Teaching Team
Mariana Ampudia
Youth Program Teacher
Mariana, a certified bilingual Mindfulness Instructor for kids and teens, completed the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Teacher Certification Program at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Additionally, she successfully underwent the Mindfulness in Schools Education Project (MiSP - .b program) Teacher Training, a UK-based initiative. This qualification empowers her to deliver the dynamic, classroom-based program to middle and high school students.
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Lisette Atala-Doocy
Certified MBSR Teacher
Lisette Atala-Doocy is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Instructor who also holds a Certification from The Mindfulness in Schools Education Project, a program originally from the UK. Furthermore, she received a Certificate of Attendance from the Omega Institute on Radical Acceptance: Pathway of Emotional Healing & Spiritual Freedom led by Tara Brach. She is Co-Founder of the Bilingual Center for Mindfulness, which promotes mindfulness courses in Spanish and English.
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Michelle Becker, M.A., LMFT
MSC Teacher Trainer, Compassion for Couples Teacher
Michelle is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, the developer of the Compassion for Couples program, and the founder of Wise Compassion- a company specializing in teaching compassion in various relational contexts. She is a teacher trainer, mentor and co-founder of the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training, as well as a senior teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training, certified Daring Way Facilitator and a Senior Trainer at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. She teaches and speaks on the topics of compassion internationally. You can listen to her podcast: Well Connected Relationships wherever you like to listen to podcasts or on her website. READ MORE
Tahir Bhatti, MD
Wellness Physician
Tahir Bhatti, MD has been a faculty member at the UC San Diego School of Medicine since 1997, working both in the Department of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry as an Associate Clinical Professor. He is currently a Wellness Physician providing meditation instruction and Life Coaching through the UC San Diego Concierge Medicine, UC San Diego Executive Health & Wellness, UC San Diego Center for Wellness, and UC San Diego (Dean Ornish) Cardiac Rehabilitation & Wellness programs. READ MORE
Margaret Cullen
Certified MBSR Teacher, MBEB Teacher
Margaret Cullen is a licensed psychotherapist and was one of the first ten people to become a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher. For over 20 years, she has pioneered secular contemplative programs for a wide variety of populations including physicians, nurses, HIV positive men, cancer patients, overweight women, military spouses college students, clinicians and educators. She has developed and taught contemplative interventions for research studies at Stanford, UCSF, Portland State, Penn State, University of Michigan, and University of Miami. In 2013, she developed a mindfulness and compassion program (MBAT - Spouse) for military spouses that she piloted at Ft. READ MORE
Helen Davis, Ph.D, LMFT
Certified MBSR Teacher
Helen E. Davis, Ph.D, LMFT. is a licensed psychotherapist in group practice in Rancho Bernardo. Helen began her journey in meditation over 30 years ago. It transitioned to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2013 when she took the 8-week MBSR class at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. She has completed the MBSR Teacher Training Intensive under the direction of Susan Woods, LICSW and Char Wilkins, LCSW and attended the Advance Teacher Training facilitated by Dr. Steven Hickman and Beth Mulligan, PA-C.
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Corrie Falcon
Certified mPEAK Coach
After a decorated career as a world class swimmer, Corrie was first exposed to mindfulness on a yoga retreat in 2002. A certified yoga instructor and the former Head Swimming Coach at the University of California, San Diego, Corrie incorporated mindfulness concepts into her athletes mental training routines. Now as a certified mPEAK (Mindfulness Performance, Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge) Coach, Corrie works with athletes and teams to increase their performance through the power of present moment awareness. Corrie lives with her husband and 2 young children in Solana Beach, CA.
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Joseph Glaser-Reich, MAPP
Certified mPEAK Coach and Research Coordinator
Joe Glaser-Reich serves as a rotary wing search and rescue professional and rescue swimmer in the federal government. He practices, coaches, and teaches mindfulness as a way of being that supports both high performance and sustainable well-being. Joe is a certified mPEAK (Mindful Performance Enhancement Awareness & Knowledge) coach and an Assistant Instructor in the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program where he earned his master’s degree in 2018. He regularly works with high performers to integrate mindfulness, positive psychology, and performance psychology to enhance performance and resilience. READ MORE
Noriko Morita Harth
Managing Director, UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
Certified MBSR Teacher
Certified MSC Teacher
Noriko Morita Harth is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor and the Managing Director of UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Noriko has been teaching MBSR and MSC since 2014. She also offers mentorships for MBSR and MSC teachers, MBSR Teacher Training programs, and practicum at the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness.
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Peter Kirchmer
mPEAK Program Director/Trainer, MBSR Teacher
Pete Kirchmer is a Life Coach, Mindful Movement Instructor and Meditation Teacher in Encinitas, CA. As the founder of Mindfulness Based Health, he specializes in helping his clients apply the practice of mindfulness to making healthy lifestyle changes as well as improving performance in both work and life. Pete has completed the foundational training as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher through the University of Massachusetts Oasis Institute, holds a BS in Exercise Physiology, and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through the Coaches Training institute, Center for Applied Positive Psychology and Wellcoaches. READ MORE
Lorraine Duran Hobbs, MA, CHom
Youth, Family & Education Programs Founding Director, Certified MBSR Teacher, Certified MSC Teacher
Lorraine M. Hobbs is the Founding Director of the Youth, Family & School-Based Programs at the University of California, San Diego Center for Mindfulness. During her tenure at the Center, she has developed and implemented curricula in mindfulness for multiple age groups and a course in Mindful & Compassionate Parenting. As a family therapist and former clinical director of adolescent treatment programs, her concern for the adverse effects of stress on the social and emotional development of teens led to pioneering work in the area of self-compassion for teens. READ MORE
Shannon Jordan
Certified MBSR Teacher
Shannon Jordan, M.A., has spent 25 years helping people thrive in their professional lives. Her work has spanned learning & OD, career counseling, executive coaching, talent management, leadership development, and academic teaching. She specializes in mindfulness in the workplace and has consulted to Fortune 100 companies such as Qualcomm, eBay, PayPal, Cisco, AMEX, Oracle, Microsoft and Genentech. Working closely with the technology and science sectors she’s had an upfront view of stress in our modern workplaces as well as the positive effects empirically based mindfulness interventions can have on performance, resilience and well-being.
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Helen Hyun-Chung Kim
Qualified MBSR Teacher
Qualified MBCT Teacher
Helen Hyun-Chung Kim is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy teacher. In her previous life she was a board certified psychiatrist in Korea for 15 years, working for underserved communities. During this time she witnessed suffering in the lives of her patients and felt a strong pull towards the field of mindfulness and self-compassion as a way to heal and alleviate suffering.
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Renée Lewis
Youth, Family & Education Programs Acting Director, Certified MBSR Teacher
Renée Lewis’ passion for mindfulness stems from personal experience, rooted in her own transformative experience. After completing an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training, she noticed a subtle yet meaningful shift in her own life, solidifying her belief in the efficacy of mindfulness practices.
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Lucas LeardMann
Certified MBSR Teacher
Lucas attended his first meditation retreat in 2002 and has been cultivating a mindfulness practice ever since. He has a teaching credential and has been a teacher, trainer, and group facilitator for many years. For Lucas, mindfulness has been integral to learning new ways of relating to the inevitable stresses of teaching, work, parenting, and daily life, as well living life with more presence, connection, and ease. With two kids at home, he explores daily how mindfulness and compassion inform his role as father and husband. Lucas has found a calling in the work of sharing mindfulness with others. READ MORE
Jennifer A. Miller, Psy.D.
Certified MBSR Teacher
Dr. Jennifer Miller is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist—PSY17908. Dr. Miller began her mindfulness training in 2010 under the direction of Dr. Steve Hickman, Allan Goldstein, and Lorraine Hobbs. She teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Dr. Miller is the owner of Mindsmith, A Psychological Professional Corporation in La Mesa, CA, specializing in mindful psychology; offering mindfulness-based treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress disorders. Dr. Miller is also a Co-Founder, Co-Director, and Teacher at "A Mindful Way Through…" Programs. These programs are designed specifically with women's needs in mind. Dr. READ MORE
Burrell Poe
CCT Teacher
Burrell Poe is a U.S. Army Veteran from the West Side of Chicago. Burrell is very passionate about social and environmental justice and dedicates his time to furthering solutions for these issues. Burrell is on the Board of Compassion It and the Anthropocene Alliance. Burrell works as the Director of the Chicago Peace Fellows at the Goldin Institute. Burrell is working with the Goldin Institute Global Associates in Colombia and Uganda to refine a new curriculum on the themes of peacebuilding and tools for forgiveness, compassion and reconciliation.
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Julie Potiker
Certified MSC Teacher
Julie Potiker is a mindfulness expert who helps others bring more peace and wellness into their lives through her Mindful Methods for Life program offerings, where Julie combines various trainings into courses and workshops.
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Megan Prager, M.A.
Compassion Programs Director, University Liaison, Certified MBSR Teacher, Certified MSC Teacher
Megan Prager is the Compassion Programs Director at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and Co-Founder of Mindful Labs . Megan is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor (MBSR), a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor (MSC), a Certified Compassion Cultivation Instructor (CCT), an Adjunct Faculty member at San Diego State University, and a Lecturer at UC San Diego Rady Business School. She is also a Teacher Trainer and Mentor for the UC San Diego Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute and for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. READ MORE
Deborah Rana, MD
Certified MBSR Teacher, Certified MSC Teacher
Dr. Deborah Rana is a board-certified Pediatrician and an HS Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Rana received her MD from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and completed her residency in Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Prior to moving to UCSD, she was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she completed her fellowship in Medical Education. Dr. Rana is also a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher. READ MORE
Sara Schairer
Compassion Cultivation Training Teacher
Sara Schairer is the founder and executive director of Compassion It®, a nonprofit organization and global social movement whose mission is to inspire daily compassionate actions and attitudes. She created the one-of-a-kind reversible Compassion It® wristband that inspires compassion on six continents, 50+ countries and all 50 US states.
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Cheryl Shah
Workplace Program Co-Director, Certified MBSR Teacher, Certified MSC Teacher
Cheryl has 20+ years of Finance corporate experience, in leadership roles, working in a high demanding career while raising two daughters. The daily stress she faced, led her to the conclusion that there must be a better way to live and work. She has seen firsthand the negative impacts of long work hours, stress and pressure on individuals and the resulting emotional and mental pain suffered in the workplace. Her extensive work experience informs her teaching, makes her an accessible and compassionate teacher, and helps her translate mindfulness and compassion into a language that is relevant and applicable to corporate life.
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Cassandra Vieten, PhD
Executive Director
Cassandra Vieten is a licensed clinical psychologist and mind-body medicine researcher. She is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UC San Diego, and the Director of the Center for Mindfulness at the Centers for Integrative Health. She is also Director of Research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, and Psychology Director at the Center for Psychedelic Research. Her research has focused on development and pilot testing of mindfulness-based interventions for substance dependence, obesity, mood disorders, improving psychological well-being, and increasing prosocial emotions and behaviors. READ MORE
