Mica Estrada, PhD

Mica Estrada is the Associate Dean of Opportunity & Engagement and Professor at the University of California at San Francisco’s School of Nursing in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Institute for Health and Aging.

Her research program focuses on social influence, including the study of identity, values, kindness, well-being, mentorship, and integrative education. She has been Principal Investigator on several longitudinal studies, which implement and assess interventions aimed to increase student persistence and workforce retention in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine (STEMM) careers (funded by NIH, NSF, and HHMI). In her research, facilitation, writing and consulting work, she remains committed to sharing skills and practices that advance opportunity, kindness and dignity for all people.

As a leader in the field of STEMM education, she has served as a member of two National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) census studies, the Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education and currently serves on the Action Collaborative on Education and Workforce Trajectories. Dr. Estrada earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and her MA & PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University.

She is mother to three grown children and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her sweetheart of many years. She enjoys gardening, walking in nature, and sharing meals the people she loves.