In the March issue of Psychiatric News, results for a study on what makes expert witnesses credible with jurors, was published.  The study was headed by Robert Cramer, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Alabama.  Follow the link below to read the full article:

httphttp://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/44/12/4-a?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=Arehart-Treichel+&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT

Dr. John Lochman, professor of psychology at The University of Alabama, has received the International Collaborative Prevention Research Award from the Society for Prevention Research.  Lochman holds the Doddridge Saxon Chair in Clinical Psychology at UA and is director of the Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems.  The award "recognizes contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of international collaboration."  Lochman has collaborated with colleagues at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands on treatments for aggressive behavior and substance abuse in chilcren and adolescents.  Since 2007, Lochman has been a special visiting professor in the Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Utrecht, and in 2004 Utrecht awarded him an honorary doctorate. 

Lochman's research led to the development of "Coping Power," a school-based program that provides a structured intervention into the lives of children in late elementary school and middle school who are the most aggressive and disruptive.  The program takes a cognitive-behavioral approach that involves 34 group sessions with children and parents.  In these sessions, children learn and model different behaviors for handling stress, anger, peer pressure and other situations; parents learn how to give positive attention and consistent rules.  Lochman has worked on an experimantal trial of "Coping Power" in the Netherlands as well as a study of affective decision-making as a potential mediator of program effects on adolescents' tobacco and marijuana use.

Lochman also has received the 2007 Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award at UA and has more than 260 publications to his credit.  He also is a fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the American Psychological Association Society of Clinical Psychology.

The psychology department is part of the college of Arts and Sciences, the University's largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state.  Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

 

Two University of Alabama doctorate candidates in psychology, Martin Morthland and Avani Shah, have devised a method of treatment for people with mild depression without medication.  Their Good Life Program, a self-help intervention for depression with a focus on technology, targets adults ages 55 and older.

For the complete article, see the link below:

www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090312/NEWS/903111957/1007

The 8th Annual Alabama Autism Conference is specifically designed to transfer the very latest research regarding etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and related Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  The Conference will be beneficial to both professionals engaged in direct service provision and professionals engaged in research with individuals who have ASD.  This year's conference focuses on the repetitive behaviors and obsessive interests that are part of the diagnosis of an ASD and that often interfere with everyday life.  Participants will receive an interdisciplinary perspective on these behaviors including presentations from psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavioral educators, and parents of adults with ASD.

For more information, see the link below:

autism.ua.edu

Dr. Randy Salekin Opens the Disruptive Behavior Clinic for Children and Adolescents

The Disruptive Behavior Clinic has been opened by Dr. Randy Salekin in the University of Alabama Psychological Clinic.  The clinic is designed to provide assessment and treatment for conduct problem youth and compliments other clinical work being conducted in the broader Psychology Clinic.  For more information, contact the Disruptive Behavior Clinic, 251-A Gordon Palmer Hall, 205-348-5000.

Jeffrey A. Levitetz of Boca Raton, Florida, has contributed $20,000 to The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama to honor Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Rosenberg and to promote the education of students in the college of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama.  Mr. Levitetz desires that this gift be accepted and maintained by The University of Alabama as a permanent fund to be named the Jerry Rosenberg Endowed Scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences.  Priority of consideration for recipients will be given to students enrolled in New College.

Dr. Jerome Rosenberg, a highly respected and admired faculty member in the Department of Psychology and New College, received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Florida State University.  As an expert on the Holocaust, he has worked with Holocaust survivors and is a liaison to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum, a charter member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a past chair of the Alabama Holocaust Advisory Council, and a current member of the Alabama Holocaust Commission. 

Also a scholar of human survival and ethics, Dr. Rosenberg has served on the ethical review board for Hospice of West Alabama and is an instructor and planning member of the Thanatology Certificate Program in the College of Continuing Studies, a program which teaches professionals how to assist the dying and the bereaved.  Dr. Rosenberg has taken a keen interest in undergraduate education at the University and is presently the Psi Chi sponsor and the former Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology.

The donor, Jeffrey A. Levitetz, founder and CEO of Purity Wholesale Grocers, is a distinguished alumnus of New College, who graduated in 1980 with a bachelor of arts.  Mr. Levitetz has fond memories of his entrepreneurial beginnings at the University and recognizes the impact Dr. Rosenberg had on his education as well as that of so many others.  Through this endowment, Mr. Levitetz wishes to honor Dr. Rosenberg and to support academic excellence within the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama in perpetuity.

The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama has accepted this generous contribution of Mr. Levitetz and has established the Jerry Rosenberg Endowed Scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Laura Pence, a graduate student in the Ph.D. program here in the Psychology Department at The Univerisity of Alabama, has been selected to be a Fellow in The National Cancer Institute's Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program (CPFP).  This is a very competitive and very prestigious three year post-doc at the National Cancer Institute, of which she was in the first round of candidates picked, and was one of 5 selected out of over 200 applicants.  This post-doc entails MPH training the 1st year at the University of her choice, and then 2 years of intensive research training at NCI.  Our congratulations go out to Laura.  Well done!

Patti Thomas Receives McKinley Employee Award

Capstone Awards recently awarded the Vergil Parks McKinley, Sr. Employee Award to our own Patti Thomas.  This award provides an opportunity to honor individual employees, departments, or teams for their exemplary performance, winning spirit, exceptional customer service, and enterprising ways.  As Administrative Specialist in the Psychology Department, and a University of Alabama employee for 20 years, Patti has gone above and beyond to insure these traits are a vital part of her character, and is an outstanding asset to this department.  She is very deserving of this prestigious award, and our thanks for her service and congratulations go out to her.

The Vergil Parks McKinley, Sr. Employee Award, established by John K. McKinley and the late Helen H. McKinley, recognizes enterprising employees, who by action or idea, contribute to The University of Alabama's mission of teaching, research and service.  The award honors Dr. Vergil Parks McKinley, a long-time professor at the UA who began his career in 1918 and retired in 1945 as head of the Trade and Industrial Development Department in the College of Education.

 

At the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention held recently in Boston, MA, Dr. Forrest Scogin was awarded the "M. Powell Lawton Distinguished Contribution Award for Applied Gerontology" given by the American Psychology Association Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and the Retirement Research Foundation.  Dr. Scogin is a clinical psychologist at the University of Alabama with research interests in geropsychology, depression, and psychotherapy research.

Dr. Randy Salekin To Be a New Associate Editor for APAs Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Dr. Randy Salekin is to be a new Associate Editor for APAs Journal of Abnormal Psychology and will also start as Editor in Chief for the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment.  Randy stated that he is "excited about the opportunity to be part of the APA editorial team for a journal like Abnormal where science is cutting edge and so many terrific articles are published."  He also stated that he is "looking forward to taking on the role of editor for the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment."

Dr. Beverly Thorn First Recipient of The Beverly Thorn Award for Outstanding DCT Service

The Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology presented Dr. Beverly Thorn with The Beverly Thorn Award for Outstanding DCT (Director of Clinical Training) Service in January 2008, as Chair, Board Member, and Friend. 

Dr. Thorn, a professor in The University of Alabama Psychology Department, served as the Director of Clinical Training in the Psychology PhD program for 14 years, from 1992-2006.

Dr. John Lochman Chosen as the Recipient of the 2007 Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award

Dr. John Lochman has recently been chosen as the recipient of the 2007 Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award, joining a remarkable group of the University of Alabama's most distinguished faculty.  The Burnum Award recognizes faculty members who are excellent scholars and teachers, bringing creative achievements to inspire students and bring credit to The University of Alabama.

Dr. Lochman specializes in the behavior and treatment of high-risk aggressive children and adolescents.  His nationally acclaimed program, "Coping Power", is a school-based intervation program for children with aggressive behaviors consisting of structured group sessions and periodic individual sessions for both child and parent.  He is a professor and Saxon Chair of Clinical Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama.

There will be a public lecture and awards dinner to honor Dr. Lochman announced at a later date.  Congratulations!

Recognition is in order for seven out of approximately eighty graduate students who were nominated for the Outstanding Teaching, Research, and Service Awards.  The nomination alone recognizes their excellent work.  They are Joe Chandler, Melissa Snarski, Victoria Tomczak, Michelle Hilgeman, Tess Neal, Brad Okdie, and Amie Williams. 

Congratulations to the winners of the awards.  They are as follows:

• Paul Siegel Teaching Award and nominee for the A&S Outstanding Teaching by a Doctoral Student Award - Joe Chandler
• Norman Ellis/Oliver Ellis Research Award and nominee for the A&S Ourstanding Research by a Doctoral Student Award - Adriana Yon
• Psychology Department Outstanding Research by a Master's Student Award and nominee for the A&S award by the same name - Michelle Hilgeman
• Departmental Nominee for the A&S Outstanding Service by a Graduate Student Award - Aimee Williams

Dr. John Lochman, professor and Saxon Chair of Clinical Psychology at The University of Alabama, has been elected to the board of directors of the international Society for Prevention Research and appointed to a professorship at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Lochman, a professor in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, will be part of the Society for Prevention Research's board from 2007-2009.  The society, which has close connections to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Mental Health, seeks to advance science-based prevention programs and policies through empirical research.

The international membership of the organization includes scientists, practitioners, administrators and policy makers who are concerned with the prevention of social, physical and mental health problems and the promotion of health, safety and well-being.

At the University of Utrecht, Lochman will serve as special professor of interdisciplinary behavioral research within the department of social sciences, visiting professor in the Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neurosciences and visiting professor in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry.

"I see this professorship as a unique opportunity to further develop collaborative research with colleagues in the Netherlands, especially in studying the relation between neurocognitive function and aggressive behavior.  I am also very excited about facilitating innovative research that I envision coming from the Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems here at UA," said Lochman, who directs that center.

Lochman specializes in the behavior and treatment of high-risk aggressive children and adolescents.  He has conducted extensive research into preventive intervention programs and cognitive-behavioral intervention techniques for high-risk children both at school and in the family.

His nationally acclaimed program, "Coping Power," is a school-based intervation program for children with aggressive behaviors consisting of structured group sessions and periodic individual sessions for both the child and parent.  Studies of children with aggressive behavior in two states and in the Netherlands indicate the program is effective in reducing delinquency and substance abuse rates among youth.  The behavior program has been published in English, Dutch and Spanish.  In 2004, Lochman's work was recognized with an honorary doctorate by the University of Utrecht.

Lochman is also the recipient of the University's 2006 Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award.  The Blackmon-Moody Award is one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty at The University of Alabama.

Lochman, who is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, has published more than 125 journal articles, 60 book chapters and two books, and has presented almost 200 papers at psychology conferences.

He serves as editor-in-chief for the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, is on the editorial boards for Developmental Psychology, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and Behavior Therapy, is an editorial consultant for Child Development and action editor for Prevention Science.

 

Rob Cramer, a University of Alabama graduate student in clinical psychology from Shrub Oak, N.Y., has been selected as a recipient of a National Science Foundation Fellowship. 

The National Science Foundation Fellowhip Program is designed to foster international collaboration between American students and researchers abroad.

Cramer is studying in Australia as a part of the NSF's East Asia and Pacific summer Institute.  The NSF Institute introduces students to East Asia and Pacific science and engineering in the context of a research laboratory and it initiates relationships that will enable students to collaborate with foreign counterparts in the future.  The institute lasts some eight weeks from June-August.

Cramer was awarded the fellowship to study with Drs. Jack White and Andy Day at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia, this summer.  While there, he is assisting White in his clinical practice and conducting research on personality functioning in an offender sample.

"I feel very fortunate to be the recipient of such an opportunity," said Cramer.

Participating in this program has provided Cramer with opportunities including meeting scientists in varying disciplines across the country, learning differences in the legal system in Australia and collaborating with psychologists and graduate students in Adelaide.

He is pursuing his doctorate in clinical psychology with specialization in psychology-law under Dr. Stan Brodsky, UA professor of psychology.  "Working with Dr. Brodsky has been nothing short of perfect," said Cramer.  "He has been a wonderful mentor and I have relied on him for professional development and guidance throughout my time in Alabama."

His work centers on efficacious expert testimony, jury selection and hate crimes.  Cramer also has an interest in young adult development and he works part-time as a trainee for the University Counseling Center.

Noted research psychologist Dr. Norman R. Ellis, professor emeritus of psychology, has been honored by his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Rowe Thomas of Birmingham, by creating the Norman R. Ellis Endowed Scholarship in the Department of Psychology. Scholarships will be given to undergraduate students majoring in psychology. 

Norman R. Ellis received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Howard College in 1951, his Master of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Alabama in 1953 and his doctorate in psychology from Louisiana State University in 1957.  Ellis taught at Peabody College before joining the University of Alabama faculty in 1964 where he received the Burnam Distinguished Faculty Award in 1984 and the Outstanding Scholar Award in 1986.  He retired in 1991.

Dr. Randy Salekin to Serve on Editorial Boards of APA Journals

Dr. Randy Salekin has been asked to serve on the editorial boards of APA journals Psychology, Public Policy and Law, and Law and Human Behavior. Congratulations on this appointment.