The NAACP has awarded its Dr. William Montague Cobb Award for special achievements in public health at the local level to Carolyn B. Murray, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Murray was honored for her research and activism addressing health disparities in the African-American community. Her previous research investigated the socialization practices used by African-American families and her recent work examines how mental health disparities in the African-American population in California can be addressed.
Connecticut College has presented its Nancy Batson Nisbet Rash Research Award for outstanding scholarly work to Sunil Bhatia, PhD, a professor of human development who studies identity development within the context of transnational migration, neoliberalization and globalization. Bhatia is also the founder of Friends of Shelter Associates, a local chapter of a nonprofit that raises funds to construct toilets in slum settlements in Maharashtra, India.
The Association of Test Publishers has presented its Award for Professional Contributions and Service to Testing to industrial-organizational psychologist Jim Sharf, PhD. Sharf drafted the "Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures" for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and developed the Transportation Security Administration employment tests used to hire airport security screeners. Sharf is a director at Metrics Reporting Inc., a consulting company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that helps employers recruit high-quality talent.
APA is presenting a Citizen Psychologist presidential citation to Lisa Merlo Greene, PhD, for her leadership and service to her community. Greene, a clinical psychologist at the University of Florida College of Medicine, is the founder of Be the Kind, an organization dedicated to improving the community through such activities as distributing clothing and household goods to refugees and assisting with relief efforts after Hurricane Irma. Greene is also a founding board member and volunteer for Drawn from Valor, a charity that partners health professionals with artists to create animated videos to educate children and families affected by chronic health conditions. Read more about the Citizen Psychologist initiative at www.apa.org/about/governance/citizen-psychologist.
Y. Barry Chung, PhD, is the new dean of the College of Education at San Diego State University. Chung had been the associate dean for graduate studies in the School of Education at Indiana University Bloomington since January 2017 and on the faculty in the school's department of counseling and educational psychology since 2012. He is also a member of APA's Council of Representatives for Div. 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology).
Don Pope-Davis, PhD, is the new dean of the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology. Pope-Davis comes from the College of Education at New Mexico State University, where he had been dean since July 2015. His research focuses on multicultural counseling and education and he is a member of APA's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs.
The University of Georgia has named Edward A. Delgado-Romero, PhD, associate dean for faculty and staff services at the College of Education. Delgado-Romero has been on the college faculty for 13 years. His research focuses on Latinx psychology, and he directs an integrated research and outreach program that serves the local Spanish-speaking population.