Tama Hasson

Tama Hasson is an Adjunct Professor and Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Research at UCLA, leading the Undergraduate Research Center-Science (URC-Sciences). Her roles include overseeing initiatives to enhance STEM retention, particularly for underrepresented minorities, through programs like PEERS. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University (1991) and a B.A. in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley (1986).

Her research focuses on evaluating educational interventions to improve STEM persistence, including longitudinal studies of the PEERS program, which demonstrates significant impacts on academic success and research engagement. She collaborates on projects such as analyzing math prerequisites for STEM success and advising the Amgen Scholars Program. Her work bridges institutional policy, educational assessment, and biomedical research.

Research Interests:

• Assessment of science retention programs
• Minority student success in STEM
• Curriculum design and policy for academic equity
• Pharmacological and molecular biology studies

PEERS Program Impact: PEERS students show higher GPAs, retention rates, and research participation compared to control groups. Ongoing studies track long-term outcomes, including doctoral program entry. Recent policy changes, such as math prerequisites for chemistry courses, stem from Hasson’s findings.

Dissemination: Contributed chapters to the Amgen Scholars Program guidebook, focusing on summer research program design and student orientation strategies.