Psychology

Faculty and Staff Spotlight

New Faculty 2022 Spotlight

new faculty group photo

We are very excited to welcome four new faculty members to the Psychology Department in 2022-2023! Please read their spotlight below to learn more about them.

Dr. Baumsteiger

Dr. Tierra

Dr. Tierra

Dr. Lamothe-François

Dr. Lamothe-François

Dr. Park

Dr. Park

Tatiana Pumaccahua

New Faculty Spotlight 2021

Tatiana Pumaccahua, Ph.D. (She/Ella) is a proud first-generation Indigenous Latina and a product of the California State University system. She was born and raised in Lima, Peru before immigrating to the US at the age of 10. She obtained her B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Child Development from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUBS). She attributes the mentorship, supportive environment, and academic enrichment programs at CSUSB (e.g., Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, Educational Opportunity Program, Student Assistance in Learning, and the Minority Access to Research Careers) as being key to influencing her decision to pursue a doctorate degree and a career in academia. She received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Rhode Island in 2018 and completed a 2-year APA-Accredited Child Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from 2018-2020. Her various personal, academic, and clinical experiences have shaped both her clinical and research interests. She is passionate about providing and increasing access to quality mental health for children and families from underserved backgrounds, as well as increasing access to higher education, especially for underrepresented students. In terms of research, she is interested in socioemotional learning prevention and intervention programs; school-based mental health; parent education; as well as the cultural adaptation of evidence-based practices by utilizing creative methods (e.g., through games, pedagogic strategies). In her free time, she enjoys discovering new music to listen to, attending concerts, traveling (loves solo trips!), and making new cauliflower-inspired dishes!

Provost Award 2019

Excellence in Service:  Felicia Friendly Thomas

 Being one of six African American children who integrated an all-white school in rural South Carolina in the 1960's, Dr. Felicia Friendly Thomas became a passionate champion of under-served and under-represented people, especially first-generation college students like her. At Cal Poly Pomona, Dr. Friendly Thomas co-founded the Cal Poly Child and Family Services Friendmobile Program, a parenting and tutoring/mentoring center on wheels that provided free services to local communities. The Friendmobile evolved into a program where psychology students went into community facilities and schools to provide much needed services. Additionally, Dr. Friendly Thomas has been recognized for her research on diversity, bias and mentoring - conducting numerous workshops and invited presentations including being a Distinguished Speaker and “Terman Master Teacher” for the Western Psychological Association and James Jones Invited Speaker for the American Psychological Association. Finally, she was a Malone Fellow with the National Council on U.S – Arab Relations and has served on city and county agencies and commissions.

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Portrait image of Dr. Felicia Thomas
Image of Provost and Dr. Jeffrey Mio

Provost Award 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Jeffery Mio who received the 2016 Provost Award for Academic Excellence in Service.

Dr. Jeffery Scott Mio, a professor in the Psychology department, joined Cal Poly Pomona in 1994 after earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a decade of teaching at other universities. Mio’s service has a remarkable scope and influence. It includes service to Cal Poly Pomona, his profession and the community.

At Cal Poly Pomona, Dr. Mio serves at the department and university level, with particular contributions to the AsianPacific Faculty, Staff & Student Association. At the national level, he made many contributions to the American Psychological Association and the Asian American Psychological Association. At the community level, Mio was president of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, a media watchdog group.