Yale University presented its Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication or Research to associate psychology professor Yarrow Dunham, EdD, director of the Social Cognitive Development Lab. The prize recognizes Dunham’s research on how and why people prefer and affiliate with social groups, including how children come to understand social hierarchies and other intergroup dynamics from observing interactions.
California State University, Stanislaus, has presented an Outstanding Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award to Gina Cook, PhD, an Outstanding Community Service Professor Award to Aletha Harven, PhD, and an Outstanding Professor Award to Anita Pedersen-Pennock, PhD. Cook won for efforts to develop and evaluate early intervention programs for underserved children and families. She has worked on the national Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project and is a member of the Collaborative for Understanding the Pedagogy of Infant/Toddler Development, a national group looking at better ways to train the early education workforce. Harven won for her efforts to directly address anti-Black racism on campus and promote inclusion, including by organizing a two-day professional development training on confronting racism that attracted 1,000 educators. Pedersen-Pennock won for her hard work to build rapport with students that extends beyond the classroom, including her mentorship of McNair scholars, research assistants, and LGBTQ+ students.
Montana State University psychologist Monica Skewes, PhD, has won a $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to test an intervention she developed to treat substance use disorders among American Indians. Skewes is working closely with tribal members at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana to develop and deliver the intervention, which trains community members in a culturally adapted version of the relapse prevention model.
The American Board of Professional Psychology has presented a Distinguished Service to the Profession of Psychology Award to Frank M. Dattilio, PhD, ABPP. Dattilio is a clinical psychologist in Allentown, Pennsylvania, known for his research on cognitive behavior therapy and forensic psychology. He has served as an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for 14 years and has maintained a part-time faculty position in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine for 33 years.
The University of Buffalo has presented the 2021 Stockton Kimball Award to Ralph H. Benedict, PhD, a neurology professor in the university’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The award recognizes outstanding scientific achievement and service and is named in honor of the former dean of the medical school. Benedict’s research on cognitive function in patients with multiple sclerosis has led to new understanding of the disease and has advanced developments in treatment.
The Vision Sciences Society has presented its Davida Teller Award to Marisa Carrasco, PhD, a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University. The Teller Award honors pioneering female vision scientists like Carrasco, who began her research career on visual perception and attention at a time when few women were studying vision science. She is known for her mentorship, scholarship, and service to the field, including serving as president of the Vision Sciences Society in 2011.