Psychology Faculty Listing

Samantha Berkule, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
email
212-774-4886

Degrees
B.S. Cornell University, M.A. Yeshiva University, Ph.D. Yeshiva University

Samantha Berkule has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Yeshiva University. In addition to her appointment at MMC, she is also Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital Center and serves as the Director of the Video Interaction Project, a pediatric primary care-based, relationship-based intervention which aims to enrich parent-child interactions and enhance school readiness. Dr. Berkule is a ZERO TO THREE Leaders for the 21st Century Fellow and remains actively involved with ZERO TO THREE The National Center for Infants and Toddlers. She taught at Yeshiva University, Lehman College, New York University School of Medicine, and Manhattanville College prior to joining the faculty at MMC. She teaches the following courses: General Psychology and Developmental Psychology. Her research interests include infant and child development, specifically parent-child interactions, maternal sensitivity, maternal depression, attachment, early reading, and parenting interventions.

Recent Publications:

Mendelsohn, A.L., Huberman, H.S., Berkule, S.B., Brockmeyer, C., Morrow, L.M., & Dreyer, B.P.(2010). Primary Care Strategies for Promoting Parent-Child Interactions and School Readiness in At-Risk Families: Early Findings from the Bellevue Project for Early Language, Literacy and Education Success (BELLE).Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 165(1), 33-41.

Berkule, S.B., Dreyer, B.P., Huberman, H.S., Klass, P.E., & Mendelsohn, A.L. (2010). Sources of parenting information in low socioeconomic status mothers.Clinical Pediatrics, 49(6), 560-568.

Tomopoulos, S., Dreyer, B.P., Berkule, S.B., Fierman, A.H., Brockmeyer, C., & Mendelsohn, A.L. (2010). Infant Media Exposure: Adverse Effects on Toddler Development. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 164(12), 1105-1111.

Green, C.G., Berkule, S.B., Dreyer, B.P., Fierman, A.H., Huberman, H.S., Klass, P., Tomopoulos, S., Yin, H.S., Morrow, L.M., & Mendelsohn, A.L. (2009). Maternal literacy and associations between education and the cognitive home environment in low-income families. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(9), 832-837.

Berkule, S.B., Dreyer, B.P., Klass, P.E., Huberman, H.S., Yin, H.S., & Mendelsohn, A.L. (2008). Mothers’ expectations for shared reading following delivery: Implications for reading activities at 6 months. Ambulatory Pediatrics, 8(3), 169-174.

Mendelsohn, A.L., Berkule, S.B., Tomopoulos, S., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S., Huberman, H.S., Alvir, J., & Dreyer, B.P. (2008). Infant television and video exposure associated with limited parent-child verbal interactions. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 162(5), 411-417.

Deirtra Hunter-Romagnoli, Ph.D.
email
212-774-0777

Degrees
B.A., Hunter College, City University of New York
M.A., New York University
Ph.D., The Graduate School, City University of New York

After earning a B.A. in Chemistry and Psychology, Dr. Hunter-Romagnoli entered the work force and taught high school science for eight years at the Board of Education. During this time, she earned a Master’s degree in Science Education. She returned to academia to pursue a long running passion in the field Biopsychology. After receiving a Ph.D. in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, she accepted a post-doctoral research position in the Department of Developmental Neuroscience at the New York State Psychiatric Institute; Columbia University Medical Center where she is still engaged in a number of research projects. Research here focuses on developmental differences in pain transmission and processing. At Marymount Manhattan College, she will be teaching Introduction to Psychology, Neuroscience, and Cultural and Ethnic Perspectives in Psychology. She serves as the Coordinator of the Neuroscience minor. She is looking forward to working with interested undergraduate students in the lab on research projects.

Recent Publications:

Hunter D, Barr GA, Shivers KY, Amador N, Jenab S, Inturrisi CE, Quinones-Jenab V. (2011).“Interactions of estradiol and NSAIDs on carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia.” Brain Research: 2011 March 25;1382:181-8.

Hunter D, Barr GA, Amador N, Shivers KY, Kemen L, Kreiter CM, Jenab S, Inturrisi CE, Quinones- Jenab V., (2011). “Estradiol’s antihyperalgesic responses on formalin-induced nociception are partly mediated through COX-2 activation but independent of HPA activation.” Synapse. 2011 Jul;65 (7):643-51.

Kuba T, Hunter D, Zhou L, Jenab S, Quiñones-Jenab V. (2010). “Acute and chronic estradiol replacements differentially alter corticosterone and COX-mediated responses to an inflammatory stimulus in female rats.” Ethn Dis. 2010 Winter;20 (1 Suppl 1):S1-50-4.

Kuba T, Hunter D, Zhou L, Jenab S, Quinones-Jenab V. (2010). “Endogenous gonadal hormones regulate females’ behavioral responses to formalin through prostaglandin E2 release.” Ethn Dis. 2010 Winter;20 (1 Suppl 1):S1-55-9.

Wu HB, Niyomchai T, Festa E, Minerly AE, Weierstall K, Hunter D, Sun W, Weiner J, Jenab S, Quinones-Jenab V. (2008) “Effects of RU 486 and tamoxifen on cocaine-induced behavioral and endocrinologic activations in male and female Fischer rats.” Ethn Dis. 2008 Spring;18 (2 Suppl 2):S2-81-6.

Cheryl Paradis, Psy.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
email
212-774-4885

Degrees
B.A., Marymount Manhattan College
M.A.. Yeshiva University
Psy.D, Yeshiva University

Cheryl Paradis has a Psy.D. in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University. She teaches the following courses: General Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Community Psychology and Forensic Psychology. She has approximately twenty years experience evaluating and treating individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses in inpatient hospital settings. She is trained in cognitive behavioral treatment and has worked with individuals with anxiety disorders in outpatient settings. She is also trained in psychodiagnostic and neuropsychological testing. She has evaluated individuals with brain damage and dysfunction in psychiatric, medical and forensic settings. She has conducted research in the areas of brain damage, cross- cultural issues and forensic psychology and published in journals such as Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry, Journal of Anxiety Disorders and Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. She has also co-authored chapters related to assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders.

Recent Publications:

Paradis, C. The Measure of Madness: The Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind. Citadel Press. 2010.

Paradis, C. & Siminoff, F.: Tackling College Admissions: Sanity +Strategy = Success (Just For Parents). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008.

Paradis, C., Friedman, S., Hinton, D.E., McNally, R.J., Solomon, L.Z., & Lyons, K. (2010). The assessment of the phenomenology of sleep paralysis: The Unusual Sleep Experiences Questionnaire (USE). CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, 15 (3), 220-226.

Recent Presentations/Productions:

Paradis C., E. Owen, C. Sembach. “Assessment of Cognitive Functioning in Elderly Defendants Undergoing Competency to Proceed Evaluations.” The New York State Psychological Association. May 1, 2009.

---. E. Owen, R. Peck, D. Kelly, D’Emic. “Malingering and the Competency to Stand Trial Evaluation.” Panel presentation with the assistant director of the Kings County Hospital Forensic Psychiatry Service, an assistant district attorney specializing in psychiatric cases, the mental health expert of the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society and the Judge presiding over the Mental Health Court of Kings County: The Brooklyn Legal Aid Society. April 2009.

---. E. Owen, M. Fullar, C. E. Sembach. “Detecting Malingering of Memory Impairment in a Forensic Population.” Eastern Psychological Association. March 2009.

---. J. Jill Mains. “Currents Issues in Psychology and Law: Attitudes Towards Convicted Sex Offenders.” The Eastern Psychological Association. March 2009.

---. K. Luongo. “Current Issues in Psychology and Law: The Role of Sexual Orientation in Attitudes toward the Battered Woman Syndrome Defense.” The Eastern Psychological Association. March 2009.

---. K. Luongo, J. Mains. “Currents Issues in Psychology and Law.” Crossing Borders, Marymount Manhattan College at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. 2008.

---. G. Venito. “The Women of the Manson Family and the Power of Obedience.” Crossing Borders Conference: Marymount Manhattan College at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. 2008.

Nava Silton,Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
email
212-774-4883

Degrees
B.S., Cornell University
M.A., Fordham University
Ph.D., Fordham University

Nava R. Silton, Ph.D. has worked at Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and Mediakidz. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate psychology courses at Fordham University, Hunter College, Touro College and is now relishing her time at Marymount Manhattan College. She was a Postdoctoral Templeton Fellow at the Spears Research Institute at the Healthcare Chaplaincy from 2009-2010, and she currently serves as a consultant for projects conducted by the Autism Seaver Center at Mount Sinai Hospital and at Sesame Street Workshop. Her primary research interests include determining how best to enhance typical children’s sensitivity to children on the autism spectrum, how to teach social emotional skills to children on the spectrum, and looking at the interface between religion and health. Silton is also a weekly coach for Special Olympics Gymnastics, helps run Jewish learning and Bikur Cholim (visiting the sick) programs, and chairs a variety of fundraising initiatives for Ohel, Hazon Yeshaya, NACOEJ, Gush Katif and Sderot.

Recent Publications:

Silton, N.R., Flannelly, K.J., Milstein, G., Vaaler, M.L. (In Press). Stigma in America: Has anything changed? Perceptions of Mental Illness and Dangerousness on the Desire for Social Distance: 1996 and 2006. Journal of Neuvous and Mental Disease.

Silton, N.R., Flannelly, K.J., & Flannelly, L.T. (In Press).Towards a theory of holistic needs and the brain. Journal of Holistic Nursing Practice.Silton, N. R., & Fogel, J. (2010). Religiosity, empathy, and psychopathology among young adult children of rabbis. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 32 (1), 1-15.

Silton, N. R., Flannelly, K., Asekoff, C., Klein, D., Taylor, B. & Silton, P. (2010). Shema, Vidui, Yivarechecha: What to say and how to pray with Jewish patients in Chaplaincy. Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, 16, 149-160.

Burton, L., Pfaff, D, Bolt, N., Hadjikyriacou, D., Silton, N. R., Kilgallen, C., Cofer, J., & Allimant, J. (2010). Effects of gender and personality on the Conners Continuous Performance Test. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology,32 (1), 66-70.

Zukauskas, P., Silton, N. R., & Baptista Assumpção, F. (2009). Temporality and Asperger Syndrome.Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 40 (1), 85-106.

Linda Solomon, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
email
212-774-4884

Degrees
B.A., University of Toronto
Ph.D., University of Toronto

Linda Zener Solomon has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Toronto in Canada. Dr. Solomon has been a Research Associate/Consultant at the Institute for Developmental Studies, NYU, the Joyful Heart Foundation (NYC) and also at the Office of Research and Evaluation, NYC Department of Education. She taught at Baruch College and Hunter College before coming to Marymount Manhattan. Dr. Solomon was instrumental in establishing a chapter of Psi Chi (the International Honor Society in Psychology) at MMC. Her research interests include helping behavior, gender roles and mentor-mentee relationships. She encourages her students to become actively involved in either her research or research of their own. She co-edited a Readings Book in social psychology and has published her research in journals, such as Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and the Journal of Social Psychology. She was co-author of the entry on 'mentor' in the Encyclopedia of Human Development.Recent Publications

Recent Publications:

Solomon, L.Z., with A. Preston, L. Cooper, C. Owen, “Occupational Self-Esteem: Impact on Career Decision-Making." Submitted to the Journal of College Student Development.

Paradis, C., Friedman, S., Solomon, L.Z., Hinton, D.E., McNally, R.J., Lyons, K. (2010). The assessment of the phenomenology of sleep paralysis: The Unusual Sleep Experiences Questionnaire(USE). CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, 15 (3), 220-226.

Recent Presentations/Productions:

Solomon, L., A. Preston, C. J. Owen, & L. Cooper. “Occupational self-esteem: Impact on career decision-making.” Presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Convention. Pittsburgh, PA. March 5 – 8, 2009.

---. A. Preston, C. J. Owen, & L. Cooper. “The impact of hardiness on career decision-making difficulties of young adults.” Presented at the Association for Psychological Science Convention. San Francisco, CA. May 21 – 24, 2009.

Richard (Roy) Tietze, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
email
212-774-4887

Degrees
B.A., Iona College
M.A., Fordham University
Ph.D., Fordham University

Dr. Tietze serves as Program Coordinator and Chair of Psychology. Trained as a clinician, he teaches courses, such as Personality Psychology, Group Dynamics, and Family Processes, a course he developed for MMC’s Psychology Department. Interested to unify our approach to education in both arts and sciences, he has also developed a course for MMC’s Cultural Studies program called Jazz and American Identity, and a new course, The Psychology of Music. He teaches Psychological Portraits in Literature. He has developed the Art Therapy Minor in collaboration with Professors Hallie Cohen and Millie Falcaro from MMC’s Art Department.

Recent Publications:

Tietze, R. (In Presss). The Roots of African Jazz: A Multicultural Challenge, University of Ghana Journal of Performing Arts.

Sarah Weinberger-Litman, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Psychology
email
212-774-4882

Degrees
B.S., Brooklyn College,
CUNY M.A., Brooklyn College,
CUNY Ph.D., Graduate Center, CUNY

Sarah L. Weinberger-Litman earned a Ph.D. in Experimental Health Psychology from the City University of New York. As a graduate student, she studied the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system and then went on to focus on religious and sociocultural influences on disordered eating and body dissatisfaction. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and a second postdoctoral fellowship at the Spears Research Institute, where she examined religious and spiritual influences on health and illness. She is the associate producer of Hungry to be Heard, a documentary exploring eating disorders in the Orthodox Jewish Community.

Recent Publications:

Richards,P.S., Weinberger-Litman S.L., Susov, S. and Berrett, M.E. (In Press). Religiousness andSpirituality in the Etiology and Treatment of Eating Disorder. Book chapter to appear in: K. I. Pargament, J. Exline, J. Jones, A. Mahoney, E. Shafranske (Eds.), (in progress). APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality (Vol. II), Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Weinberger-Litman, S.L., Latzer, Y., Stein, D. (In Press) A Historical, Cultural and Empirical Look at Eating Disorders and Religiosity among Jewish Women. In Y. Latzer & D. Stein (Eds.), Understanding eating disorders: Integrating Culture, Psychology and Biology. Nova Science Publishers: Hauppauge, NY.

Weinberger-Litman, S.L., Flannelly, K.J., Muncie, M., Flannelly, L.(2010). When do Nurses Refer to Professional Chaplains. Holistic Nursing Practice 24(1), 44-48.

Weinberger-Litman, S.L., Rabin, L.A., Fogel, J., & Mensinger, J.L. (2008). The Influence of Religious Orientation and Spiritual Well-Being on Body Image and Eating Disturbance among Jewish Women. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health, 1(4): 373-387.

Weinberger-Litman, S.L., Rabin, L.A., Fogel, J., & Mensinger, J.L. (2008). Educational Setting and Risk Factors for Eating Disorders among Young Jewish Women: A Comparison between Single-Gender and Coed Schools. Counseling and Spirituality, 27 (2): 131-156.