Developmental psychologist Keith Whitfield, PhD, is the new president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Whitfield was previously the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wayne State University. Prior to that, he spent five years as vice president of academic affairs at Duke University, where he directed the Center on Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research and the developmental psychology program.
Yale University assistant professor of psychology Dylan Gee, PhD, has won this year’s Flux: The Young Investigator Award in Cognitive Neuroscience, a prize presented by the Flux: The Society for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience to an early career scientist pursuing promising research. Gee’s research focuses on brain development in childhood and adolescence and how genetic and environmental factors can affect a person’s risk for psychopathology.
Pace University has named developmental psychologist Tresmaine R. Grimes, PhD, as dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. Grimes was previously the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey, since 2015. Prior to that she served as the assistant vice president for academic affairs at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, for eight years.
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $3.29 million to Lehigh University psychologists Bridget V. Dever, PhD, and George J. DuPaul, PhD, who are part of a multidisciplinary team studying face-to-face and online behavioral education for parents of young children who are exhibiting early behavioral symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dever is an associate professor and director of school psychology in the College of Education and DuPaul is a professor of school psychology and associate dean for research in the College of Education. The grant will allow their team to study how each type of intervention improves parents’ adherence to behavior management strategies and children’s academic skills.
APA has presented the Lifetime Distinguished Contributions Award to Melba J.T. Vasquez, PhD, a pioneer for psychologists of color in the association and the first Latina and woman of color to serve as APA’s president, in 2011. Vasquez co-founded the National Multicultural Conference and Summit and APA’s Div. 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race). She has served several terms on APA’s Board of Directors and is a past president of Div. 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) and Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women).
University of California, Berkeley, psychologist Matthew Walker, PhD, has won the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization from the nonprofit organization Wonderfest, which recognizes researchers who advance the public’s understanding of science. Walker is the author of “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams,” on the science behind why a good night’s sleep is so critical to our health and well-being. Walker is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Berkeley and directs the Center for Human Sleep Science.
Texas A&M University–Commerce has named DeMarquis Hayes, PhD, as assistant dean of the College of Education and Human Services. Hayes was previously head of the university’s department of psychology and special education. His research focuses on resilience and vulnerability in children and adolescents and what helps ethnic-minority students succeed in higher education.