Velma McBride Murry, PhDopens in new window, was awarded a Presidential Citation for distinguished research contributions, inspirational teaching and mentoring, and dedicated leadership as an advocate for children, youth and HIV-affected groups.
As Lois Audrey Betts chair in education and human development and professor of human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University, Murry has advanced current knowledge of the impact of contextual factors, particularly racism, on African-American family functioning, and developed novel strength based family prevention interventions, with a particular focus on under-served rural families. She also has made key contributions to HIV risk prevention research in African-American youth and families. Highly committed to service and advocacy for under-served communities, she is the 2014 chair of the APA Committee on Psychology and AIDS, and serves on the Institute of Medicine's National Academies Board of Children, Youth and Families. She received the 2013 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award in recognition of her outstanding record of inspiring her students to go on and purse professional work that makes a tangible difference in their communities.
Date created: 2014