Rate My Professor Alicia Nordstorm

Alicia Nordstrom, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology and Chairperson of the Psychology Department at Misericordia University. She holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester, an M.S. from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Since joining Misericordia University in 2004, she has advanced to full professor and focused her career on teaching, research, and innovative programs in psychology.

Nordstrom's research interests include social psychology, child development, adolescent development, developmental psychopathology, family studies, youth development, psychology of adolescence, parenting, and psychopathology. Her publications examine peer relationships in college adjustment, parental engagement in preventive parenting programs, and social anxiety's effects on academics and retention. Select publications are "The Effect of Social Anxiety and Self-Esteem on College Adjustment, Academics, and Retention" (2014), "Associations among Peer Relationships, Academic Achievement, and Persistence in College" (2010), "Stability and Change in Parental Attachment and Adjustment Outcomes During the First Semester Transition to College Life" (2009), and "The Role of Peer Relationships in Adjustment to College" (2008). In 2021, she co-authored the book "Innovative Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Programs Across the World" with Wind Goodfriend, published by Routledge Press, featuring global programs to reduce stigma related to mental health, disability, ethnicity, and sexuality.

In 2009, Nordstrom founded The Voices Project, an experiential service-learning initiative originally for her Introduction to Psychology course that employs theater-based storytelling to build empathy, diminish prejudice, and confront stereotypes about marginalized populations. The project expanded into four themed chapters: Immigration, Disability, Mental Health, and Diversity. It has gained recognition through presentations at national conventions, such as on using theater to reduce mental health stigma, media coverage on WVIA, and her September 2017 TEDxLancaster talk titled "The Fallacy of Normal and Beauty of Difference."