Rate My Professor Shauna Shapiro

Shauna Shapiro, PhD, is a leading figure in the field of Psychology, renowned for her work on mindfulness, compassion, and human flourishing. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Duke University in 1996 and her Master’s and PhD in Clinical Psychology from The University of Arizona in 2002. During her time at Arizona, she served as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Psychology from 1998 to 2001 and has held a faculty position in Andrew Weil’s Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical Center since 2000. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System from 2002 to 2003, Shapiro joined Santa Clara University as Assistant Professor in the Counseling Psychology Department in 2003, advancing to Associate Professor in 2008 and full Professor in 2014, where she also serves as Health Psychology Emphasis Coordinator.

Shapiro’s research specializations include mindfulness-based interventions, self-compassion, emotion regulation, stress management, and their applications in psychotherapy, education, medicine, and organizational settings. She has authored or co-authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications, including the influential paper “Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition” (2006, with Bishop et al.), which has shaped the field. Her books include The Art and Science of Mindfulness: Integrating Mindfulness into Psychology and the Helping Professions (2009, 3rd ed. 2024, co-authored with Linda E. Carlson), Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child (2014, with Chris White), and Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire the Brain for Calm, Clarity and Joy (2020). Recognized as the sixth most impactful researcher globally in mindfulness by Google Scholar metrics, Shapiro has received the Dean’s Research Award from Santa Clara University (2013) and a Fellowship from the Mind and Life Institute (2013-2015). She has delivered keynote addresses at the American Psychological Association (2018), World Happiness Summit (2017), Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (2019), and others, and her TEDx talk “The Power of Mindfulness” has over 3.5 million views. Shapiro provides evidence-based training to Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Apple, Cisco, and LinkedIn, and has consulted for international bodies including Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Commission.