Congratulations! 2024 Graduates
YOU DID IT! Wishing you all the best!
Our annual JDP End-of-Year Celebration event, which took place in June 2024, is a treasured tradition. It serves not only as an opportunity to bring the wide-spread JDP community together for celebration and fun but also to honor the achievements of our admirable students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Outstanding Doctoral Teaching Award
In recognition of demonstrated excellence and significant contributions to the quality of education at SDSU/UC San Diego!
Christopher Albright
Every year JDP students contribute to the education of our undergraduates at SDSU or UCSD through their teaching activities as instructor of record of an undergraduate course. JDP students excel in this role. Every year we select a JDP student (or students) who exemplifies the highest level of excellence in undergraduate instruction.
Congratulations to Chris for being this year’s Outstanding Doctoral Teaching Award recipient for his instruction of the undergraduate course PSY 452, Introduction to Counseling and Therapy!
JDP Diversity Fellowship Award
In recognition of significant contributions to promoting diversity in the JDP!
Christopher Albright, Rosa Cobian Aguilar, Junye Ma, Michael Miller-Perusse, and Elizabeth Rangel
The JDP seeks to cultivate a program climate that embraces and promotes diversity, recognizing that diversity at the JDP enriches our educational and scientific endeavors, promotes an atmosphere in which all individuals and groups are valued and heard, and aids all members of the JDP community in better serving the needs of a global society. The JDP Diversity Fellowship Awards are awards supported by funds from the UC San Diego Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs division. The awards recognize students who have made impactful contributions during their time at the JDP.
This year, we received nominations for many very deserving students for this award, underscoring the important contributions our students are making.
Congratulations to Chris,, Rosa, Junye, Michael, and Lizzie for being this year’s JDP Diversity Fellowship Award recipients!
Gerald Rosenbaum Neuropsychology Dissertation Research Award
In recognition for your outstanding research in the field of Neuropsychology!
Lillian Ham
Gerry Rosenbaum was a Distinguished Professor at SDSU who played an important role in the JDP in its early years, contributing to the program’s initial accreditation by the American Psychological Association. Gerry was committed to excellence in clinical psychology training, especially in the areas represented in our program – experimental psychopathology, behavioral medicine, and neuropsychology, which he integrated in his own scholarly work. When Gerry passed away, in 2009, his family established the Gerald Rosenbaum Neuropsychology Dissertation Research Award at UCSD, designed to support cutting edge neuropsychology dissertation research conducted by a JDP student.
Congratulations to Lilly Ham for being this year’s Gerald Rosenbaum Neuropsychology Dissertation Research Award recipient for your outstanding research in the field of Neuropsychology!
Dorathe Frick Memorial Scholarship Award
In recognition of significant contributions made to the JDP and, in particular, to the SDSU Psychology Clinic, by a student entering into their third year!
Jackelyne Garcia & Heidy Mendez-Rodriguez
This award was established to honor Dorathe Frick, the late secretary of the Doctoral Training Facility, through a fund donated by her family and friends. In 1968, Dorathe joined the Department of Psychology on a half-time basis as a general secretary to the faculty. She became Clinic Secretary when the Psychology Clinic was formed in 1970. Her position became full-time in 1972 and she worked long hours and many weekends, providing not only academic support to the Clinic faculty, but interacting with Clinic clients and with the graduate students who did their Practicum there.
Congratulations to Jackie and Heidy for being this year’s Dorathe Frick Memorial Scholarship Award recipients! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the JDP and in particular, to the SDSU Psychology Clinic!
JDP Award for the Advancement of Student Development
For your contributions to student training and development within the JDP!
Miguel Villodas, Ph.D.
Dr. Villodas is an exemplary mentor whose unwavering commitment to student success
and diversity has made a profound impact on our community. He actively participates in
the JDP JEDI committee, teaches multiple courses, serves as a clinic supervisor, and
mentors students at all academic levels.
His dedication to supporting students from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds has launched many successful careers, including first-generation college students who have transitioned into Ph.D. programs and tenure-track positions.
Dr. Villodas’s impact is deeply personal and professional. His encouragement and support have transformed the lives of many students, helping them reach their full potential and navigate their academic and career paths with confidence.
Congratulations to Dr. Miguel Villodas for being this year’s JDP Award for the Advancement of Student Development Award recipient and for your contributions to student training and development within the JDP!
Litrownik Distinguished Alumni Scholar Award
In recognition of your leadership and contribution in the field of Clinical Psychology!
Melissa T. Merrick, Ph.D.
Dr. Melissa Merrick completed her Ph.D. at the JDP in 2008, with a major area of emphasis in Experimental Psychology. Her mentor was Dr. Al Litrownik, and she worked with Al on the Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect – LONGSCAN – project. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Miami Child Protection Team, studying child maltreatment risk and protective factors, before beginning a career at the CDC, where she spent two decades as a senior epidemiologist and worked in partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ office of Child Abuse and Neglect.
She was lead scientist on the CDC’s research program on adverse childhood experiences, and is lead author of the CDC’s major national report on this topic, called Vital Signs: Adverse Child Experiences. After 20 years at the CDC, Melissa was appointed President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. In her current role, Melissa leads Prevent Child Abuse America in its efforts to promote healthy families through the national initiative, Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being.
Congratulations to Dr. Melissa Merrick for being this year’s Litrownik Distinguished Alumni Scholar Award recipient!
And thank you to Dr. Al Litrownik for his donation to “support an annual distinguished alumnus of the JDP. The identified scholar will be brought to the campus, receive an honorarium, and meet with current doctoral students in the program to discuss professional issues, including their career trajectories and professional interests.”