NSU Horizons Spring 2010

24 horizons Shamin Ladhani knew she’d get the educa- tion she wanted at Nova Southeastern University. But, she didn’t know her years there would trans- form her into a leader. “I could have been a wallflower student,” said Ladhani, who earned a Psy.D. at NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies (CPS) in 2005. “But, I had faculty members who provided me with opportunities.” One of her NSU mentors was John Lewis, director of academic affairs at CPS. “He told us during our first year it was essential that we be members of the American Psychological Association (APA).” And not just be passive members, but get involved. He also encouraged Ladhani to meet Joseph White, one of the first African American psychologists, who was speaking at an APA convention. Buoyed by Lewis’ encouragement, Ladhani struck up a conversation with White. “It led to a mentoring relationship. I got more comfortable with my voice and started to get involved in leadership roles,” she said. Those included being secretary and president of the Ethnic Minority Association of Graduate Students and organizer of a convention with White as a speaker. Under her leadership, the association won NSU’s coveted STUEY award, which honors the university’s best in scholarship, leadership, involvement, service, commitment, integrity, and responsibility. Ladhani was also elected student rep- resentative of the APA’s Division 45, Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues. Ladhani has seen firsthand the psychological issues that can develop in refugee and immigrant populations. Her father is South Asian and fled to Uganda as a young adult. “I was always fascinated by medical issues, diversity, and the intersection of medical and psychological health,” she said. “NSU has a program that looks at that, and it was perfect for me.” Her directed study looked at the genera- tional differences in immigrants and their children and the unique issues each group faces. Karen Grosby, M.Ed., CPS dean, said there is increasing demand for psychologists who under- stand diversity issues. “Psychologists need the skill-set to be effective with people from different cultures and backgrounds. In the United States, it’s going to be critical for the immigrant popula- tion to transition well and be able to join the workforce. So, we are interested in research in these areas.” Today, Ladhani is working with people from diverse backgrounds as a pain psychologist at the nonprofit Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare— All Saints Hospital in Wisconsin. She juggles several responsibilities, including providing individ- ual and group therapy and working with nursing home patients. She’s putting her CPS studies to good use by directing the hospital’s diversity committee, which provides community outreach and education. She aims to build the staff’s “cultural competence” by bringing diversity to the hospital’s leadership and professional roles. “It’s about developing new servic- es,” she said, asking herself, “Are we connecting with the community? Do people know what they need to know? We want to know our community so we can cater to them.” n Alumni Journal Diversity Has a New Advocate By Jodi Noding 8 i