Manal Guirguis-Younger, Ph.D., joined Adler University as Director of the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program in Vancouver in January. Dr. Guirguis-Younger most recently served as Academic Dean for Saint Paul University, a small institution in Ottawa, Ontario. During her career she has maintained a focus on social justice, and has served in many roles, including professor, graduate studies director, dean of faculty, and researcher.

“There is a very strong alignment of values between the framework of Adler University and my research and values,” said Guirguis-Younger. “I think that one of the reasons I was attracted to Adler University is because we are not just graduating people who are competent. They have the skills, but we’re also graduating people who know how to work with individuals and with systems. They bring what they know to those systems to build equitable services into places where no one has gone before to help people who really need it.”

Dr. Guirguis-Younger will be leading the Vancouver Campus Psy.D. program, the first-of-its-kind in Western Canada. The Psy.D program prepares students to be professional clinicians who empower individuals and address acute and chronic social justice issues.

“My colleagues and I are constantly working to perfect the program—and I can tell that they have done that before I arrived and I can see the willingness to continue to do that,” said Guirguis-Younger. “We all have the desire to ensure that students get the best and the strongest training possible here at Adler University.”