Faculty and Staff

In addition to being committed teachers, Child and Adolescent Development (ChAD) faculty members are active researchers whose work represents a broad range of interests across the discipline of child development. Our staff are focused on helping students achieve their goals.

Department Chair

Ravisha Mathur, Ph.D.

• Associate Professor
• ravisha.mathur@sjsu.edu
• 408.924.3666
• Sweeney Hall (SH) 201

Faculty and Staff Directory

• Janet Bang, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor
    Diverse Interactions Around Language (DIAL) lab

    Janet Bang’s research focuses on how children learn language from their everyday interactions. Her work includes families from a variety of diverse backgrounds such as English-, French-, and Spanish-speaking families, as well as families with typically-developing children and children with developmental disorders. Through her research and teaching she strives to build an understanding of child development that is true to the rich array of individual and cultural differences within and across diverse communities. She is dedicated to using her research to empower families and educators with new insights into how to support children’s development.

    Education

    Ph.D., Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University
    B.S., Psychobiology, University of California, Los Angeles

• Sylvia Branca, Ph.D.

  • Senior Lecturer

    Sylvia Branca is a Lecturer in the Department of Child & Adolescent Development and the Department of Psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin. Her earlier research examined parenting and parent-child relations. Her more recent research and professional activities focus on better understanding elements of effective pedagogy in large classes and ways faculty can promote a sense of belongingness in students. Dr. Branca’s driving belief is that learning is a lifelong process that unites us all!

    Education

    Ph.D., Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
    M.A., Psychology, San José State University
    B.A., Psychology, San José State University

• Krissy Connell

  • Senior Lecturer
    Community Outreach Coordinator

    Education

    Master of Science, Early Childhood Education, Univ Of Cal-Davis, 1999

• Mary Conroy, Ph.D.

  • Senior Lecturer

• Tara Duffy

  • Lecturer

• Joy Foster

  • Senior Lecturer
    Child Development Lab Preschool, Director

    Joy has been working in the field of child care for over 20 years. Her passion has become her profession over the years, and she feels very fortunate to have had opportunities to make that happen. She has been working in the preschool lab since 2007. As the lab instructor, Joy is a child care provider for our community and mentor to our ChAD practicum students who are future early childhood professionals. In our labs, she supports colleagues with their research and SJSU students with their observations.

    Education

    M.A., Child and Adolescent Development, San Jose State University
    B.A., Child Development, minor in Mathematics, San Jose State University
    A.A., Liberal Studies, Ohlone College

• Jessica Fraser

  • Lecturer
    Child Development Lab Preschool, Toddler Lab Instructor

• Maria Fusaro, Ed.D.

  • Professor
    Early Childhood Institute

    Maria's research centers on how young children, under age 5, learn from other people, through both verbal and gesture-based communication and through question-answer exchanges. Her recent work examines how preschoolers’ skill in asking questions supports their ability to solve science-relevant problems in innovative ways. Bridging her teaching and research, Maria also studies the preparation of undergraduate students for careers in infant/toddler care and education, and for providing high quality, supportive learning experiences for young children.

    Education

    Ed.D., Human Development and Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education
    Ed.M., Mind, Brain and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
    B.A., Education Studies (Human Development) and Public Policy and American Institutions (Education Policy), Brown University

• Dina Izenstark, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
    Dina's Spotify playlist

    Dina earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. She is an applied, interdisciplinary scholar with a program of research that explores how engagement in the natural environment positively influences youth development and family relationships.

    Education

    Ph.D., Human Development & Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    M.S., Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    B.S., Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• John Jabagchourian, Ph.D.

  • Senior Lecturer
    Program Coordinator, B.A. Educational and Community Leadership

    Education

    Doctor of Philosophy, Univ Of Cal-Santa Barbara, 2008
    Master of Arts, Education, Univ Of Cal-Santa Barbara, California, United States, 2004
    Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, CSU-Fresno, California, United States, 2001

• Janet Kitajima

  • Senior Lecturer

    Education

    M.A., TESOL, San Jose State University
    B.A. (Hons), Humanities, Middlesex University, UK

• Robin Love, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor

• Cara Maffini, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
    Cara's Spotify playlist

    Cara's research encompasses intersections of culture, mental health, trauma particularly among adolescents and emerging adults. She focuses on socioemotional, cultural, and developmental elements of risk and resilience. Cara has expertise in counseling psychology, trauma-informed care, and culturally-responsive approaches to healing and healthy development. She is a founding faculty member of SJSU's Health Development Community Clinic (HDCC).

    Education

    Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, Indiana University
    M.A., Psychology, Sacramento State University
    B.A.S., Psychobiology and Dance, UC Davis

• Jila Maleksalehi, Ed.D

  • Lecturer
    Jila's Spotify playlist

    Jila has PreK, Elementary, Middle School, High School, and Community College teaching experiences. Over the past 15+ years, she has taught a variety of ages, including Kindergarten PE to Middle School Language Arts, Math, Science, History, and more. Her area of expertise comes from working with adolescents and utilizing brain-based teaching practices with her students. Jila is a big fan of teaching her students the course material while relating it to real-life applications. She believes "We go to school to make a bigger impact on our society, not simply to memorize the course content. Teaching is an art.  Come and check it out for yourself; experience my love for teaching in my classes!"

    In addition to teaching, Jila enjoys mentoring her students as they go after their goals. Beyond teaching, she really takes the time to support and create relationships among her students.

    Education

    Ed.D., Educational Leadership & Managements, Alliant International University
    M.A. Ed., Education (Curriculum & Instruction), Notre Dame de Namur University
    B.A., Liberal Studies, Notre Dame de Namur University

• Robert Marx, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
    Twitter: @RbrtMrx
    Robert's Spotify playlist

    Robert Marx’s community-engaged research and practice focus on reframing dominant visions of queer young people, so that they are no longer viewed as damaged or at-risk, but rather as the gifted, complex people they are. Marx deploys a variety of research methods, including critical youth participatory action research and meta-analysis, to better understand and promote marginalized youth’s development. As a former high school English teacher, they approach this work from the intersection of educational studies, developmental psychology, and critical pedagogy, and his work encourages young people to see themselves as producers of knowledge and change agents.

    Education

    Ph.D., Community Research and Action, Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University
    M.A.T., Secondary English Education, Boston University
    B.A., English, Spanish, and Linguistic Anthropology, Brandeis University

• Danielle Mead, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
    Graduate Program Coordinator

    Dr. Mead's research explores language development in young children within a variety of contexts, focusing on the transcription and analysis of language samples and examining how they relate to other language areas (e.g., private speech, narrative complexity, bilingualism), cognitive abilities (e.g., non-verbal skills, executive functioning), and typical and/or atypical development (e.g., children on the autism spectrum). She brings her research experiences and expertise into the classroom as she primarily teaches courses in introduction to child development, infant/toddler development, language development, research methods, and graduate-level cognitive/language development.

    Education

    Ph.D., Applied Developmental Psychology, George Mason University
    M.A., Applied Developmental Psychology, George Mason University
    B.S., Psychology, University of Mary Washington

• Ellen Middaugh, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
    Civic Literacy, Action and Reasoning in Online Networks (CLARION) Project

    Ellen Middaugh's research is guided by the question, “How do youth become effective advocates for themselves and their communities in the digital age?” She is interested in how the internet and participatory media enable and constrain civic participation. Dr. Middaugh conducts research on how youth use social media to express public voice and build community, youth practices as they encounter misinformation and hostility online, and educational interventions designed to help support informed, ethical and empowered civic engagement. Her research focuses on youth broadly but with special interest in the experiences of those who may be excluded or misrepresented by powerful civic institutions.

    Education

    Ph.D., Human Development and Education, UC Berkeley
    B.A., Psychology, George Washington University

• Adam Nilsen

  • Senior Lecturer
    adam.nilsen@sjsu.edu

• Teresa O'Donnell-Johnson, Ph.D.

  • Senior Lecturer
    Undergraduate Program Coordinator

    Education

    Ph.D., Psychological Studies in Education, Stanford University
    M.A., Developmental Psychology, San Francisco State University
    MPA, Nonprofit Management, University of San Francisco
    B.S., Psychology, Santa Clara University

• Paula Oakes

  • Senior Lecturer

• Jennifer Pearlman

  • Senior Lecturer

• Laura Pirazzi

  • Senior Lecturer
    Undergraduate Student Advisor

    Laura Pirazzi has spent over 20 years working in the field of Child and Adolescent Development. Her previous positions included teaching in early childhood education settings and serving as a mental health counselor for adolescents. Laura also has experience as a behavioral therapist and as a child life specialist volunteer. She loves sharing these experiences to enhance learning for her students at SJSU. Laura has served as a major advisor in the ChAD department since 2019 and enjoys helping guide SJSU students through their college journey.

    Education

    M.A., Child and Adolescent Development, San Jose State University
    B.S., Human Development, UC Davis

• Amita Roy Shah, Ed.D.

  • Senior Lecturer
    HDCC Affiliate Faculty

    Amita Shah is an experienced educator, author, and content developer with expertise in teaching and curriculum development. She is also the Founder of Social Edge, an organization that is dedicated to empowering parents to meet the social, emotional, and cultural needs of their children.

    Education

    Ed.D., Curriculum and Teaching, Columbia University
    M.A., Education, Pepperdine University
    B.A., International Studies, University of California, Irvine

• Emily Slusser, Ph.D.

  • Professor
    Early Childhood Institute 

    Emily Slusser is a professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development at the Connie L. Lurie College of Education. Her research focuses on early childhood cognition and development, particularly the conceptual foundations of math and number skills. Her work includes longitudinal studies of children’s understanding of natural number concepts and comprehensive models of early math achievement. She co-founded the Early Childhood Institute (ECI) and serves as a member of the leadership team. Since its launch in 2019, ECI has made notable contributions to the field of early childhood care and education through research, training, and advocacy.

    Education

    Doctor of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, University of California, Irvine
    Master of Arts, Cognitive Science, University of California, Irvine
    Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of California, Irvine

• Jamie Smith, Ed.D.

  • Jamie Smith
    Lecturer

    Jamie Smith is an experienced educator and consultant, as well as a certified Child Development Professional Growth Adviser for the state of California. She has directed and taught in licensed programs while raising her own children, and has taught Child Development and Early Childhood Education courses at several Bay Area colleges since 2010. Currently, she also serves as a behavioral and developmental consultant, supporting individuals, teams, and families through professional development, trauma-informed and relationship-based, play-centered approaches using reflective practice techniques. Her academic research explores the impact of anti-racist learning communities within academia, and she has presented research to international audiences in her travels abroad.

    Education

    Ed.D., Education, Fielding Graduate University
    M.A., Teaching, National University
    M.S., Organizational Leadership, National University  
    B.A., Human Development, Pacific Oaks College

• Maureen Smith, Ph.D.

  • Professor

    Maureen Smith is a Professor of Child and Adolescent Development. She teaches courses in imagination, play, and creativity as well as risk and resilience. She is passionate about teaching the 100W writing course and the policy-informed senior seminar. She has been involved in numerous projects related to curriculum and program development to promote student success. Her research has three strands: (1) social and emotional development in at-risk children; (2) academic identity development and self-concept in undergraduate students; and (3) imagination and reading for pleasure.

    Education

    Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, Cornell University
    M.A., Developmental Psychology, Cornell University
    B.A., Psychology (Minor Human Development), University of California, Davis

• Meghna Soni

  • Lecturer

• Nadia Sorkhabi, Ph.D.

  • Professor
    Graduate Program Coordinator

    Nadia Sorkhabi studies cultural variations in the effects of parent-child conflict; mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles and practices; and marital conflict on mental health, academic achievement, social competence, communicative competence, and disclosure to parents of children, adolescents, and emerging adults.  She also studies the social cognition and moral reasoning of orthodox Muslims about religious authority, parental authority, equality, and individual rights.

    Education

    Ph.D., Human Development, University of California, Berkeley
    M.A., Developmental Psychology, San Francisco State University
    B.A., Clinical Psychology, San Francisco State University

• Kim Tsai, Ph.D

  • Associate Professor
    TsaiKicks

    Kim Tsai's program of research centers on family influences on adolescent psychosocial adjustment and health. Her two intersecting areas of research include (1) examining how cultural values contribute uniquely to family dynamics for adolescents from ethnic minority and immigrant families and (2) investigating cultural and familial factors that impact adolescent emotional well-being and health, specifically their sleep. To address her research aims, she utilizes survey, daily experience sampling and longitudinal designs in her studies with adolescents and their parents from diverse backgrounds.

    Education

    Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, UCLA
    B.A., Psychology, UC Santa Cruz

Meet the Faculty

Research News

ChAD Lunchbox Series: Join us the 3rd Friday of every month to hear about ChAD faculty and student research. 

Some Recent Publications

Izenstark, D., Crossman, K. A., & Middaugh, E. (2022). Examining family-based nature activities among Latinx students: Contexts for reinforcing family relationships and cultural heritage. Annals of Leisure Research, 25(4), 451-471.

Izenstark, D., & Middaugh, E. (2022). Patterns of family-based nature activities across the early life course and their association with adulthood outdoor participation and preference. Journal of Leisure Research, 53(1), 4-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2021.1875274

Maffini, C. S., & Dillard, K. C. (2022). Safe & sound? Perceptions of campus safety for Black college students. Race Ethnicity and Education, 25(1), 2-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2021.1997972

Marx, R., Maffini, C. S., & Peña, F. (2022). Understanding nonbinary college students’ experiences on college campuses: An exploratory study of mental health, campus Involvement, victimization and safety. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000422

Middaugh, E., Bell, S., Kornbluh, M. (2022). Think before you share: Building a civic media literacy framework for everyday contexts. Information and Learning Science, 123(7/8), 421–444. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-03-2022-0030

O’Brien, M. D., Marx, R. A., Calzo, J. P., Poteat, V. P., & Ceccolini, C. J. (2022). The Elephant in the GSA: Associations Between Discussions of the 2016 US Presidential Election and Mental Health Outcomes in Gender-Sexuality Alliances. Youth & Society, 0044118X221099049.

Fusaro, M., Lippard, C. N., Cook, G. A., Decker, K. B., Vallotton, C. D., & Collaborative for Understanding the Pedagogy of Infant/toddler Development (CUPID). (2021). The role of practice-based experiences in undergraduates’ infant/toddler caregiving competencies. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 1-14.

Grants

Dr. Janet Bang received the 2022-2023 SJSU RSCA grant.
Dr. Cara Maffini and the HDCC team received grants from El Camino Health Foundation (2022-2023) and the SAMHSA (2022-2023)