Mailman Center Welcomes Three New Faculty Members

Three new faculty members are joining or taking on new roles at the Mailman Center for Child Development – Douglene Jackson, Ph.D., Paula Karina Perez, Psy.D., and Luiza Vianna Mali, Ph.D.

Douglene Jackson, Ph.D., OTR/L, LMT, ATP, will become assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics and associate director of Community Engagement at the Mailman Center for Child Development faculty in October 2021.Dr. Jackson has been a faculty member at the Mailman Center since 2014 and  is a research and clinical occupational therapist (OT) with over 20 years of experience in the rehabilitation field, primarily working with individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities across the lifespan in schools, hospitals, clinics, and community-based settings. She holds a Ph.D. in special education in early childhood, Master of Occupational Therapy, Bachelor of Health Science in rehabilitation services with a concentration in counseling, and professional certifications in various fields including assistive technology, telehealth, sensory integration, and health and wellness. Dr. Jackson will play a leading role in the Mailman Center’s efforts to engage with community stakeholders in authentic, long-standing partnerships and will serve as OT discipline leader for the LEND training program.

Luiza Vianna Mali, Ph.D., will join the Mailman Center for Child Development as a faculty member in October 2021 as an assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Mali received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California in 2020. She completed her internship in 2020 and fellowship in 2021 in pediatric psychology at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Dr. Mali will work with interdisciplinary teams caring for children with diabetes and cystic fibrosis, consult with the department’s primary care pediatric practices, see patients through the Pediatric Psychology Clinic, and develop research collaborations with faculty in the Mailman Center, Department of Pediatrics, and other departments and centers of the Miller School of Medicine and University of Miami. Dr. Mali is trilingual, speaking English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Paula Karina Perez, Psy.D., joined the Mailman Center for Child Development faculty in September 2021 as an assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics. Dr. Perez received her PsyD degree from Albizu University in 2019.  She completed her internship in pediatric psychology at Minnesota Children’s Hospital in 2019 and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology and rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health in August 2021. Dr. Perez will conduct neuropsychological evaluations with the Mailman Center’s psychological assessment service and the Interdisciplinary Evaluation Service. She will also develop her neurodevelopmental research program in collaboration with faculty in the Department of Pediatrics and other departments of the Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Perez is Colombian-Lebanese and trilingual, speaking English, Spanish, and Arabic.

“Drs. Jackson, Mali, and Perez bring a wealth of experience and skills to the Mailman Center,” said Daniel Armstrong, Ph.D., director of the Mailman Center for Child Development. “They will provide exceptional care to our patients, serve as great mentors for our trainees, and expand our collaborations across child health for children with special health care needs.”

Tags: Dr. Douglene Jackson, Dr. Luiza Vianna Mali, Dr. Paula Karina Perez, Mailman Center for Child Development, pediatrics