Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience

Dr. Sheying Chen was former Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor at Indiana University Southeast, Dean and Professor at the University of Guam, and Professor and Chair at the City University of New York was drawn to Pace opportunities for growth. Dr. Sheying Chen was awarded with Ph.D., in Social Policy from the University of California, USA. He holds a Master Degree M.S.W., in Health and Aging from University of California, USA. He did M.A in the subject Sociology in Sun Yat-sen University. He graduated with a diploma from Central-South University. With formal training in both engineering technology and policy research, Dr. Chen brings years of teaching, research, and management experience from around the globe, as well as a fresh perspective on social change. His scholarly interests mainly cover the following areas: Social Policy, Aging, Health, Community Care, Socioeconomics; International/Asian/China Studies; Liberal and Professional Education, Academic Administration; Organization and Management, Diversity and Leadership Development; Research Methodology, Qualitative-Quantitative Reasoning, and Unidimensionalized Scaling

Social Policy, Aging, Health, Community Care, Socioeconomics, Liberal and Professional Education, Academic Administration, Organization and Management, Diversity and Leadership Development, Research Methodology, Qualitative-Quantitative Reasoning, and Unidimensionalized Scaling

Javier Fiz Perez Ph.D., Psychotherapist and Professor of Psychology at the European University of Rome, where he cooperates also as Delegate for International Research Development. He is Co-Director of the Laboratory of Applied Business and Health (Organizational Psychology) being also Member of the Board of Coaching Teachers (RENACOP; graduated in Philosophy, Psychology and Social Bioethics, obtaining specialization in Executive Business Administration (EMBA) after his PhD. He is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Academic Senate of the Accademia Tiberina. Professor Fiz Perez is Coordinator of the Scientific Committee of The International School of Economics and Ethics (Italy) and collaborates with the International Academy for Economic and Social Development (AISES), for which he has been Vice President for Spain and Latin America. He is a Scientific Research Director for the European Institute of Positive Psychology in Madrid (IEPP) and also a Member of the Scientific Committee of the International Institute Jacques Maritain. He is a Member of several Committees of Scientific Journals and Director of the International Network for Social and Integrated Development (INSID). Professor Fiz Perez has more than 200 national and international pubblications. He is Chief Editor of “Sviluppo Integrale” (Persiani Editori, Bologna), “Human Sciences: From Training to Practice” (NeP Edizioni, Roma) and also collaborates with Aleteia-Org. as Director of the International Scientific Committee, actually being International Director for Development in Italy, Spain and Latin America for SoEI - UK (Society of Emotional Intelligence - UK). Actually he is Member of the International Society of Business Leadership (ISOBL – USA) and Scientific Director of Assoinnovazione.

Research Interest: Life Span, Integral Formation and Developmental Psychology; Vocational Rehablitation,; Social Reintegration; Cross cultural intelligence; Cognitive and behavioral Psychotherapy; Quality of life; Positive Psychology, workplace and work life balance; Emotional intelligence; Education.; Soft skills.

Dr. Brij Mohan is awarded PhD from Lucknow University, India in 1964. He holds a Master Degree M.S.W., in from Agra University, India in 1960 followed by a D.Litt., from M.K. Gandhi Kashi University, India in 2004. His research interests reflect in his wide range of publications in various National and International Journals. He is Founding Editor-in-Chief Environment and Social Psychology (Whioce Publishing, Singapore), Journal of Comparative Social Welfare (1981-2012). His Professional experience include Dean Emeritus, LSU, (2010--); Professor of Social Work, LSU, (1981—2009); Dean, LSU School of Social Work, (1981—86); Director, Doctoral Program, LSU, (1994—2001); Associate Professor, LSU, (1976—1981); Academic Specialist, University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh, (1975-1976); Lecturer in Social Work, Lucknow University, (1964-1975); Research Supervisor, Lucknow University, (1963-1964); Research Scholar, University Grants Commission, Lucknow University. His other international experiences include: CSWE certified site visitor for accreditation; Chair, CSWE site visit team; supervision of theses and dissertations; Organization, supervision, and coordination of field work; consulting and Refereeing; membership of editorial and advisory boards; Professional and Community service (lectures, workshops, moderation, session chairing, and committee work); grant writing and funded research.

Areas of Expertise: Mental Health, Social Policy, International-Comparative Social Development, Domestic Violence, Philosophy of Science, Social and Political Theory, Social Practice

Monique Jimenez is working as Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Psychology in Adler University, Chicago. She is awarded Psy.D., in Clinical Psychology from Carlos Albizu University, USA. She holds a Master Degree (M.S.,) in Psychology from Miami Institute of Psychology, USA., followed by a Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.,) Psychology from University of Puerto Rico. She is a member of Puerto Rico Psychological Association (APPR). Her licensure and certifications include Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Puerto Rico); License-Eligible in the State of Florida; State of Florida, Department of Education Guidance and Counseling (Certificate PK -12); Clinical Supervisor for Student Services Professionals. She has also worked for more than a decade in providing bilingual (Spanish/English) psychological services to individuals and professional development trainings to mental health professionals and educators. She has been an active member in various communities throughout my professional career in the contiguous United States and the island of Puerto Rico. She has collaborated over the years with a myriad of local charities and nonprofit organizations, providing workshops and consultation services to the populations these organizations proudly serve. Her work has also included writing articles for local newspapers and participating in radio/television interviews and roundtables that addressed current sociopolitical issues impacting psychological well-being and mental health.

Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Individual Differences Issues, Children and Adolescent Development, LGBTQ Issues, Clinical Training

Dr. Carrie L. Acklin is an assistant professor and program director of the B.S. in Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin – Stout in Menomonie, WI. Dr. Acklin earned her Ph.D. in rehabilitation from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL and her Master’s degree in rehabilitative sciences from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, PA. Dr. Acklin has a strong background in substance abuse, mental health, and community supports. She has approximately five years of clinical experience working as both a case manager and a counselor at several levels of care: residential treatment, outpatient treatment, community-based treatment. Dr. Acklin’s research involves advocacy for members of underrepresented groups (e.g., people with disabilities, people of color, women, people with HIV) as well as improving services that are provided to members of underrepresented groups.

Advocacy for members of underrepresented groups (e.g., people with disabilities, people of color, women, people with HIV)

Courtland Lee is a Professor in the Counselor Education Program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology - DC. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of six books on multicultural counseling and two books on counseling and social justice. He is also the author of three books on counseling African American males. In addition, he has published numerous book chapters and articles on counseling across cultures. Dr. Lee is the Past-President of the International Association for Counselling. He is also a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the only American to receive this honor. Dr. Lee is also a Fellow and Past President of the American Counseling Association. He is also a past President of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. In addition, Dr. Lee is a past President of Chi Sigma Iota, the international counseling honor society. He is a charter member of Chi Sigma Iota's Academy of Leaders for Excellence. Dr. Lee is the former editor of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development and currently serves on the Council of Consulting Elders for that journal. He served on the editorial board of the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling and was a Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Counseling and Development. Dr. Lee has held faculty positions as a counselor educator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, the University of Maryland at College Park, and the University of Malta. A former teacher and school counselor, Dr. Lee serves as an international counseling and educational consultant.

Diversity, Counselling Psychology

Dr. Paul Michael Ramirez is Professor and a former Chair of Psychology. He completed his doctoral degree in Psychology at The City College of the City University of New York (CUNY) with a specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology and a sub specialization in Clinical Psychopathology, while on a National Science Foundation Fellowship. He later completed a Postdoctoral Program in Psychopharmacology at Fairleigh Dickerson University. Dr. Ramirez also earned an M.Phil. in Psychology (Concentration in Neuropsychology) from the Graduate School & University Center, CUNY, an M.A. Degree in Psychology from the City College of New York and an M.A. Degree in Reading Disabilities with a postgraduate year studying Learning Disabilities at New York University. His clinical experience includes having served as Treatment Team Leader of the Geriatric and Neuropsychiatry Units and Acting Chief of the Research Unit of an Albert Einstein College of Medicine affiliated hospital in New York City where he also served as Director of Education for AECOM/BPC Psychopharmacology CME. He was also Senior Neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Ramirez currently serves on the Board of Advisors at the Center for Advanced Studies in India (CASII-Bhuj, Kutch; also called Kachchh in the District of Gujarat) as a clinical trial expert and has been appointed to a second 5-year term on the State Psychology Board by the New York State Board of Regents, currently serving as its Chair. He has also recently completed a term as Vice President of the New York Academy of Traumatic Brain Injury. Dr. Ramirez has made over 200 professional presentations and, over the past 20 years, has provided rater training for pharmaceutical efficacy and side effects scales across CNS indications as well as for the assessment of cognitive disorders throughout North America, South America, Central America, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia and South Africa. Dr. Ramirez has published papers on schizophrenia, other major mental disorders, health psychology and has been Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and pharmaceutical industry sponsors. Dr. Ramirez is also listed as a contributing author of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), a co-author of the Informant Questionnaire for the PANSS (IQ-PANSS) and a co-author of the official Japanese translation of the PANSS. In addition to being Licensed to Practice Psychology in New York, Dr. Ramirez is certified in hypnosis, board certified in clinical biofeedback and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Disability Consultants. He has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Neuropsychology Group, New York Academy of Traumatic Brain Injury, Head Injury Association of New York State and North Carolina Biofeedback Society. He is also a past recipient of the APA’s Visiting Fellowship in fMRI at Harvard Medical School. An interest in crisis intervention led to his appointment as Director of Psychiatric Services for the 1994 and 1999 Woodstock Music Festivals where he and several LIU clinical students spent several sleepless, but clinically productive, nights.

Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Neuroscience, Psychopathology, Psychopharmacology, Clinical Trials, Biofeedback, Hypnosis, Major Mental Illness, Traumatic Brain Injury, Schizophrenia, Cross-Cultural Issues and Health Psychology, Clinical Education Films

Polyxeni Georgila is Director of the adult psychiatric department of the general hospital "G. Gennimatas " in Athens Greece. She studied Medicine at the University of Athens and specialized in neurology-psychiatry at Eginition Hospital in Athrns Greece. He has undergone postgraduate training at the Karolinska University Clinic in Stockholm on emotional disorders, methadone programs and alcohol groups. She has attended the program of cognitive therapy of Prof. Papakostas at Eginition. She was a member of the Mental Health Committee of the Ministry of Health in Greece. She is the first psychiatrist in Greece, who supported the first implementation of the Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT) in Greece and contributed to the further application of IPT to the Greek population. She participated als trainer in CBT and in IPT in the Hellenic Society for the training in CBT and in the Institute of Behavioral Therapy and Research in Athens from 2009-2017. She guides the trainings program for Psychiatrists in training in the psychiatric department for adults of the General hospital ‘G. Gennimatas” in Athens Greece. She developed the IPT postgraduate program for psychologists and psychiatrists in Greece, who has been trained in CBT. She is a trainer in CBT and in the IPT postgraduate program in cooperation with S. Rakitzi. She participated in many national and international conferences about mental health disorders as speaker and she is an author of papers in greek and international journals and books. Her research interests focus on psychiatric treamtent and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy generally and especially by schizophrenia and bipolar patients. She is a member of Hellenic Psychiatric Association in Athens.

Psychotherapy, Schizophrenia, Neurology-Psychiatry

Clinical Psychologist registered with HCPC (Health and Care Profession Council), Psychotherapist accredited by BABCP (British Association for Behavioral Cognitive Psychotherapies), Fellow of Higher, Education Academy (HEA), BPS Chartered Psychologist, BPS Associate Fellow (AFBPsS), HEA Fellow. Dr. Kaviani is a clinical psychologist and has several years’ research and teaching experience. His PhD was awarded in 1998 through King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry. During his PhD under the supervision of Professor Jeffrey Gray, and – following this, while undertaking his Postdoctoral research, Dr Kaviani investigated modulation of human startle reflex through mood induction in patients with major depressive disorder and healthy controls. His work is published in several high impact peer-reviewed journals. He has more than 18 years of experience in the study of emotional and cognitive aspects of mental disorders, with specific regard to emotion, autobiographical memory and problem solving in both normal and clinical populations. He is currently involved in a research project supported by The British Academy to explore the potential links between various psychological/ cultural characteristics and prosocial/political behavior among people with different cultural backgrounds. For the past 20 years, Hossein Kaviani has also provided psychotherapy to clients suffering from depression, anxiety, OCD, academic-related performance problems, and family conflicts.

Psycho-social aspects of prosocial/political behavior, Emotion, Cognition, and Culture, Social Cognition, Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Depression, Anxiety and Personality Disorders, Depression: Phenomenology, psychopathology, and treatment, OCD: Exposure therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Preventing Relapse

Dr. Carlos M. Travieso-González is an Associate Professor at University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. He was Vice-Dean from 2004 to 2010 in Higher Technical School of Telecommunication Engineers in ULPGC. Present, he is a Vice-Dean of Head of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies from March 2013.He received the M.Sc. degree in 1997 in Telecommunication Engineering at Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Ph.D. degree in 2002 at University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. He was a researcher in more than 34 International and Spanish Research Projects. He is co-author of 2 books, co-editor of 7 Proceedings Book, Guest Editor for international journals and many book chapters. He has over 300 papers published in international journals and conferences and published a patent and two more is under revision.

Neuro-Computing, Biometrics, Biomedical Signals, Data Mining, Classification System, Signal and Image Processing, and Environmental Intelligence.

Sefa Bulut is awarded PhD., from Oklahoma State University, USA in the year 2003. He holds a Master Degree (M.S.,) from Oklahoma State University, USA in the year 1998 followed by a Bachelor’s Degree (B.S.,) from Ankara University, Turkey in the year 1993. He has worked as a faculty member in AbantIzzet Baysal University. His research interest focusses on PTSD, ADHD, Bullying, Mobbing, Gerontology, Child Sexual Abuse and Neglect, Bibliotherapy and Life History Research. Dr. Bulut is currently working in İbn Haldun University, in Istanbul.

Children and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic Growth, Sexual Abuse, ADHD, School Violence, Bullying and Mobbing, Cooperative Learning and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Ageing, Gerontology.

Xenia Gonda MA PharmD PhD is a clinical psychologist and pharmacist currently working as assistant professor at the Department of Clinical and Theoretical Mental Health at Semmelweis University, Budapest. She is also affiliated with the Department of Pharmacodynamics at Semmelweis University, with the Neuropsychopharmacology and Neurochemistry Research Group of Hungarian National Academy of Sciences and Semmelweis University, and the Laboratory for Suicide Research and Prevention of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions. Currently she is recipient of the Bolyai Janos Research Fellowship of The Hungarian Academy of Sciences. She is engaged in full clinical work in addition to teaching at various universities and research. Her main research fields include the genetic background of personality and psychiatric illnesses, pharmacotherapy of bipolar disorders and biopsychosocial approach to suicidal behavior. She is the author of more than 100 scientific publications, primarily on the biopsychosocial and genetic aspects of personality, mood disorders, and suicide.

Psychiatric illnesses, Pharmacotherapy of Bipolar disorders, Biopsychosocial approach to suicidal behaviour

Stavroula Rakitzi studied psychology at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen in Germany, where she specialized in clinical psychology. She holds the European Diploma of Psychology. She was trained in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy in Athens according to EABCT Criteria. Since 2001 she is working as clinical psychologist and since 2003 she is working as a clinical psychologist and cognitive behavioural psychotherapist in private practice. She has promoted the Integrated Psychological Therapy for patients with schizophrenia from 2006-2017 in Greece. She is a trainer in Cognitive behavioral Therapy and in the Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT) in her private practice in Athens Greece. She developed the IPT postgraduate program for psychologists and psychiatrists in Greece, who has been trained in CBT. She participated als trainer in CBT and in IPT in the Hellenic Society for the training in CBT, in the Institute of Behavioral Therapy and Research in Athens and in the trainings program for Psychiatrists in training in the psychiatric department for adults of the General hospital G. Gennimatas in Athens Greece program from 2009-2017. Her research interests focus on group and individual interventions of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy generally and especially by schizophrenia and bipolar patients. She participated in many national and international conferences about mental health disorders as speaker and she is an author of papers in greek and international journals and books. She is a member of the Hellenic Society for Behavioral Research and Therapy (www.eees.gr) and the association of german psychologist (BDP) (www.bdp.org)

Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Schizophrenia

Dr. Rami Bou Khalil is a specialist in Psychiatry. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Saint Joseph University in 2006. He received AFS (specialized training certificate in psychiatry) certificate in 2009 from the University Paris VII, Paris, France. He is a member of the scientific committee of Psychiatry at the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon and author of several original articles, literature reviews, and opinion-driven manuscripts in many psychiatry journals. Also, he is an associate section editor at the journal "BMC psychiatry". Dr. Bou Khalil graduated in 2011 in general psychiatry from Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon. He holds four university degrees in: addiction (Saint Joseph University), cognitive and behavioral approaches (Saint Joseph University), psycho-oncology (University Paris V) and psychiatric and organic comorbidities (University Paris VI). He received a partial specialized medical training in psychiatry in 2011 at the Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. Dr. Bou Khalil is a hospital practitioner at Hotel Dieu de France Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon and lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine of Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.

Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Depression, Mood Disorders, Psychosis