WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Foundation has launched a fund in honor of Christine Blasey Ford, PhD, to support research by graduate students and early career psychologists on understanding and treating individuals who have experienced traumatic events such as sexual assault, sexual harassment or rape.
Ford is a prominent psychologist who testified before Congress last year that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.
“We are honored to launch the Dr. Christine Blasey Ford grant at APF. As more survivors come forward and speak about their abuse, the science of psychology can help us better understand how to address their trauma,” said APF President Terence Keane, PhD, an expert in trauma psychology. “We are grateful to Professor Heidi Feldman and all the donors who made this grant possible and to Dr. Ford for her contributions to the field.”
The grant was initiated with a gift generated via a GoFundMe campaign started by Heidi Li Feldman, JD, PhD, a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center. The idea came to her while watching Ford’s testimony during Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearings, she said.
“Watching Christine Blasey Ford testify, I realized her professional skills as a collaborator and educator bolstered her ability to participate so effectively. I also feared that she would not be recognized, remembered and valued for her professional achievements as well as her keen sense of civic responsibility,” said Feldman. “As a fellow academic, an endowment of some sort seemed the natural way to commemorate and honor Dr. Ford and make sure her work was recognized, as well as her commitment to our civic good.”
One reason she chose the APF to administer the grant was that its grants often go to early career researchers, who have begun to prove themselves but need to do more work before being able to get larger grants.
“Funding researchers at this stage of their careers keeps the pipeline of top-notch work flowing,” she said.
The grant will be part of APF’s Trauma Fund, administered by experts in the field of trauma psychology. Donations are still being accepted through the APF websiteopens in new window.
Founded in 1953 as the philanthropic arm of the American Psychological Association, APF is an independent non-profit foundation supporting early career psychologists and graduate students using psychology to solve important problems and improve people's lives.