Faculty and Staff

Max Zubatsky, Ph.D.
Associate professor, program director
Medical family therapy program
The Memory Clinic director
Morrissey Hall, Room 1129
3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1101
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-977-2496
Email: max.zubatsky@health.slu.edu

Research Interests/Clinical Interests: 
Caregiving, Alzheimer's disease, integrated behavioral health, residency education, couples therapy, dementia, family caregiving, chronic illness in families, couples. 

As program director, Max Zubatsky oversees the operations, duties, resources, and curriculum of the program. In addition, the program director communicates and corresponds with division directors routinely within the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Specific roles and responsibilities of the program director include:

• Continually assesses and makes any necessary adjustments to curriculum and/or course of study for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs (including program objectives, student learning outcomes and assessment of these outcomes)
• Approves decisions around any substantive changes taking place in both programs.
• Monitors the program budget around fiscal year income and expenditures
• Oversees resources and facilities in the medical family therapy program
• Helps assist and support the director of clinical services around operational and/or training decisions with students in their clinical work
• Provides input to the department chair around changes, opportunities or expansion of services in the behavioral health division of the department
• Performs continuous quality improvement and review of feedback from students, faculty and supervisors, in efforts to maintain and enhance the necessary goals of the program.

Katie Heiden-Rootes, Ph.D.
Associate professor
Medical family therapy program
Assistant vice president, Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement
Rainbow Research Lab
Office: Morrissey Hall, Room 1133
3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1101
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-977-8196
Fax: 314-977-2614
Email: katie.heidenrootes@health.slu.edu

Research Interests:
Sexuality and sexual health; LGBTQ youth and young adults and their families; women's sexual and relationship health post-cancer.

Dixie Meyer, Ph.D.
Professor
Medical family therapy Program
Relationships and Brain Science Research Laboratory
Office: Morrissey Hall, Room 1125
3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1101
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314 -977-7114
Email: dixie.meyer@health.slu.edu

Dixie Meyer is a professor in the medical family therapy program. She received her doctoral degree in counselor education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She is the founder of the MOMs clinic, designed to help families during life transitions with a specific focus during the perinatal period. She’s a licensed professional counselor and has presented her scholarship and research at several local, regional, and national conferences. Her clinical and research interests include neurobiological applications in counseling, couples counseling, drama therapy, affect regulations and attachment.

Shelly Dalton, Ph.D.
Assistant professor
Medical family therapy program
Office: 3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1131
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-977-4066
Fax: 314-977-2614
Email: michelle.dalton@health.slu.edu

Shelly Dalton, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the medical family therapy program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Dalton received their doctorate from Texas Woman’s University in marriage and family therapy. Dalton completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology at Syracuse University in the field of health psychology. They direct the social determinants research lab. Dalton’s clinical and research interests include developing interventions for reducing minority stress, social determinants of health for the TGNC community, HIV, alcohol use, and attachment processes within couple and family relationships.

Sungmin “Pearl” Park, Ph.D.
Assistant professor
Medical family therapy program
Office: 3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1127
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-977-2507
Fax: 314-977-2614
Email: sungmin.park@health.slu.edu

Pearl Sungmin Park is an assistant professor in the medical family therapy program within the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from Florida State University. Her clinical and research interests focus on systemic mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of trauma, the impact of childhood trauma on adult relationships, and the development of the self-of-the-therapist through systemic clinical supervision.

Jeanna R. Knight, Ph.D.
jeanna.knight@health.slu.edu

Jeanna R. Knight, Ph.D. is an adjunct professor in the medical family therapy program. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a licensed professional counselor. She holds a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Indiana Wesleyan University and earned her doctorate in medical family therapy from Saint Louis University. Knight is an approved M.F.T. supervisor with a personal endeavor to support the professional development of future therapists. In her role as director of community, health and education at Mid-America Transplant, she leads initiatives that bridge health care and community needs. Knight's research focuses on critical areas such as maternal health and wellness among African-American women and advancing health equity for underrepresented populations, reflecting her commitment to addressing pressing social and health disparities.

Doug Pettinelli, Ph.D.
doug.pettinelli@health.slu.edu

Brittany Robinson, Ph.D.
brittany.robinson@health.slu.edu

Robinson is an adjunct professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She received her M.A. in marriage and family therapy from Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota and her doctorate in medical family therapy from Saint Louis University. She is a Missouri Approved MFT supervisor and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Her primary research and clinical interests include preventative measures for sexual minorities with HIV/AIDS, sexual health among African-American men, family coping after an HIV/AIDS diagnosis, clinical effectiveness for therapists treating members of the LGBTQI community, and LGBTQI youth within heterosexual/traditional families.

Christine Schneider, Ph.D.
cschneider@integrativemindinstitute.com

Nancy Morrison, Ph.D. (Emeritus)

Research Interests:
Family resiliency, single-parent and remarried families, postmodern therapy and teaching.

Craig W. Smith, Ph.D. (Emeritus)

Research/Clinical Interests:
Medical family therapy, marital resiliency, rural families, marriage and family therapy teaching and supervision, and psychotherapy in China.

Ashley Ballard
Marketing Coordinator
1008 S. Spring Ave
SLUCare Academic Pavilion- 3rd Floor
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: 314-977-8493
Fax: 314-661-9035
Email: ashley.ballard@health.slu.edu

Ashley is an administrative assistant for family and community medicine and is the marketing coordinator for medical family therapy. With seven years of experience in various roles within healthcare, she holds an AAS in Healthcare Administration. Prior to this position, she worked as a billing/scheduling associate at Washington University. She enjoys traveling and spending quality time with family.

Mary Donjon
Administrative secretary
Office: Morrissey Hall, Room 1137
3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1101
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-977-7108
Fax: 314-977-2614
Email: mary.donjon@health.slu.edu 

Mary Donjon graduated from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville with a B.S. in English with focus on secondary education, speech communication, and criminal justice. She has published multiple books, short stories and poetry. She lives in the St. Louis metro area (Illinois) with her family and is an advocate for autistic people.

Laurie Taylor
CCFT lead coordinator
Office: Morrissey Hall, Room 1100
3700 Lindell Blvd, Suite 1100
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-977-
Fax: 314-977-2614
Email: laurie.taylor@health.slu.edu

Laurie Taylor is the C.C.F.T. lead coordinator in the medical family therapy program. She has over 20 years of administrative and technical experience in healthcare settings. She is in charge of the operations of the C.C.F.T. and helping to coordinate schedules for students and clients.