Alyson Shapiro

Alyson Shapiro serves as Associate Professor and Director of the M.S. in Child Development program within the Department of Child and Family Development at San Diego State University. Her academic career bridges teaching, research, and community service focused on family systems and child wellbeing.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology (Child Clinical Psychology minor) from University of Washington
• Post-doctoral training in Infant Mental Health at University of Washington's Barnard Center
• B.S. in Psychology from University of Utah

Shapiro's research program examines family dynamics during transition to parenthood, child emotional development within relational contexts, and mindfulness applications in relationships. Grounded in systems theory, her work investigates how family processes influence child outcomes from pre-conception through elementary years across diverse risk profiles. Recent publications demonstrate growing emphasis on mindfulness interventions for couple relationships and trauma recovery, with methodological strengths in longitudinal design and multi-method assessment.

Her active research portfolio includes three major projects funded through university grants, focusing on intimate partner violence recovery, couple communication dynamics, and prenatal family influences on infant development. She integrates these research strands into community partnerships with organizations serving at-risk families.

As an educator, Shapiro teaches core courses in human development, family processes, and research methods while mentoring graduate students through the M.S. program. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes translating research into practice through field experiences and community-engaged learning. She maintains active collaborations with University of Washington researchers while contributing to regional initiatives like First Five San Diego.