17th Annual Psychology Day at the United Nations Speakers

  • Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) | Associate Director of the Center for Youth Social Emotional Wellness | Member of the Latinx Immigrant Health Alliance

    Dr. Germán A. Cadenas (he/his/él) is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. He also serves as inaugural Associate Director of the Center for Youth Social Emotional Wellness (CYSEW). Dr. Cadenas identifies as an immigrant from Latin America and his academic work is community-based, with intersecting foci on the psychology of immigration and on critical consciousness as a tool for social justice. This includes the development and validation of strategies to support the psychological wellbeing, education, career/work, and health of immigrants and other underserved communities.

    His advocacy and research have informed the implementation of policies and programs to support undocumented students in higher education at major universities. At the national level, he was among the leaders convened by the White House to discuss the Venezuelan diaspora in the U.S. Dr. Cadenas was among a team of scholars that briefed Congressional leaders on research documenting the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color. His testimony and scholarship are cited in a federal court case aiming to protect the humanitarian parole immigration program for certain Latin American countries. He is also serving as Associate Editor of Journal of Counseling Psychology, on the Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC) of the American Psychological Association, and he was recently appointed to the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration and Health.

  • UWI Mona Head of Unit, University Counselling Service, The University of the West Indies

    Dr. Debbie-Ann Chambers is a licensed psychologist, certified poetry therapy practitioner, and the Head of Unit for the University Counselling Service at The University of the West Indies, Mona (UWI, Mona). The UWI Mona is the founding campus of the multi-national University of the West Indies. The campus serves mostly BIPOC students from across the Caribbean. Debbie-Ann has worked as a psychologist in this setting for the past 10 years. Debbie-Ann's practice is rooted in the liberation philosophies and psychologies--notably, the critical theories of Paulo Friere, the liberation psychology of Ignacio Martin Baro, and the cultural therapy of Frederick Hickling. In this vein, whether she is writing papers, evaluating programs, facilitating poetry & cultural therapy workshops, or facilitating individual sessions, Debbie-Ann considers systems issues, historical and generational traumas and resiliency, and the wider contextual problems and resources of modern day society.

  • Co-founder and CEO, Labhya | SDG Young Leader, United Nations

    Richa Gupta is a teacher turned entrepreneur and CEO of Labhya - an India-based education nonprofit impacting 2.4 million children's well-being. Richa, a Harvard Ministerial Leadership Fellow and a Harvard Equity & Inclusion Fellow holds a Master's Degree in International Education Policy (Ed.M) from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

    Passionate about education, she worked with Teach For India and Teach For All, where she witnessed the challenges faced by underprivileged children. This inspired her to establish Labhya, which designs culturally sensitive well-being programs to address the diverse needs of these children.

    Richa has been listed in the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list for her contributions to adolescent and children’s wellbeing. She serves on the board of YuWaah, UNICEF India, and works directly with the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth as a Young Leader for the SDGs - one of only 17 globally selected. She represented India at the (Girls) 20 Summit and became a DRK Entrepreneur and Mulago Fellow, with Labhya joining their esteemed portfolio.

  • Secretary of Health, Republic of the Philippines

    Dr. Teodoro "Teddy" J. Herbosa, the 30th Secretary of Health of the Philippines, is a distinguished Trauma Surgeon and Emergency Medicine Physician renowned both locally and internationally for his expertise in healthcare systems and public health. He earned his medical degree from the University of the Philippines Manila and holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Additionally, he completed an International Diploma Course in Emergency and Crisis Management from the University of Geneva and pursued postgraduate studies in Medicine from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.

    With a career spanning various crucial roles, Secretary Herbosa served as Undersecretary at the Department of Health from 2010 to 2015, where he contributed significantly to initiatives such as the Hospital Accreditation Commission and the Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedics Center. In addition, Secretary Herbosa was instrumental in the passing of the Sin Tax Act which restructured the excise tax on alcohol and tobacco products.

    Secretary Herbosa's impact extends globally through his involvement in international collaborations and roles, including serving on the Board of Directors for the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and as a Medical Consultant/Adviser for various organizations. Amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as a Special Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, offering expert guidance and contributing to the formulation of strategies to mitigate the impact of the virus.

    A dedicated educator and public servant, Secretary Herbosa has played key roles in academia, including teaching at the UP College of Medicine and the National Defense College of the Philippines. His commitment to advancing healthcare systems and saving lives is exemplified by his involvement in establishing trauma and emergency medicine programs, as well as his contributions to international initiatives such as the WHO safe surgery checklist.

    In his multifaceted role as Surgeon, Educator, and Public Servant, Secretary Ted Herbosa epitomizes a commitment to improving healthcare systems and saving lives, both within the Philippines and beyond.

  • Global Mental Health Lead at UNICEF

    Dr. Zeinab Hijazi has over 18 years of experience supporting mental health and psychosocial programs globally. She provides program guidance and technical support across UNICEF's 7 regions of operation to enhance multi-sectoral approach to the provision of mental health & psychosocial support for children and families in humanitarian and development settings, this includes field programming, policy, data, research, innovations & advocacy work, and supporting coordination across sectors of health, education, and child protection to aid UNICEF country teams and partners in designing and implementing locally relevant, comprehensive and sustainable MHPSS strategies.

  • Senior Vice President, Digital and Cultural Consumer Insights at Nickelodeon

    Makeda Mays Green is Senior Vice President, Digital and Cultural Consumer Insights at Nickelodeon. In her role, she evaluates the most effective ways to reach diverse target audiences through innovative research methodologies across Nickelodeon’s platforms.

    Previously, she served in a leadership role for the Education & Research, Digital Media division at Sesame Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street), where she examined the potential of current and emerging digital media platforms to provide quality educational material to children and families.

    She has delivered several keynote addresses, headlined at numerous national conferences and guest lectured at Harvard University, New York University and Temple University. She is the author of Makeda: Moving Up in Media and has appeared on The Learning Channel, CNN.com, MSNBC.com and Good Morning America Now.

    Green is also a proud advisory board member of Raising Good Gamers, an initiative developed to create positive change in the culture and climate of online video gaming for youth; Determined to Educate, a non-profit designed to support underserved youth through mentoring programs, and The Ferguson Public Library. She holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.A. and Ed.M in Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Green resides in Stamford, CT with her husband and three children.

  • Legendary Hip Hop Artist, Mental Health Advocate, Author and Philanthropist

    Innovator, motivator, philanthropist, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels changed music and made history when he broke down cultural barriers with his legendary band Run-DMC. The first rap group to grace the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and the first to appear on MTV, Grammy nominated Run-DMC changed music, culture, fashion, language, and made American history. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Forty million record sales later, Darryl continues to inspire and impact the world!

    In 2014, Darryl launched a comic book company called Darryl Makes Comics. In addition to his new children’s book Darryl’s Dream, he is the co-author of two critically acclaimed books: his recent memoir entitled, Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide, and a past autobiography King of Rock; Respect, Responsibility and My Life with Run-DMC.

    In 2006 Darryl co-founded the Felix Organization with Sheila Jaffe, a nonprofit that works to provide inspiring opportunities and new experiences for children in the foster care system. He regularly talks with kids across the country about respect, responsibility and self-awareness and has appeared before Congress and various State legislatures in support of adoptees and foster children. President Obama invited him to speak at the White House to a group of young men about fatherhood. He also worked with First Lady Michelle Obama on part of her “Get Fit” Campaign. Darryl is the recipient of the Hard Rock’s Love All Serve All Award, the Doing Art Together (DAT) Honoree Award, and the coveted CHILDREN’S RIGHTS Champion for his numerous philanthropic endeavors. He also proudly serves on the Board of Directors of The Garden of Dreams Foundation, a non-profit charity that works closely with all areas of The Madison Square Garden Company, including the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media, to make dreams come true for children facing obstacles.

    You can learn more about his books here and here.

  • CEO at the Danish Fairstart Foundation

    Dr. Niels Peter Rygaard, Danish-American child psychologist, is the CEO and co-founder at the non-profit www.fairstartfoundation.com. After 25 years of research, therapy, and counselling, Niels started a world tour of lectures and studies of orphanage, foster, and refugee care systems. Shaken by meeting governments overwhelmed by millions of abandoned children and their overworked mental health staff, he created a network of intercultural researchers to define quality care standards and practices. His foundation designs staff education in close partnerships with government agencies and NGOs. In their online education, staff members train local groups of caregivers with programs adjusted to local culture and language. At present, 800 partner staff from Greenland, Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America graduated in advanced online classrooms, after training the daily caregivers and parents of 70.000 children and youth. His books and papers focus on global psychology, implemented by low-cost large scale interventions, to empower local professional care systems. Niels is the chief editor of the 2024 PCUN edition “Children Around the World - the Future of our Earth”, where researchers worldwide describe their intervention programs.