Faculty Distinction Honors & Awards

faculty_distinction_annual_awards

At Palo Alto University (PAU), we celebrate the exceptional dedication, innovation, and excellence of our esteemed faculty. Through various awards and recognitions, we honor those who have made significant contributions to teaching, research, and service. These accolades not only acknowledge the remarkable achievements of our faculty but also inspire our academic community to strive for the highest standards of excellence.

Each year at the Faculty Distinction Awards we recognize and applaud the extraordinary accomplishments of our faculty members who make a profound impact on our students, Palo Alto University, and the broader intellectual community. Below, is a list of each year's distinguished award recipients.

Faculty Distinction Awards

2024-2025 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion

Promotion

Margaret Lamar, PhD
Sandra Trafalis, PhD

Tenure

Tenure and Promotion

Shreya Vaishnav, PhD

PAU Pillar Pioneers

Dr. Mikael Rubin, Principal Investigator for the project "Testing the Role of Attentional and Audio Vocal Mechanisms in a New Internet-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety: iExposure" funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Dr. Donna Sheperis, Director of the PAU eClinic

Dr. Eduardo Bunge, Co-founder of ParenteAI

Inclusive Excellence Award

Joyce Chu, PhD

Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship

Alisha Guthery, PhD 

Excellence in Service 

Mikael Rubin, PhD 

Excellence in Research 

Susan Branco, PhD 

Outstanding Contingent Faculty 

Stephen Black, PhD 

2023-2024 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion

Promotion

Sita Patel, PhD

Rayna Hirst, PhD

Teceta Tormala, PhD

Tenure and Promotion

Chi Li, PhD

Retirement Honors

Lisa Brown, PhD, Professor, Psychology

PAU Pillar Pioneers

Charlotte Beard, PhD, Menstrual Dignity Project

Karen Roller,  PhD & Darlene Chen, PhD, Bilingual Certification

Rose Wong, PhD, MSW Program

Provost Award of Excellence in External Grants and Contracts

Bronze (>$250,000)

Mikael Rubin, PhD, $335,000

Rowena Gomez, PhD, $303,205

Excellence in Teaching or Mentoring Award

Elisabet Revilla, PhD 

Excellence in Service 

Kelly Coker, PhD 

Excellence in Research 

Matthew Yalch, PhD 

Contingent Faculty 

Aaron Henderson, PhD 

2022-2023 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion

Promotion

Jonathan Peretz, PhD

Jamie Kent, PhD

Retirement Honors

Ricardo Muñoz, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Psychology

Provost Above and Beyond Award

Michael Richards, PhD, Gronowski Center Director

Cristen Wathen, PhD, Director of the Center for Educational Excelllence

Shreya Vaishnav, PhD, Acting Director of the Center for Educational Excelllence

William Snow, PhD, 12 years oof service as the Counseling Department Chair

Pillar Pioneers Award

Kelly Coker, PhD & Rowena Gomez, PhD, Assessment Committee Chairs

Teceta Tormala, PhD, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Provost Award of Excellence in External Grants and Contracts

Silver (>$500,000)

Kimberly Balsam, PhD, $721,994

Excellence in Teaching Awards

Rayna Hirst, PhD

Shreya Vaishnav, PhD

Excellence in Research Award

Tilman Schulte, PhD

Excellence in Service Award

Amanda Fanniff, PhD

Outstanding Contingent Faculty Awards

Maryasha Katz, PhD

Victoria Liou-Johnson, PhD

External Affairs Special Award

Lisa Brown, PhD

Donna Sheperis, PhD

2021-2022 Award Recipients

PAU Tenure and Promotion

Promotion

Margaret Lamar, PhD
Sandra Trafalis, PhD

Tenure

Karen Roller, PhD

Tenure and Promotion

Shreya Vaishnav, PhD

PAU Pillar Pioneers

Dr. Mikael Rubin, Principal Investigator for the project "Testing the Role of Attentional and Audio Vocal Mechanisms in a New Internet-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety: iExposure" funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Dr. Donna Sheperis, Director of the PAU eClinic

Dr. Eduardo Bunge, Co-founder of ParenteAI

Inclusive Excellence Award

Joyce Chu, PhD

Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship

Alisha Guthery, PhD 

Excellence in Service 

Mikael Rubin, PhD 

Excellence in Research 

Susan Branco, PhD 

Outstanding Contingent Faculty 

Stephen Black, PhD