The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has elected Felicia Hill-Briggs, PhD, as its president for health care and education. Hill-Briggs is professor of medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As ADA president, Hill-Briggs, who has Type 1 diabetes, plans to enhance the association’s public health programs and build evidence about the social determinants of health in diabetes to inform practice and policy.
Adam Leventhal, PhD , served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine panel that wrote the newly released report for Congress " Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettesopens in new window ." The report found that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to transition to conventional cigarettes, but the devices also show promise in helping adults to stop smoking. Leventhal directs the Health, Emotion, and Addiction Lab at the University of Southern California, where he is a professor of preventive medicine and psychology.
Princeton University has named Stacey Sinclair, PhD, head of Mathey College, one of the university’s six residential colleges. Her four-year term begins July 1.
Sinclair is a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton who investigates the effects of group stereotyping and prejudice on individual behavior. She served as the university’s director of graduate studies in psychology from 2015 to 2017.
The Conference of Southern Graduate Schools has presented its Outstanding Mentor Award to Brad Dufrene, PhD, of the University of Southern Mississippi. Dufrene was nominated by current and former students for his ability to work with doctoral students on their career plans as well as on their writing and critical-thinking skills. Dufrene is a professor of psychology and director of the School Psychology Service Center and Behavior Analysis Lab at the university.
The Office of the Provost at Purdue University has named David Rollock, PhD, among its 150th Anniversary Professors, a designation that honors the university’s most outstanding teachers as part of Purdue’s sesquicentennial anniversary in 2019. Rollock, who has taught at Purdue since 1988, is a professor of psychological sciences and head of the department of clinical psychology; he conducts research on cultural adjustment and well-being among African-Americans and Asian-Americans.
The Social and Affective Neuroscience Society has presented its inaugural Early Career Award to Harvard University associate professor of psychology Leah H. Somerville, PhD, for her research on adolescent brain development. Somerville directs Harvard’s Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab, where she studies how brain development relates to changes in teens’ motivation, decision-making, emotion and risk for psychiatric illness.
Drexel University has appointed Kirk Heilbrun, PhD, as its new ombuds responsible for dispute resolution throughout the university. Heilbrun, who served as psychology department chair at Drexel from 1999 to 2012, was chosen for his expertise in clinical and forensic psychology and his leadership experience. He will continue teaching and supervising while serving as ombuds.
APA has named Eddy Ameen, PhD, associate executive director of the association’s new Office on Graduate Student and Early Career Affairs. Ameen has previously served as director of APA’s Office on Early Career Psychologists and as assistant director of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students.