BRONX, NY – A certified professional and licensed psychologist in the field, Dina Stella, M.Ed, LMSW, has joined Fordham Athletics in an advisory capacity.
“We are excited to welcome Dina to the Fordham Athletics family,” said Athletic Director Ed Kull. “We truly appreciate Dina’s willingness to be of assistance to the 500-plus student-athletes as they face challenges both on and off the field.”
Trained in trauma therapy and psychotherapy, Stella holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from Temple University and a master’s in social work from Lehman College. She also has extensive experience in child welfare, having worked in foster care and with juvenile justice.
Stella is an employee of the University’s Office of Counseling and Psychological Services. At the helm of CPS is Dr. Jeffrey Ng, who joined Fordham in 2008 after working at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. He received his doctorate in psychology from Rutgers after completing his undergraduate studies at Cornell. Ng is also an avid sports fan and supporter of Fordham Athletics.
“College athletes today have more roles and responsibilities than ever before,” continued Kull. “It is our responsibility as administrators and coaches to support them in any way we can. We cannot thank the staff at Counseling and Psychological Services and SportStrata enough for their efforts to support the mental health of the Rams with the highest level of professionalism and respect.”
For a complete list of medical services provided by CPS workers, visit their website here.
Since 2017, Fordham has partnered with SportStrata to provide the highest quality medical care to Fordham student-athletes. Directly assisting Fordham athletes are two former Division I athletes: Liv Massey, M.Ed, MHC and Amanda Fazio, MS. Both Massey and Fazio attended Bucknell, where the former was a standout on the track and the latter earned First Team All-Patriot League honors on the softball team. Fazio later joined the softball coaching staff at the University of Tennessee.
Massey and Fazio attend in-person and virtual meetings with prospective Fordham student-athletes.
SportStrata, which also works in many industries outside of sports, is led by Dr. Jonathan Fader, team psychologist for the New York Mets and New York Giants.
In addition, three senior executives within Fordham Athletics are responsible for leading the department’s efforts in student-athlete welfare and athlete development: Senior Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Welfare & Competitive Excellence/SWA Makini Thompson, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Initiatives . and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jordan Bowles, and Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance Joe Gilfedder.
