Faculty Distinction Honors & Awards

faculty_distinction_annual_awards

At Palo Alto University (PAU), we celebrate the exceptional dedication, innovation, and excellence of our esteemed faculty. Through various awards and recognitions, we honor those who have made significant contributions to teaching, research, and service. These accolades not only acknowledge the remarkable achievements of our faculty but also inspire our academic community to strive for the highest standards of excellence.

Each year at the Faculty Distinction Awards we recognize and applaud the extraordinary accomplishments of our faculty members who make a profound impact on our students, Palo Alto University, and the broader intellectual community. Below, is a list of each year's distinguished award recipients.

Faculty Distinction Awards

2024-2025 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion
Promotion

Margaret Lamar, PhD
Sandra Trafalis, PhD

Tenure

Karen Roller, PhD

Tenure and Promotion

Shreya Vaishnav, PhD

PAU Pillar Pioneers

Dr. Mikael Rubin, Principal Investigator for the project "Testing the Role of Attentional and Audio Vocal Mechanisms in a New Internet-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety: iExposure" funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Dr. Donna Sheperis, Director of the PAU eClinic

Dr. Eduardo Bunge, Co-founder of ParenteAI

Inclusive Excellence Award

Joyce Chu, PhD

Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship

Alisha Guthery, PhD 

Excellence in Service 

Mikael Rubin, PhD 

Excellence in Research 

Susan Branco, PhD 

Outstanding Contingent Faculty 

Stephen Black, PhD 

2023-2024 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion

Promotion
Sita Patel, PhD
Rayna Hirst, PhD
Teceta Tormala, PhD

Tenure and Promotion
Chi Li, PhD

Retirement Honors

Lisa Brown, PhD, Professor, Psychology

PAU Pillar Pioneers

Charlotte Beard, PhD, Menstrual Dignity Project
Karen Roller, PhD & Darlene Chen, PhD, Bilingual Certification
Rose Wong, PhD, MSW Program

Provost Award of Excellence in External Grants and Contracts

Bronze (>$250,000)
Mikael Rubin, PhD, $335,000
Rowena Gomez, PhD, $303,205

Excellence in Teaching or Mentoring Award

Elisabet Revilla, PhD

Excellence in Service

Kelly Coker, PhD

Excellence in Research

Matthew Yalch, PhD

Contingent Faculty

Aaron Henderson, PhD

2022-2023 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion
Promotion

Jonathan Peretz, PhD
Jamie Kent, PhD

Retirement Honors

Ricardo Muñoz, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Psychology

Provost Above and Beyond Award

Michael Richards, PhD, Gronowski Center Director
Cristen Wathen, PhD, Director of the Center for Educational Excelllence
Shreya Vaishnav, PhD, Acting Director of the Center for Educational Excelllence
William Snow, PhD, 12 years oof service as the Counseling Department Chair

Pillar Pioneers Award

Kelly Coker, PhD & Rowena Gomez, PhD, Assessment Committee Chairs
Teceta Tormala, PhD, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Provost Award of Excellence in External Grants and Contracts

Silver (>$500,000)
Kimberly Balsam, PhD, $721,994

Excellence in Teaching Awards

Rayna Hirst, PhD
Shreya Vaishnav, PhD

Excellence in Research Award

Tilman Schulte, PhD

Excellence in Service Award

Amanda Fanniff, PhD

Outstanding Contingent Faculty Awards

Maryasha Katz, PhD
Victoria Liou-Johnson, PhD

External Affairs Special Award

Lisa Brown, PhD
Donna Sheperis, PhD

2021-2022 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion

Tenure
William H. Snow, PhD
Eduardo Bunge, PhD
Promotion
Janice Kuo, PhD

Tenure and Promotion
Matthew Yalch, PhD
Cristen Wathen, PhD

Retirement Honors

William Froming, PhD, Professor, Psychology

Pillar Pioneers Award

Margaret Lamar, PhD & Kelly Coker, PhD, CES PhD Program
Eduarado Bunge, PhD, Technology and Mental Health Concentration

Provost Above and Beyond Award

Donna Sheperis, PhD, Faculty Senate Chair

Provost Award of Excellence in External Grants and Contracts

Silver (>$500,000)
Chris Weaver, PhD,  $689,894
Joyce Chu, PhD,  $656,012
Janice Kuo, PhD,  $632,611
Ricardo Munoz, PhD,  $559,872

Bronze (>$250,000)
Kimberly Balsam, PhD,  $430,000
Amie Haas, PhD,  $291,995
Bruce Bonger, PhD,  $263,838

Excellence in Teaching or Mentoring Award

Eduardo Bunge, PhD

Excellence in Service

Rowena Gomez, PhD

Excellence in Research

Yan Leykin, PhD

People’s Choice

Amanda Fanniff, PhD