Division 52 Board of Directors

Officers

President 2023
Antonio Puente, PhD
University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA

Antonio E. Puente was born in La Habana, Cuba and received his  PhD from the University of Georgia. Since 1981 Puente has been Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and in addition he maintains a private  practice in clinical neuropsychology and is the director of mental health services at a bilingual multi-disciplinary health center serving the indigent.  His research focuses on the interface between culture and  neuropsychology. He has published 10  books, 93 chapters, and 123 scientific articles in several languages.  Puente was the 125th president of the American Psychological Association.

President-Elect 2023
Pina Marsico, PhD
University of Salerno, Italy

Pina Marsico is Associate Professor of Development and Educational Psychology at the University of Salerno (Italy), Visiting Scholar at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, U.S., Affiliated Professor at Ph.D. Programme in Psychology, Federal University of Bahia, (Brazil), Visiting Professor at East China Normal University (China), Associate Professor II at University of Oslo (Norway) and Associate Researcher at Aalborg University (Denmark). She President of the European Society of Psychology Learning and Teaching (ESPLAT). She is Editor-in-chief of the Book Series Cultural Psychology of Education (Springer), Latin American Voices (Springer), co-editor of SpringerBriefs Psychology and Cultural Developmental Sciences (together with Jaan Valsiner) and Annals of Cultural Psychology: (InfoAge Publishing, N.C.,USA). She is also co-editor of Human Arenas (Springer) and of Trends in Psychology (Springer). Prof. Marsico is the leading figure of the new field of Cultural Psychology of Educationthat promotes research upon the most innovative and culturally sensitive experiences in psychology learning and teaching worldwide.

Past-President 2023
Kurt Geisinger, PhD
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA

Dr. Kurt F. Geisinger is Director of the Buros Center for Testing (2006-present) and WC Meierhenry Distinguished University Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Since receiving his doctorate from Pennsylvania State University in 1977, Dr. Geisinger has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in higher education, serving as teacher, mentor, author, editor, and administrator. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in testing and statistics, published approximately 150 book chapters and journal articles, and  edited/co-edited more than 12 volumes including the APA Handbook of Testing and Assessment in Psychology,  Psychological Testing of Hispanics (two editions), Test Interpretation and Diversity:  Achieving Equity in Assessment, High-Stakes Testing in Education, Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination, six volumes of the Mental Measurements Yearbook series, Tests in Print (two volumes), Pruebas Publicadas en Español (two volumes), and several monographs and instructors’ manuals. He has edited the journal Applied Measurement in Education since 2006 and has served on about a dozen editorial boards.

Dr. Geisinger is past president of the International Test Commission, where he previously served on the executive council for eight years and as treasurer for six. He is also past president of APA Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology; 2019-2020) and president of Division 2 (Assessment and Evaluation) of the International Association of Applied Psychology (2018-2022). He is treasurer of the International Association of Applied Psychology and president-elect of Division 52 (International Psychology) of APA. He was elected to APA’s Council of Representative for two terms beginning in 2005, after which he was elected to the APA Board of Directors for the 2011-2013 term.

Secretary, 2023-2025
Yu-Wei Wang, PhD
University of Maryland, USA

Dr. Yu-Wei Wang received her undergraduate degree in English & American Literature from National Central University in Taiwan, dual Master’s degrees in Psychological Counseling and Organizational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri. She is the Research Director, Assistant Director of the Counseling Center, and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The primary charges of the Counseling Center Research Unit are (a) the bi-annual University New Student Census completed by incoming undergraduate students at UMD and (b) the Withdrawal Survey completed by undergraduate students who withdrew from the University before completing their degrees. In addition, she has conducted research on career development issues in partnership with the University Career Center and a large-scale study on food insecurity in partnership with the University of Maryland Dining Services, Health Center, and Maryland Parents & Family Association. The food insecurity study helped the University raise funds to establish the new Campus Pantry. Dr. Wang has published articles and book chapters on international and multicultural issues in psychology, counseling, education, & training; stress, trauma, and coping/problem solving; as well as qualitative research design. She is the Co-Founder of the Taiwan Psychology Network—a nonprofit professional organization in the United States. Dr. Wang is a member of the APA Division 17, 35, 45, and 52 and has served the Divisions in various capacities, such as a member and the international representative of the Div. 17 Strategic Planning Committee, the Co-Chair of the Div. 17 International Section, Div. 17 representative to the APA Committee on International Relations in Psychology, a member of the Special Task Group on Early Career Psychologists, and the Co-Chair of the Special Task Group on Mentoring International Students.

Treasurer, 2012-2023
Martha Zlokovich, PhD
Psi Chi International, Tennessee, USA

Developmental Psychologist and Executive Director of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Previously she was a Professor at Southeast Missouri State University teaching developmental psychology courses and served as Chair of the Psychology Department and Interim Chair of the Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning. Her research interests are student study habits, study beliefs, and persistence to graduation as well as adolescent and young adult contraception and sexuality. She speaks German and is working on Spanish, French, and Italian. She is currently Past President of Society for Psychologists in Management (SPIM) and D52 Treasurer.

Elected Board Members

VP for Communication, 2023-2025
Joyce Green, PhD
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, USA

Dr. Joyce Yip Green is committed to strengthening the mental health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities.  She is an assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University graduate department of Marital and Family Therapy/Clinical Art Therapy.  She earned her PhD in International Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.  She also holds endorsements in California as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator Level II.  Dr. Green has presented nationally and internationally on the practice and application of international psychology, art therapy, as well her cultural research examining socialization goals and parenting beliefs of Rwandan infant caregivers.    Her current research draws from her personal history and immigration experiences as a refugee from Laos as a young child.  Her research investigations uses arts-based methodologies to examine the experiences of immigration and acculturation by those impacted by war and displacement from Laos and South Korea.   Along with her role as co-editor of the International Psychology Bulletin, she serves as the Div52 APA Convention 2022 co-chair.  She formerly served as the co-chair of the Div52 COVID Taskforce: Training and Education Subgroup.   She is a co-founder of Infinity Linc International, an organization that applies the principles of international psychology to build cultural bridges through training and consultation. She is also licensed as a marriage and family therapist and clinical art therapist, offering in-person and virtual mental health services in the state of California. 

VP for Initiatives, 2023-2025
Julie Hakim-Larsen, PhD
University of Windsor, Canada

Dr. Julie Hakim-Larson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.  She obtained her Ph.D. in life-span developmental psychology from Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan) in 1984 and then received postdoctoral training in Clinical Child Psychology at a child/adolescent psychiatric hospital in Michigan.
She has been on the faculty of the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada since 1991 and is a Professor of Clinical Psychology (Child Track). Her interests include lifespan emotional development (birth to older adulthood), developmental psychopathology, the global history of psychology, and mental health, emotions, and culture.  Dr. Hakim-Larson’s research interest has focused on the mental health and overall well-being of individuals and families of Arab and Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) origin. In 2013, Dr. Hakim-Larson organized an international study group on Arab youth identity funded by the Society for Research in Child Development and collaborated in organizing an international symposium on Arab youth identity funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (see http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/arabyouthsymp/).  Dr. Hakim-Larson’s publications and current research interests include culture and emotional development within a global perspective, emotion in families, Arab ethnic identity in North America, and the promotion of mental health in Arab immigrants and refugees.

VP for Engagement, 2022-24
Breeda McGrath PhD
Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Puerto Rico

Dr. Breeda McGrath is a licensed clinical psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. She is active in APA Divisions 48 (Peace) and 52 and is a CRSPPP Commissioner. She is also involved in state and international psychology associations and higher education networks. Dr. McGrath has studied psychology and special education systems internationally, and collaborates with colleagues in Indonesia, Senegal, India, Canada, Greece, and Ireland. Her expertise includes cross-cultural psychology, child development, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, educational disabilities, immigration, and psychology training. In clinical psychology and mental health, she specializes in anxiety, mood disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy, cross-cultural considerations, training, assessment, and evaluation. In 2018 she was an Onassis Foundation Fellow in Greece. Originally from Ireland, Breeda lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico and she serves as Associate Campus Dean for Online programs at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Council Representative, 2022-2024

Merry Bullock, PhD
Ahimsa International, Colorado USA / Estonia

Dr. Bullock’s work focuses on international engagement in research, teaching, application and policy. She is currently Secretary-General of the International Council of Psychologists and Steering Committee co-chair for the Global Network of Psychologists for Human Rights. Until 2017 she directed the Office of International Affairs at the American Psychological Association, in Washington DC, which oversees APA’s involvement in international academic, research, and policy activities. Dr. Bullock was co-editor of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, and is presently co-editing the second edition of the Handbook of International Psychology. Her published scholarly output includes work on early cognitive development, scientific thinking, developmental aspects of motivation and emotion, and internationalization. Dr. Bullock has lived and worked in university and policy settings in Canada, Estonia, Germany, and the United States.

Early Career Psychology Committee Chair, 2023
Tatyana El-Kour
Aga Khan Foundation,

Dr El-Kour is a recognized expert, social scientist, and athought leader in population health and nutrition. A champion of systems’ thinking. Highly skilled at innovating frameworks to transform processes and leverage technology to maximize effectiveness and outcomes. For over 20 years, Dr. El-Kour has delivered progressive strategies integrating and aligning complex humanitarian and development programs and projects on behalf of the United Nations, international, governmental, and non-governmental agencies with a behavior change focus. More recently, Dr. El-Kour completed her masters and doctoral studies in Psychology at Fielding Graduate University and has evolved her technical specialty to address the changing healthcare and food systems landscape, incorporating international and media psychology and technology to population health and humanitarian programming to effect regulatory and policy changes and drive population behavior change. She currently serves as a global advisor at Aga Khan Foundation. More information about Dr El-Kour’s work can be found using the link: https://www.tatyanaelkour.com/.

Student Committee, Chair, 2023
Aldo Barrita
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA

Aldo Barrita is a queer Latinx doctoral student in his 3rd year at the Psychological and Brain Sciences Ph.D. Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He was born in Mexico and migrated to the US when he was 16. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2017 with high honors. He received his Masters’s in Psychology at UNLV in 2021. His research focus includes how different forms of discrimination, primarily microaggressions, psychologically impact individuals from marginalized communities. Specifically, he has a special interest in Latinx and/or LGBTQ+ experiences with microaggressions as well as psychometrics. Aldo Barrita currently serves as 2022 Student Representative for the National Latinx Psychology Association (NLPA) and Student Representative-Elect for APA Division 52. He has received recognitions such as the NLPA President citation, NLPA Distinguished Student Award, and Division 52 Anastasi Graduate Student Research Award for his scholarship, leadership, and service.

Ex Officio

Early Career Psychology Committee Past-Chair, 2023, Ex Officio
Lora Erickson, PhD, LHMC, LCPC
Chicago School of Professional Psychology,
Denver, Colorado, USA

Dr. Lora Erickson is a licensed clinical mental health counselor in the states of Illinois, Florida, and Colorado, an international psychologist, and a professor.  She currently teaches full time for The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) in the Master of Arts in Psychology program for the online campus.  She is also a dissertation chair and committee reader with TCSPP in the international psychology doctoral program. Her research interests include the cross-cultural study of resiliency and protective factors, emergent professional identity models within the field of international psychology, Animal Assisted Intervention stress reduction techniques, social dislocation, and migration with dignity.

2023 ECP Chair-Elect: Rawan Atari-Khan, PhD, LP
Purdue University, Indiana, USA

Dr Atari-Khan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at Purdue University and a licensed psychologist in the state of Indiana. In her research endeavors, she uses a cross-cultural psychology framework to critically consider how commonly referenced models and measures of mental health fall short in capturing meanings of wellbeing and healing for ethnically and racially diverse communities in the United States. She is particularly interested in the mental health of Arab, Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) immigrant and refugee communities in the U.S., and has focused on topics of wellbeing, resilience, and ethnic identity development. Dr. Atari-Khan currently provides a limited amount of clinical services at Purdue University Counseling and Psychological services where she uses an integrative humanistic, psychodynamic, and feminist approach to therapy. More information about Dr. Atari-Khan’s work can be found here: https://dratarikhan.wordpress.com/

Student  Committee Past-Chair, 2023, Ex Officio

Erinn C. Cameron, PhD
Currently: Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Stellenbosch University, University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Erinn Cameron is a first-generation university student and a 4th-year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology with specializations in social justice and neuropsychology at Fielding Graduate University. She will complete her clinical internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center 2022-2023. Currently, she lives on an island in the Salish Sea, where she enjoys eco-living, making music, cooking, and gardening with her family. Having lived in several countries and participated in academic and humanitarian work across the globe, Erinn brings a wealth of international, cultural, and life experience to her work. Her ongoing research and clinical work focus on human rights, gender inequality, human trafficking/modern slavery, women’s health, and climate change. In addition to her work with the APA Division 52 board, Erinn is a board member of the International Council of Psychologists and adjunct faculty at Seattle Pacific University. She is also co-chair of the Division 52 International Scientific Cross Cultural Research Committee and is a member of the Division 52 International Environmental Justice Committee

Student  Committee Chair-Elect, 2023, Ex Officio
Neha Srinivas
Fairleigh DIckinson University, New Jersey, USA

Neha is a fourth year in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Originally from India, Neha is passionate about reducing the stigma around mental health issues and violence against women in the country.  She is an incoming extern at the Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience, and Recovery at Northwell Health in New York. Previously she was a Clinical Psychology extern at the International Rescue Committee, conducting individual and group therapy for refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and South America. Her other clinical experiences include providing individual therapy and psychological assessments to marginalized populations at FDU’s Center for Psychological Services and as a School-Based Mental Health Clinician. She has a clinical interest in crisis and trauma work with adolescents and young adults.  Her research interests are within the field of global mental health and specifically focus on cultural variations in psychopathology and how stigma affects the risk, prevention, and intervention of psychological disorders. Her dissertation focuses on investigating cultural variations in risk factors for suicide ideation by cultural orientation.

Parliamentarian, Ex Officio
Nancy M. Sidun, PsyD, ABPP, ATR
Hawaii

Nancy Sidun is a Clinical Psychologist and Art Therapist. She is actively involved with the American Psychological Association (APA), the Hawaii Psychological Association (HPA), and the International Council of Psychologists (ICP). She has served in many leadership positions (e.g., Past President of APA Division 52, International Psychology, Past Chair and Co-Chair of APA Committee on International Relations in Psychology, Past Chair of APA Committee on Women, HPA Past President, Past Treasurer for ICP). Dr. Sidun’s research interests center around international women’s issues, human rights, and social justice, especially human trafficking. Most recently, Dr. Sidun guest co-edited International Perspectives in Psychology Special Issue: Women During COVID-19. She has been awarded APA Fellow status by the Society for the Psychology of Women and International Psychology and received the 2021 Denmark/Reuder Award for Outstanding

Journal Editor, Ex Officio
Ines Myers PhD
University of Capetown, South Africa