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, comprised of dedicated Department of Psychology faculty, staff and graduate 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.
*Note: This webpage is incomplete and currently undergoing active editing.
Mission and goals
1
Foster a safe and supportive environment, addressing unique perspectives, equity and inclusion through advocacy, mediation and awareness programs.
2
Create initiatives to 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
3,900+
Undergraduate and
graduate students
29%
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.
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.
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.
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.
Maria Wilson
Maria is a doctoral student studying clinical psychology at Arizona State University. She grew up in Miami, Florida and received her BA in psychology from Florida International University (FIU). Maria’s research and clinical interests include dissemination and implementation of culturally-sensitive evidence-based practices for minoritized youth and families to increase engagement and optimal outcomes. Maria is also especially interested in how cultural and familial factors interact to influence psychological and physical well-being for Latinx youth. In her spare time, Maria enjoys painting, being in nature and spending time with friends and loved ones.
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!
Tayler Thomas
Tayler is a senior psychology student currently serving as an undergraduate representative on the EAI:Psych4All committee. She is the president of the undergraduate student organization Psych for All, which advocates for and supports underrepresented psychology students. As a founding member of Psych for All in 2022, she has continuously held executive positions and contributed to initiatives such as APPS, a mentorship program connecting college students with underrepresented high school students and promoting STEAM majors at universities.