Beloved Professor, Ricardo Muñoz, PhD, Retires

This summer, Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology, Ricardo Muñoz, PhD, retired from Palo Alto University (PAU) after 11 years of service. Previous to PAU, Dr. Muñoz worked for 35 years at UCSF as a professor of psychology and the Chief Psychologist at San Francisco General Hospital. During his career, Dr. Muñoz had an extraordinary impact on the prevention and treatment of depression, smoking cessation programs, evidence-based Internet interventions for health and wellness, digital self-help, and reducing health disparities worldwide. He was also an impassioned advocate for the Latinx community.

In June, PAU President Maureen O’Connor awarded Dr. Muñoz with Retirement Honors. “May this award serve as a tangible symbol of PAU’s profound appreciation for your extraordinary contributions to our academic community and the global community of individuals whose lives have been touched by your wisdom and compassion,” she said during the University’s Faculty Distinction Reception. “Your legacy will, no doubt, continue to inspire generations of psychologists to come.”

One of Dr. Muñoz’s most remarkable contributions to PAU was being the founding director of i4Health, the Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health. I4Health is an institute dedicated to developing, evaluating, and disseminating evidence-based psychological interventions in multiple languages for people worldwide using Internet sites and mobile applications. Dr. Muñoz has been a pioneer in developing Internet interventions for health since the 1990s and was a founding member of the board of directors for the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions from 2010 to 2013.

At PAU, Dr. Muñoz was also instrumental in creating programs that made a difference for students in the Latinx community. He suggested the creation of La Clínica Latina, and played a key role in recruiting its director, Elisabet Revilla, PhD. Additionally, he wrote the Unity Grant that established PAU’s Latinx Task Force. He has continually led PAU's efforts to attract Latinx students to the field of psychology and provide support for PAU’s Latinx students. His contributions were crucial in obtaining PAU's Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation last year.

Throughout his career, Dr. Muñoz has received numerous awards recognizing his exceptional contributions to the field of psychology. From the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Award to the George Sarlo Award for Excellence in Teaching, his accomplishments are a testament to his unwavering pursuit of excellence.