Maria LaPadula is chairperson and associate professor of psychology in the Psychology and Counseling department. She joined New York Tech as an adjunct faculty member in 1992 and became a full-time faculty member in 1997. LaPadula became chair of the department in 2004.
She attended graduate school at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York, and performed her clinical training at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville and North Shore Hospital in Manhasset, both in New York. She has been a licensed psychologist in New York since 1996. Her research interests include parenting skills, disruptive behavior disorders, and online student services.
Publications/Presentations
- Karafantis, D.M., & LaPadula, M. (2011). Incorporating active learning techniques in an introduction to psychology course. Psychology of Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 32-39.
- Karafantis, D.M., LaPadula, M., & LeGuen, R. (2010, January). The impact of the colorblind and multicultural ideologies on facilitating social tolerance in a diverse student population. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
- Karafantis, D.M., & LaPadula, M. (2009, March). Incorporating active learning techniques in an introduction to psychology course. Paper presented at the Redesign Alliance Third Annual Conference, March 22-24, 2009, Orlando, Florida.
- LaPadula, M. (2003). A comprehensive look at online student services. American Journal of Distance Education, 17(2), 119-128.
- Vinnick Kaller, L., & LaPadula, M. (2002). Skillful Parenting: An interactive guide to raising great kids. Maryland: University Press of America.
Honors and Awards
- New York Tech Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, Faculty Appreciation Award, 2009-2010.
- New York Tech Standards of Excellence Award for Outstanding Leadership, 2005
- Psi Chi, National Honor Society in Psychology, Outstanding Service as Psi Chi Chapter Faculty Advisor, 2004
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology
- PSYC 205: Theories of Personality
- PSYC 220: Child Development
- PSYC 221: Human Development
- PSYC 310: Abnormal Psychology
- PSYC 425: Introduction to Counseling