The American Public Health Association awarded Hortensia Amaro, PhD, its Sedgwick Memorial Medal for her service to public health, especially in the fields of addiction and HIV prevention. Amaro is Dean's Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California as well as in the department of preventive medicine within the university's Keck School of Medicine. Since the 1980s, she has researched issues such as race and ethnicity data collection, health disparities, HIV prevention and evidence-based strategies for treating substance abuse.
The Jacobs Foundation awarded Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, PhD, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, its 2015 Klaus J. Jacobs Award for her research on understanding emotional and social brain development during adolescence. Blakemore's research helped dispel the myth that no major neurodevelopmental changes occur after early childhood by showing how the adolescent brain continues to develop.
David Brodzinsky, PhD, has received the Adoption Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Children's Bureau. Brodzinsky was recognized for the extraordinary contributions he has made in fostering the successful adoption of children in foster care.
SafeHouse Denver has presented Anne DePrince, PhD, with its Carolyn Hamil-Henderson Memorial Award for her work on behalf of victims of domestic violence. DePrince's research has improved how SafeHouse Denver and other local agencies deliver care and services. DePrince chairs the psychology department at the University of Denver and is director of the university's Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning.
The Gerontological Society of America has named Barry Edelstein, PhD, the 2015 recipient of its Distinguished Mentorship in Gerontology Award. Edelstein is a clinical psychology professor at West Virginia University, where he has taught for 41 years. He is also a clinical psychologist at Hopemont Hospital, a state geropsychiatric long-term care facility.
The National Eating Disorders Association has given Debra L. Franko, PhD, its Lori Irving Award for Excellence in Eating Disorder Prevention & Awareness. Franko, a professor and associate dean at Northeastern University, researches risk factors for eating disorders and has helped to develop prevention programs, including Internet- and mobile-based programs that seek to improve body image among adolescent girls and young women.
The International Society for Intelligence Research presented psychology professor emeritus John Loehlin, PhD, with its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Loehlin is a professor emeritus of psychology and computer science at the University of Texas at Austin. His research has looked at the genetic and environmental contributors to differences in personality and ability.
The One Mind Institute has named Katie McLaughlin, PhD, its 2015 AIM Rising Star Research Award winner. McLaughlin, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington, plans to use her $250,000 prize to fund her research on adolescent stress. She is using fMRI and smartphone and wearable technology to study the biology that links adolescent stress to the development of anxiety and depression.
Douglas Woods, PhD, is the new dean of the Marquette University Graduate School as of Jan. 1. He is currently chair and professor of psychology at Texas A&M University, where he specializes in developing treatments and interventions for children with Tourette's syndrome and trichotillomania. He has been a member of the Texas A&M faculty since 2013 and previously was a member of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee psychology faculty.
Bruce Cuthbert, PhD, has been named acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Cuthbert has held a number of leadership positions at NIMH, most recently as director of its Research Domain Criteria unit.