Dr. Abel Arvizú Whittemore

Dr. Abel Arvizú Whittemore

D.B.A., LFACHE, BCC, D.M.F.T., LMFT

Associate Professor

Email             : aawhittemore@csudh.edu

Education

Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy (D.M.F.T.); Families, Systems, and Health; 2023, Loma Linda University, School of Behavioral Health

Post-Master's Certificate in Medical Family Therapy, 2016, Loma Linda University, School of Behavioral Health

Master of Science (M.S.), Marital and Family Therapy, 2012, California State University, Dominguez Hills, College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Management, 1985, United States International University, School of Management and Leadership

Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.), 1982, Loma Linda University, School of Public Health

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Religion, 1979, Loma Linda University, College of Arts and Sciences

Areas of Expertise

Business

Health Administration, Strategic Management, Management and Organization Development

Psychotherapy

Couples Therapy, Mental Health Evaluations for Immigration, Community Mental Health

Primary Courses 

HEA 318 Health Services Management

HEA 319 Leadership in Healthcare

HEA 478 Strategic Management in Healthcare

HEA 490 Health Science Senior Seminar

Bio

Born to Mexican immigrants and raised in East Los Angeles, California, Dr. Abel Arvizú Whittemore began his career as a hospital chief executive officer.  He later lived and worked abroad as an organizational and management consultant to public health programs in Latin America, East Africa, and Eastern Europe.  Some of the projects were under the auspices of the World Health Organization. 

Dr. Whittemore has also been in private practice where he applied his expertise in a) management development as an executive coach with a particular focus on the personal and organizational effectiveness of healthcare executives and b) social and behavioral health as a licensed psychotherapist (LMFT) working with families requiring immigration clinical evaluations and with diverse couples. 

Currently on the public health and health sciences faculty at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Dr. Whittemore has been a tenured full professor at various universities in the United States as well as a visiting professor in Kenya, Brazil, and Bulgaria.  He has taught at the undergraduate through the doctoral level and uses Freire’s critical pedagogy as the basis for his teaching and learning activities.  Additionally, he has held the position of dean, provost, and vice chancellor, as well as served on numerous governing and editorial boards. 

Complementing his formal education, Dr. Whittemore was a Yale / Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow (international health) at Yale University.  He was also awarded a SAMHSA Minority Doctoral Fellowship by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (in the areas of Latino family therapy, LGBTQI-affirmative psychotherapy, and substance use). 

He is board certified in healthcare management as a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (LFACHE). He is also a Board-Certified Coach (BCC) in the area of Executive / Corporate / Business / Leadership (by the Center for Credentialing and Education).

Research

Dr. Whittemore’s past scholarly interests have included the areas of management of health / human / social services, education of helping professionals, health and social justice, and the intersection of the humanities and the healing sciences.  His current scholarly emphasis is in the sustainable development of healthy family, organizational, and community systems.  Dr. Whittemore’s scholarly work is informed by his interdisciplinary interests in the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, public health, management and organizational studies, and psychotherapy. Much of his research is in the form of scholarship of engagement.

Professional Affiliations

Healthcare Management

Academy of Management

American College of Healthcare Executives

Institute of Coaching

Organization Development Network

Community Mental Health

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

American Psychological Association

American Public Health Association