Palo Alto University is pleased to welcome five new faculty members this fall. Each brings unique perspectives and research areas to the Counseling and Psychology Departments, as well as a strong commitment to student-centered education.
Alayna Park
Alayna Park, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the PAU Department of Psychology. Dr. Park completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her predoctoral internship at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System.
She is particularly interested in re-designing mental health programs and developing decision support tools for mitigating racial and ethnic mental health disparities. “I was looking for institutions that valued the integration of clinical science and practice, social justice, community service, and student-centered learning,” said Dr. Park. “I am delighted to be joining the esteemed faculty at PAU and am greatly looking forward to mentoring students and to building a lab that conducts impactful, community-partnered research.”
Joan Christodoulou
Joan Christodoulou, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the PAU Department of Psychology. Dr. Christodoulou holds a PhD in Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She also earned a MPhil in Social & Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a B.A. in Psychology at UC Berkeley.
Dr. Christodoulou investigates risk and protective factors influencing development from early childhood into early adulthood in at-risk, underserved, and disenfranchised children and their families, using neurobiological and behavioral measures. Her goal is to inform, design, and implement interventions to reduce the cognitive burden of trauma among youth experiencing the greatest disparities. “With a focus on development and research methods, I look forward to supporting PAU's students in their training and research endeavors,” said Dr. Christodoulou.
Donya Wallace
Donya Wallace, Ph.D., is a Visiting Professor in the PAU Department of Counseling. Dr. Wallace is a graduate of the counselor education program at the University of South Carolina, holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, a master’s degree in counseling from Webster University and a B.S. in experimental psychology from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Wallace’s scholarly areas of interest include wellness among African American women, the Strong Black Woman archetype and mental health disparities in the African American community. Her most recent work, a case study, focuses on culturally-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of panic episodes and depression in an African American woman.
“This term, I am looking forward to getting to know my students and the opportunity to become a part of their journey into awesome counselors,” said Dr. Wallace.
Shreya Vaishnav
Shreya Vaishnav, Ph.D., is a Visiting Professor in the PAU Department of Counseling. She graduated with a master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Arizona State University and a doctorate in Counseling and Educational Development from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).
Her research focuses on microaggressions in academia, mentoring counseling students, and social justice advocacy. . She has led research projects and facilitated workshops on the topic of microaggressions and its impact on students with marginalized identities. “In addition to the strong sense of community, the core values of social justice, cultivating a culturally responsive environment, and a commitment to diversity that drew me to the Department of Counseling at PAU, I look forward to connecting with and mentoring graduate students at PAU,” said Dr. Vaishnav.
Clark D. Ausloos
Clark D. Ausloos, Ph.D., is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the PAU Department of Counseling. He received a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and a Masters in Counseling from The University of Toledo.
A school and clinical counselor, educator, and researcher, Dr. Ausloos is passionate about working with diverse, underserved populations, specifically LGBQIAP+ and transgender and gender-expansive folx. Dr. Ausloos studies counselor competence in working with diverse students/clients, and infusing diversity and inclusion into counselor education curricula and training programs. Dr. Ausloos was attracted to PAU because of its intentional focus on fostering diversity, inclusion and access.
“I am honored to be part of a faculty that is truly student-centered, and have seen that evident, during these trying times. I look forward to working on research in an interdisciplinary way with leaders in both mental health counseling and psychology.”
