedy
Jennifer Kennedy is a staff member of the Arizona Twin Project, directed by Professors Lemery-Chalfant, Davis, and Doane. The ongoing longitudinal study explores sleep, pain, mental and physical health and academic competence in twins from infancy and beyond. Jennifer oversees data collection, training and supervision of undergraduate research assistants. As a Latina researcher, she is committed to contributing to the committee's primary mission of ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all.
Jessica Verpeut
Heading the SOCIAL (Student of Circuits in Adolescent Life) Neurobiology lab, Assistant Professor Jessica Verpeut's research focuses on understanding cerebellar neural circuits contributing to cognitive and social behavior across the lifespan using preclinical animal models. Verpeut also collaborates with outreach organizations, teaching machine learning methods to students in low-income and rural school districts. She holds a PhD in endocrinology and animal biosciences.
Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant
Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant has been professor of developmental psychology at ASU for over 20 years and serves as a mentor to many faculty and students. All of her research involves large, collaborative teams that tackle interdisciplinary questions such as prevention of mental health problems in the context of intersecting risks of genetics, poverty, early adversity, racism and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Melissa Uribe
Melissa Uribe is a graduate of the applied psychology undergraduate program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a current clinical psychology PhD student at ASU. Through her doctoral training, Melissa aims to understand the mechanisms of treatment adherence in Latinx and BIPOC for internalizing conditions like anxiety and depression. Melissa's goal is to take an ecological approach to mood and anxiety by considering environmental issues like neighborhood violence, acculturation, immigrant status, racial discrimination and family dynamics. In her free time, Melissa likes to practice yoga and meditation and trying new foods!
Sivan Barashy
Sivan is a doctoral student studying clinical psychology at ASU. She was born and raised in Las Vegas, and received her bachelor's of science from UC San Diego. Sivan's research looks at the relationship between cannabis use and other mental health issues including anxiety and depression, and she hopes to work with children from marginalized communities in her clinical work. In her free time, she enjoys reading and listening to audiobooks, watching sitcoms, doing puzzles, going hiking and playing pickleball.
Let's talk
Get involved
Graduate students, faculty and staff
Graduate students, faculty and staff interested in joining the departmental committee should contact Associate Professor Becky Blais. While many positions are two years in duration, EAI:Psych4All is committed to inclusivity and encourages all who wish to contribute to reach out.
Undergraduate students
Undergraduate representatives on the departmental committee are selected from psychology and neuroscience student groups. However, any undergraduate students interested in being part of Psych for All, the undergraduate student organization, can join through Sun Devil Sync.