Department Faculty and Staff

Tel:(415) 422-6894
organistap@usfca.edu

Pamela Balls Organista

Professor

Pamela Balls Organista, has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and serves as the Chair of Psychology and the Director of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Francisco. Her areas of research include health issues in underserved populations, Ethnic minority psychology, Community-Based Research, and preventive Interventions.

Tel:(415) 422-4894
blochm@usfca.edu

Michael Bloch

Associate Professor

Dr. Bloch is a cognitive neuropsychologist who received his Ph.D. in 1989. His research investigates hemispheric asymmetry and integration in normal and disabled populations, as well as the effects of certain olfactory stimuli on hemispheric processing.

Tel:(415) 422-6151
boucherj@usfca.edu

Jerry Boucher

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Jerry Boucher received his Ph.D. from the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. He has been teaching at USF since 1994. His teaching interests include cross-cultural psychology; history and systems of psychology; interviewing techniques;and motivation and emotion.

Tel:(415) 422-6151
dpchan@usfca.edu

Davina Chan

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Davina Chan received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been teaching at USF since 2003. Her teaching interests include dreams and meditation; learning, memory, and cognition; biological psychology; and Asian American psychology.

Tel:(415) 422-4373
vcheung@usfca.edu

Violet Cheung

Assistant Professor

Violet Cheung, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist. She received her degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Her teaching interests include child development and theories of personality, and her current research addresses self-control, aggression and war.

Tel:(415) 422-2418
chunk@usfca.edu

Kevin Chun

Professor

Kevin M. Chun, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology and Co-Founder of Asian American Studies. He completed his B.S. in Psychology at Santa Clara University, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at UCLA, and Psychology Internship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

Tel:(415) 422-5334
ciena@usfca.edu

Mel Ciena

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Ciena is a native New Yorker who has been teaching at University of San Francisco since 1991.He has been honored with the Distinguished Lecturer Award and the Dean's College Service Award. Dr. Ciena Received his B.A and M.A in Experimental Psychology from California State University.

Tel:(415) 422-2174
clausenj@usfca.edu

June Madsen Clausen

Associate Professor

Dr. Clausen is a clinical psychologist with specializations in children and youth, treatment of trauma, and the foster care system. She teaches several clinical courses in the department, including Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychopathology, Clinical Psychology, Child Maltreatment, and Psychology Practicum.

Tel:(415) 422-6151
kdgapinski@usfca.edu

Kathrine Gapinski

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Kathrine Gapinski received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yale University, where her research focused on eating disorders and social perceptions of weight. Her teaching interests include general psychology, gender, sexuality, and abnormal psychology.

Tel:(415) 422-2175
heidenreich@usfca.edu

Susan Heidenreich

Associate Professor

Susan Heidenreich, Ph.D., is an experimental psychologist, who earned her degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is the Faculty Coordinator for the interdisciplinary Neuroscience Minor. She teaches biological psychology, psychological statistics, sensation and perception, and psychology of human sexuality. Her current research in neuroscience uses psychophysical methods to investigate eye movements and visual perception.

Tel:(415) 422-5794
srkhan@usfca.edu

Saera Khan

Associate Professor

Saera Khan, Ph.D., is a social psychologist with an appointment in the St. Ignatius Institute. She teaches psychology of gender, stereotyping and social cognition, measuring prejudice, and moral psychology. Her research explores how motivation and processing of social information acts to influence the use of stereotypes when judging others.

Tel:(415) 422-4374
mrknight@usfca.edu

Marisa Knight

Assistant Professor

Marisa Knight, Ph.D., received her degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and specializes in cognitive neuroscience. She teaches biological psychology and research design, and her research is focused on the interplay between motivation, emotion and cognitive functioning across the lifespan.

Tel:(415) 422-6429
bjlevy3@usfca.edu

Benjamin Levy

Assistant Professor

Tel:415 422 4705
gmanuel@usfca.edu

Gerdenio Manuel

Professor

Fr. Gerdenio (Sonny) Manuel, S.J. is Director of USF's Saint Ignatius Institute and Professor of Psychology. He is also the Provincial Assistant for Higher Education and Prefect of Studies for the California Province of the Jesuits.  Fr. Manuel's areas of scholarship include coping with stress and traumatic life events and the relationship of psychology, faith, and religious life. He is the author of Living Celibacy, Healthy Pathways for Priests published by Paulist Press. His teaching interests include positive psychology, abnormal psychology, and clinical psychology.

Tel:415-422-2199
marin@usfca.edu

Gerardo Marín

Professor

Gerardo Marin, PhD, is a Professor of Latin American Studies and Psychology, is Associate Provost at the University of San Francisco, and is an APA Fellow.

Tel:(415) 422-5265
mcguire@usfca.edu

Shirley McGuire

Professor

Shirley McGuire Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology, Director of the Honors in Psychology Program, and Co-Founder of Child and Youth Studies. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at Queens University, her M.A. in Experimental Psychology at Western Carolina University, and her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University.

Tel:(415) 422-5098
emunnich@usfca.edu

Edward Munnich

Associate Professor

Edward Munnich, Ph.D., is a cognitive psychologist. He received his degree from the University of Delaware. He teaches research design; learning, memory and cognition; and related courses. His research focuses on whether, and to what extent, statistics influence people's beliefs and preferences about personal and public policy issues.

Tel:(415) 422-6641
jperez6@usfca.edu

John Pérez

Associate Professor

John Pérez, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist. He received his degree from Yale University and currently teaches research design. His research focuses primarily on the ways people use religious or spiritual resources (e.g., prayer, meditation, support from religious community) to cope with chronic illness and stressful life events.

Tel:(415) 422-2419
silverthorne@usfca.edu

Colin Silverthorne

Professor

Dr Silverthorne is a social/organizational psychologist. He has authored several books and published numerous numerous articles in refereed journals. His recent research has focused on testing the applicability of organizational behavior theories, especially leadership, across cultures. In addition, other current research is exploring the benefits of Yoga for Brain injured individuals.

Tel:(415) 422-5828
wagnerl@usfca.edu

Lisa Wagner

Associate Professor

Lisa S. Wagner, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the USF Interdisciplinary Committee on Aging. She completed her B.A. in English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology at the University of Washington in 1997.

Tel:(415) 422-6432
jwalker@usfca.edu

Ja'Nina Walker

Assistant Professor

Ja'Nina J. Walker, Ph.D. is a developmental psychologist with a focus on identity (i.e., racial, religious, sexual) development for Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adolescents and emerging adults. Dr. Walker's work has emphasized the role of identity in the development of culturally competent HIV prevention interventions and community resources.