Diana Direiter, Ph.D., is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Lesley University, where she serves as the Dean of Faculty. Dr. Direiter works to help students find and understand the connections between the real world and the academic world, often analyzing stories from the worlds of celebrities and pop culture to recognize the threads relevant to what they are learning in their classes. Dr. Direiter’s academic and research interests include trauma, rape culture, women’s leadership, and the depiction of gender in pop culture. She is fascinated by the messages we all begin receiving from society from our first moments and how those messages – especially those related to gender – shape our views of ourselves and each other.