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MSU Denver Experts Guide
Psychology/Mental Health
AnnJanette Alejano-Steele
Department: Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Title: Associate Dean - College of Professional Studies
Expertise: Child psychology, Equity issues in the classroom, Multicultural service learning, Cross-cultural psychology, Gender and diversity, Psychology of gender, Psychology of women, Human trafficking (including sex and labor), Women's health
Pamela Ansburg
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor
Expertise: Reliability of eyewitness memory, Memory and aging, Memory improvement, Creativity, Problem solving
Kelsey Asplin
Department: Health Professions
Title: Lecturer
Expertise: Natural health, Gut health, Stress, Gut-brain connection
Lisa Badanes
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Depression/anxiety, Stress, Child development, Risk and resilience
Brian Bagwell
Department: Human Services
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Workplace violence, critical incident stress management, trauma, treating claustrophobic firefighters, and perception of threat and deescalation of violence strategies for first responders, employers and mental health clinicians.
Annie Butler
Department: Human Services
Title: Chair and Professor, Director of the Center for High Risk Youth Studies
Expertise: Ethics, LGBTQ issues, High-risk adolescents and youth, Gang issues, Gang culture, Gang indoctrination, Transition from gang life, Addictions and recovery, Drugs and school districts, Underage drinking, Addictions (Substance abuse and behavioral addictions such as gambling and sex), Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (a trauma therapy), Grief, Domestic violence, Dating violence, Multicultural
Larry Curry
Department: Social Work
Title: Retired Faculty
Expertise: Child and family preservation, Addictive behaviors, Child welfare
Cynthia Erickson
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Assistant Professor
Expertise: Neuroscience/neurobiology, Science literacy, Statistics, Introductory/general psychology, Learning and memory, online learning
Bethany Fleck Dillen
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Education, Memory, College teaching, Child development, Early childhood education, Developmental psychology, College teaching pedagogy
Lisa Kindleberger Hagan
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor
Expertise: Child cognitive development, Infant attachment and temperament, Child emotional development, Use of psychological testing in child education, Child development of gender roles, Use of psychological theory to guide child education, Women's studies
Travis Heath
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Anything psychology: Addiction, Relationships, Therapeutic change, Psychopathology, Sex and gender, Sports psychology, Communication, etc.
Bill C. Henry
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs
Expertise: Animal abuse, Maltreatment of animals, Relationship between violence toward animals and violence toward humans, Animal abuse within the context of domestic violence, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Antisocial behavior
Tricia Hudson-Matthew
Department: Human Services
Title: Associate Professor and Director, Center for Addiction Studies
Expertise: Mental health, domestic violence, self-esteem, addiction and substance abuse, motivational interviewing techniques and grief and loss, couples counseling
Linda Lockwood
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor
Expertise: Brain development, Drug effects on brain, Neuropsychology, Neuroscience, Brain disorders, Stress
Shawna Margesson
Department: Social Work
Title: Lecturer
Expertise: Living with mental illness, Peer to peer support for mental illness, Behavioral health, Mental wellness, Community organizing, International social work
Harvey Milkman
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor Emeritus
Expertise: Abnormal psychology, Broncomania, Cravings and addictions, Drug addiction, Sportsmania
Katherine Miller
Department: Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Title: Affiliate Professor/Victim Services Coordinator
Expertise: Women’s rights, Interpersonal violence (relationship/domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking), Human trafficking, Violence against women, Victim blaming, Feminism, White privilege and white supremacy, Psychological trauma
Marina Pereira
Department: Social Work
Title: Associate Dean - College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Expertise: Acculturation and assimilation changes in the U.S., Mental health issues of children, adolescents and families, Child abuse, Sexual abuse, Domestic violence, Loss and grief issues, Immigration, First-generation students, Service learning, Bilingual, Bicultural
Todd C. Reimer
Department: Teacher Education
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Teacher education, Secondary education, Curriculum and instruction, Cognitive and motivational psychology, Education policy and reform, Learning design, Instructional technologies, Authentic learning and assessment, Project-based learning, Controversial issue discussions
Jessica Retrum
Department: Social Work
Title: Chair, Associate Profesor
Expertise: Aging, Social isolation in later life, Mental health in later life, Social network analysis, Inter-organizational partnerships, Palliative care social work, Hospice social work, Social work with older people, Loss, Family therapy, Social work education
Nancy Rich
Department: Human Services
Title: Affiliate Professor
Expertise: Psychology and counseling for first responders, Trauma, Crisis intervention, Emotional ramifications of terrorism, First responder stress, Emergency mental health
Aaron Richmond
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor
Expertise: Educational psychology, Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Teaching higher education, Memory, Mnemonics, Learning styles, Memory aids and memory development, Online education, Motivation, Science education, Adolescent education, At-risk youth education
Steven Rissman
Department: Health Professions
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Naturopathic medicine, Homeopathy, Botanical medicine, Mind and body medicine, Anxiety, Phobias, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Men's health issues
Anna Ropp
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Discrimination, Prejudice, Gender discrimination, LGBTQ discrimination
Darlene Sampson
Department: Social Work
Title: Clinical Field Faculty and Equity Specialist Coordinator, WEEAC
Expertise: Trauma, Issues related to children of color, Police and community interactions, Educational challenges, pedagogy and curriculum, Over suspension of children of color, School/community consultation-particularly with black/brown communities, Racial bullying, Diversity/equity/inclusivity, Mental Health, General social work
Siva priya Santhanam
Department: Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences
Title: Assistant Professor
Expertise: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the life span, Service delivery for culturally and linguistically diverse families of children with developmental disabilities, Technology-based interventions to enhance communication in children with autism and other developmental disabilities
Dorothy Shapland
Department: Teacher Education
Title: Assistant Professor
Expertise: Early Childhood Teacher Education, Early Childhood STEM/STEAM & Social Emotional Learning
Randyl (Randi) Smith
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor
Expertise: Mental disorders, Domestic violence, Professional ethics in mental health, Child abuse/neglect, Service-learning, Marital/couples communication, Psychological assessment, Homelessness and mental health, Ethics (especially for mental health professionals), Mental health treatment, Supervision of mental health providers, Whistleblowing, Colleague assistance
Mary Ann Watson
Department: Psychological Sciences
Title: Professor Emerita
Expertise: Human sexuality, Sex education, Roe v. Wade, Death and dying, Clinical psychology issues, Sexuality - child predators, Transgenderism, Sexual dysfunction, Diversity issues, Middle Eastern women's issues
Shawn Worthy
Department: Human Services
Title: Professor
Expertise: Gender differences in extreme sports, Psychology and performance of high-risk/extreme sports athletes, Sports training and fear, Youth adventure therapy, Crisis intervention, Family dynamics, Family systems, High-risk youth, Teen suicide, Parenting, Workplace stress, Job-family balance
