Thursday, September 15, 2022
The Georgetown UCEDD hired Pamala Trivedi, PhD, NCSP, to be the new Associate Director. Dr. Trivedi is a licensed psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist, policy expert, and applied behavioral health researcher with more than two decades of experience supporting children, youth and adults across a range of developmental levels, as well as the providers and families who care for them. She is committed to strengths-based, resilience-focused approaches, and brings a national policy lens to her work in building and sustaining systems that are responsive to the behavioral health and learning needs of children, families, and providers. Dr. Trivedi’s interest in embedding healing-centered, resilience-focused approaches into systems-building springs from her work in examining natural family and community strengths that can buffer the effects of early adversity.
“I am thrilled to announce that Pamala Trivedi, Ph.D. joined the GUCEDD as the Associate Director. She brings a wealth of experience and commitment to persons at risk for and with the lived experience of intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. I like to say that Pamala (as I refer to her) came home to our Center. She was a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) trainee at the GUCCHD over a decade ago, and now has the honor of being the new director of GULEND. Pamala is looking forward to implementing the GUCEDD new five-year grant and collaborating with all of our partners to fulfill the mission of the GUCEDD,” said Tawara Goode, GUCEDD Director and Past-President of the Board of Directors of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).
Dr. Trivedi has served in many roles across early care and education, public schools, and medical and in health care institutions. She has provided training and technical assistance and conducted applied research in university settings and federal government. Her research and policy portfolio has included a strong emphasis on early childhood special education, infant and early childhood mental health, school-based behavioral health, and work at the intersection of behavioral health and disabilities. During her time in the federal government, Dr. Trivedi worked on policy providing alternatives to exclusionary discipline that addressed disparities for young children of color. As the parent of a child with behavioral health needs, she has also been a tireless advocate for embedding social-emotional supports and services in inclusive educational settings. Dr. Trivedi currently supports educator and staff wellness as a school-based behavioral health clinician in a DC charter school. She has recently conducted research on how States are building and sustaining a continuum of promotion, prevention, and treatment that constitute early childhood systems of care. She has also worked extensively on parenting supports that build adult capacities to handle challenging behavior, particularly in children who are neurodiverse. Dr. Trivedi continues to learn and be humbled by parenting her seven- and nine-year-old children, and lives with her family in Washington, DC.
Dr. Trivedi is very excited to help lead implementation efforts at the GUCEDD and direct the GU LEND program. Her experience as a LEND trainee at Georgetown early in her career deeply impacted her preparedness to engage in national policy and research that centers the experiences of individuals with special healthcare needs and their families and caregivers.
Alt - Text: Pamala is a mixed race woman with short black hair who is pictured wearing a green and gray tunic in front of a bookcase at her home. She is smiling and wearing jewelry from India, a place that is part of Pamala’s cultural heritage.