Sita G. Patel, PhD

Dr. Sita G. Patel is a Professor of Psychology at Palo Alto University (PAU) in California. She is the Associate Program Director of the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, and directs the Culture, Community, and Global Mental Health Research Lab. Dr. Patel is actively involved in teaching, mentoring, and collaborating with graduate students pursuing careers in reducing mental health disparities locally and worldwide.  Current projects employ community-partnership and qualitative methods to study a range of topics including immigrant mental health, international trauma, barriers and access to treatment, and program evaluation.  She has published empirical work on risk and resiliency, innovative community programs, and the prevention and treatment of migration trauma.

Dr. Patel is active in community initiatives, leadership, advocacy, and professional service. In 2016 she was a Visiting Scholar with the Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation in Kenya. She is on the Advisory Board of Directors for Partnerships for Trauma Recovery, a Berkeley-based clinic providing mental health support services for refugees and asylum seekers. She served one year as APA’s Global Mental Health Fellow, working with the World Health Organization on providing psychological support methods within humanitarian settings worldwide. She was also a member of the APA’s Immigration Task Force, and is currently is an elected member of APA’s Committee on Global Psychology.  

Dr. Patel received a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, completed predoctoral internship training at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, and postdoctoral training in community mental health research at the University of California, San Francisco.  Prior to joining PAU’s faculty in 2010, she was an instructor at New York University, UC Berkeley, and University of San Francisco.  Dr. Patel is also a licensed clinician, with a practice focused on life transitions and immigrant mental health.

• PhD, Clinical Psychology (Culture and Community Emphasis), University of California at Berkeley
• MA, Clinical Psychology, University of California at Berkeley
• BA, American Culture (Psychology and Sociology Emphasis, Hispanic Studies Minor), Vassar College