Experts Directory: Family and Child: General
Alejandra Acuña
Department of Social Work
work: (818) 677-7798
email: aacuna@csun.edu or aacunalcsw@gmail.com
Also speaks: Spanish
- Urban youth and families
- Traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Resilience
- Mental health in schools
- School social work
- Family communication
- Family engagement in children’s mental health
- Evidence-based mental health practices
- Cognitive behavioral intervention for trauma in schools
- Parenting and family therapy
- Solution-focused brief therapy
- Child welfare
- Program evaluation
- Cultural/traditional mental health practices
- Social marketing campaigns for mental health
Learn more about Alejandra Acuña:
- CSUN Prof Finds PTSD Screening & Brief Intervention Can Improve Emotional Well-Being, Academic Success of Underrepresented Students
- CSUN Professor’s Testimony Helps Reunite Mother and Daughter, and Win Class-Action Lawsuit for Families Separated at the Border
Annette Besnilian
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Associate Director, Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics
work: (818) 677-3102
email: annette.besnilian@csun.edu
Also speaks: Armenian, Farsi, some Spanish
- Nutrition
- Dietetics and food science
- Community nutrition
- Community program development and management
- Dietetic internship development and coordination
- Childhood obesity awareness and prevention
Learn more about Annette Besnilian:
- CSUN Nutrition Experts Website: Your Hub for Healthy Eating
- CSUN Dietetic Internship Program Recipient of Diversity Action Award
- CSUN Uses Musical to Teach Children About Healthy Life Choices
- Kaiser Permanent Awards CSUN $60,000 to Promote a Canoga Park Healthy Eating Program Focused on Educating Parents and Caregivers
- CSUN Receives $1M from USDA to Support Future Dietitians
- CSUN Awarded $880,000 to Address Obesity Rate in Canoga Park
Joyce Marie Brusasco
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
work: (818) 800-0480
email: joyce.brusasco.61@csun.edu
- Parent education
- Adolescent development
- Family Theories
- Human development
- Family & child – teen and adolescent issues
Diane R. Gehart
Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling
work: (818) 677-7468
email: diane.gehart@csun.edu
Also speaks: German
- Marriage and family therapy
- Child abuse
- Couples issues
- Communication
- Mindfulness
- Buddhist psychology
- Positive psychology
Angie Giordano
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
work: (818) 677-7851
email: angie.giordano@csun.edu
- Fatherhood
- Parent-based programming
- Family stress
- Coping and resiliency
- Co-parental relationships
Shelly L. Gray
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
work: (818) 677-4487
email: shelly.gray.427@csun.edu
- Child development
- Child care administration
- Father involvement in child and family development
Vickie Jensen
Department of Criminology and Justice Studies
work: (818) 677-3293 / 3591
email: vickie.jensen@csun.edu
- Gender and crime
- Domestic violence
- Violence
- Homicide
- Sibling violence
- Masculinities and crime
- Parenting in jail and prison
- Adaptations to jail and prison
- Gender and corrections
- Author: “Why Women Kill: Gender Equality and Homicide”
Learn more about Vickie Jensen:
CSUN Launches New Department of Criminology and Justice Studies
Liza Valerie Keating
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
work: (818) 677-3620
email: liza.v.keating@csun.edu
- Early childhood education and curriculum
- Prenatal and infant development
- Parent education
- Toddler/infant issues
Kristyan Kouri
Department of Gender and Women’s Studies
work: (818) 677-5018
email: kristyan.m.kouri@csun.edu
- Education
- Gender
- Race
- Family
Amy Levin
Department of Social Work
work: (818) 677-4994
email: amy.levin@csun.edu
- At-risk youth
- Veterans’ mental health
- 2011 National Association of Social Workers “Social Worker of the Year”
Learn more about Amy Levin:
- From Avian-Inspired Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Pandemic Health Care, Students Showcase Research at Virtual CSUNposium
- Think CSUN: From Soldier to Civilian (video)
Sheryl Low
Department of Physical Therapy
work: (818) 677-7256
email: sheryl.low@csun.edu
Also speaks: some Spanish
- Developmental disabilities
- Children with disabilities
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Cerebral palsy
Debra Berry Malmberg
Department of Psychology
work: (818) 677-6338
email: debra.malmberg@csun.edu
- Autism
- Applied behavior analysis
- Developmental psychology
- Parent education
Heather R. McCollum
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
work: (818) 677-7149
email: heather.mccollum@csun.edu
- Families and technology
- Family health
- Marriage and interpersonal relationships
- Childhood obesity
- Diabetes and family management
- Financial Counseling and Planning Journal, Outstanding Journal Article Award of 2008 for “Teen financial knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior: A gendered view”
Scott W. Plunkett
Department of Psychology
work: (818) 677-7480
email: scott.plunkett@csun.edu
- Program evaluation
- Parenting/family dynamics
- Neighborhood, family, school and peer influences on adolescent development (ethnic minorities)
- Gender differences
- Non-verbal communication
- Parenting education
- Communication and conflict resolution
Amy Reichbach
Student Health Center
work: (818) 677-3683 / 3666
email: amy.reichbach@csun.edu
- HIV/AIDS
- Infertility/adoption
- Reproductive health issues
Learn more about Amy Reichbach:
Carrie L. Saetermoe
Department of Psychology
work: (818) 677-3506
email: carrie.saetermoe@csun.edu
- Developmental psychology
- Pediatric psychology
- Ethnic dimensions of adolescent disability and transition to adulthood
- Pediatric oncology patients
- Aging
- Disability
- Welfare reform and children’s well-being
Learn more about Carrie L. Saetermoe:
- BUILD PODER Continues to Fight Inequity at 2107 Youth Empowerment Day
- BUILD PODER Celebrates Two Years of Increasing Diversity in Research
- NIH Awards CSUN $22 Million to Enhance Diversity in Biomedical Workforce
Ashley Samson
Department of Kinesiology
work: (818) 677-6151
email: ashley.samson@csun.edu
- Sports psychology
- Sports sociology
- Student-athlete family stressors
- Motivations and mental toughness in distance runners
- "Think-Aloud" protocol in distance runners
- Psychological changes during endurance sports training
- Verbalization of thoughts during sports tasks
- Women in sports
Steven Sherry
Department of Social Work
work: (818) 677-6421
email: steven.sherry@csun.edu
- Child and adolescent psychotherapy
- Trauma-based therapy
- Emotional disturbance in children
- School-based mental health
- Child welfare and mental health
Nate Thomas
Department of Cinema and Television Arts
work: (818) 677-3162
email: nate.thomas@csun.edu
- Issues of diversity and image portrayal in film and television
- The business and marketing of feature films
- Film and television production
- Issues in the foster care and child protection systems in Los Angeles County
- Child advocacy
- Producer/director: “East of Hope Street”'
Learn more about Nate Thomas:
- CSUN Dedicates Building Wing in Honor of Hollywood Foreign Press Association
- CSUN Awarded $60,000 From Hollywood Foreign Press for Senior Film Projects
- The Hollywood Reporter and Variety Rank CSUN Among Top Universities in Entertainment Education
- Variety Compares CSUN Alum's Film to 'Gravity,' 'Apollo 13'
- Matadors Get Bird's-Eye View of Golden Globes Red Carpet
- Film Executive Glenn Gainor Credits His Years at CSUN with Influencing His Movie-Making Decisions
- Hollywood Foreign Press Association Gives CSUN's Curb College Film Department $2 Million
- CSUN Professor Nominated for Regional Emmy for Work with FBI
- Northridge Film Professor to Receive One of the CSU's Highest Honors
- CSUN Film Program Awarded $50,000 from Hollywood Foreign Press
- CSUN Named Among Top 25 Film Schools by Hollywood Reporter
- CSUN Professor Wins Regional Emmy for Work with FBI
- Hollywood Foreign Press Award CSUN $50,000 for Senior Film Projects
- CSUN Film Students, Faculty Team with FBI for Intellectual Property Warnings
- Nate Thomas: 2015 Wang Family Excellence Award Recipient (video)
David Wakefield
Department of Child and Adolescent Development
work: (818) 677-5926
email: david.wakefield@csun.edu
- Ethnic and racial socialization of minority youth
- Children and teens’ understanding of race and ethnicity
- Minority adolescents’ experience with racism and discrimination
- Bridging the achievement gap between ethnic minority and white students
- Adolescent peer relationships (friendships)
- Adolescent/young adult risk taking behavior
- Bullying
- Childhood aggression
- First-generation college students pursuing graduate/professional degrees
Learn more about David Wakefield:
Veda E. Ward
Department of Recreation and Tourism Management
work: (818) 677-3202
email: veda.ward@csun.edu
Also speaks: Spanish
- Parks, recreation and tourism curriculum development, assessment and national accreditation
- Women, leisure and family—work life balance
- Community development—new urbanism, facilities, open space, human potential
- Leisure and spirituality
- Leisure and aging—nutrition, exercise and personal development
- Parks and recreation—statewide master plans
- Recruiting minorities into the parks and recreation profession
Connie White
Department of Elementary Education
work: (818) 677-7394
email: connie.white@csun.edu
- Literacy reading and writing
- Critical literacy
- Gender and education
- New Literacy Studies
- Family Literacy
Learn more about Connie White:
- CSUN Faculty Share Research at Fifth Annual Colloquium
- CSUN Students Help At-Rish Youth Take the Plunge
Scott M. Williams
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
work: (818) 701-6898
email: scott.m.williams@csun.edu
- Family, marital/couple and individual therapy
- Families
- Adolescent males
- Parent/adolescent relationships
- Parenting children with special needs
- Premarital issues
- Aging
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Gender differences in communication
- Co-creator of “The Discovery Tool,” a screening instrument to detect age 0 to 5 development and delays
- Co-author: “My Family: Past, Present and Future”