Phillip Jordan to Be Awarded Arts and Sciences Dean's Awards of Merit

Psychology major and Psi Chi officer Phillip Jordan will be honored by Dean Olin and be recognized at the college's honors convocation at Moody Hall on Honor's Day, Friday, April 18, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.  Phillip and a group of other honorees were congratulated for their accomplishments at a luncheon Tuesday at The University Club. He will be awarded The College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Awards of Merit. 

Jordan is a Gates Scholar and graduating Senior.  Congratulations for your achievements and this honor!

The New Gallery is presenting selected articles and photographs from the Dr. Jerry Rosenberg's collection of Life Magazines, spanning from 1936-2000.  A selected sample from the War Years, 1936-1946, will give the viewer a chance to see information on Nazism and wartime Germany as it was reported to the American people during those years.  From articles on the treatment of Jews to the chilling photographs of a dictator in his glory, this exhibition offers a glimpse at the power of the media and the overwhelming obscurity of acts of genocide that would later be known as the Holocaust.

The exhibition will be displayed on the ground floor of Carmichael Hall March 10, 2008-April 4, 2008.  There will be a closing reception on Wednesday, March 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.  Dr. Rosenberg, as well as students studying the Holocaust, will be on hand to discuss and answer questions.

Dr. Rosenberg is a professor of Psychology at The University of Alabama, specializing in Holocaust studies, dehumanization, trauma and survival ethics, mindsets and behavior.

A 65-year-old research study, an HBO documentary, and his own research have helped solidify Phillip Jordan's life-long passion to aid inner-city African-American children with issues such as self-esteem and expectations.  As a McNair scholar, Jordan chose to replicate a 1939 research study that looked at racial preference among African-American children.  Commonly known as "The Clark Doll Study," researchers asked black children, ages 6-9, their perception of a white doll and a black doll.  The majority of the children said the black doll looked "bad," and nine said the white doll looked "nice."  The test results influenced the U.S. Supreme Court to hold school segregation to unconstitutional in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case.  In 2006, an HBO documentary, "A Girl Like Me," looked at the same issues and found the results were, essentially, the same.

"Watching that HBO documentary really spurred me to do this research project because it fit so well with my goal of working with inner-city kids," says Jordan, a Gates Scholar and the first in his family to attend college.  "The main reason I am in psychology is because I want to do interventions and programs in the community to help turn around the defeatist attitudes I observed in people in my own neighborhood growing up.  I am proactive and positive."

One example of Jordan's role in the community is his service, for the past two years, as a Big Brother.  He is also Treasurer in the University of Alabama Psi Chi Chapter, which is the National Honor Society in Psychology.

In Jordan's study, he examined both black and white preschool children to see if similar preferences for skin tone would replicate the Clark study.  To modernize the study's design, Jordan said he made several changes including using computerized cartoons and offering more choices to the children, such as choosing 'both' or 'neither' when choosing a cartoon in responding to questions.

According to Jordan, his findings revealed that neither the children's gender nor their race affected their selection of the cartoon skin tone.  "THis finding contradicted the findings of others who reported that black children preferred and showed more positive characteristics to whites than to blacks."  In contrast, in a post test that followed the skin tone variation question and involved showing children only a black and white cartoon character, a race effect was found for the question "which cartoon would you choose for your best friend?"

"I told a moral where the positive character was African American to see if this would cause a shift in the children's preferences."  The story was found to have no effect on children's preferences.  "Basically our findings were black children seemed to identify with the black cartoon and white children with the white cartoon.  I don't know why exactly that happens, but I think further research needs to be done to find out."

But, for now, Jordan said this research, coupled with his UA experiences, has well prepared him to move forward toward making his passions his career.

Contrary to popular notions, people at the high end of the autism spectrum disorder continuum suffer most from an inability to model "self" rather than impaired ability to respond to others, said researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine and UA in a report appearing in the journal Neuron.  This inability to model "self" can disrupt an individual's ability to understand the world as a whole, said Dr. P. Read Montahgue Jr., professor neuroscience, and director of the Human Neuroimaging Lab and the Computational Psychiatry Unit at BCM.  "It's an interesting disconnect."  Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, scanner, the researchers scanned the brains of people considered "high functioning" autistics because they have normal or high normal intelligence quotients but many of the symproms of people with autism.  During this procedure, the researchers identified a pattern of activity or "signature" in the brain that identified those with autism.  The level of activity correlates with the severity of the autistic symptoms.  The less activity there is, the more serious the symptoms.  The finding could lead to a test to speed diagnosis.

"Currently, our gold standard approach to diagnosing autism is through parent interviews and behavioral observation," said Dr. Laura Klinger, associate professor of psychology at UA and co-author of the study appearing in the curremt issue of the journal.  "This kind of research has important implications for early diagnosis which is vital.  Children who receive early diagnosis and intervention show substantially higher IQ, better academic achievement, and stronger social skills."  Klinger founded and directs a UA research clinic specializing in autism and related disorders.

"We've known for a long time that autism is a neurological brain disorder," said Dr. Mark Klinger, associate professor of psychology at UA and co-author of the study.  "However, it has proven very difficult to find the specific regions of the brain that differ in autism.  This research could focus a great deal of new investigation into the cingulate cortex as an area that may be crucial to the brain and thinking difference in persons with autism."

Funding for this work came from The Kane Family Foundation, The Dana Foundation and Autism Speaks, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, The Angel Williamson Imaging Center, and the American Psychological Association.

A key Alzheimer's disease study group, co-chaired by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, is tapping the expertise of a University of Alabama researcher to brief its members on caregiver support.  Dr. Louis Burgio, distinguished research professor at The University of Alabama's Center for Mental Health and Aging, will prepare a PowerPoint slide series for a briefing Tuesday, March 11 to help the Alzheimer's Study Group in the area of caregiver support.  The area is one of 16 on which the group is focusing.  Burgio also will be interviewed by telephone, and his presentation and interview will be made public by the committee.  Burgio said one key aspect in looking at national Alzheimer's policy lies in finding ways through government policy to intervene when caregivers for Alzheimer's patients need help.

  "The assistance available to Alzheimer's caregivers is minimal,"  Burgio said.  "We've got to change that.  We are currently experiencing a public health crisis that will become a public health catastrophe over the next 20 years unless we begin addressing this problem right now.  This is one of those rare opportunities to affect policy."

The Alzheimer's Study Group (http://www.alzstudygroup.org) is a task force of national leaders charged with creating an Alzheimer's National Strategic Plan, according to the group's Web site.  The group is assessing the country's efforts to combat Alzheimer's and recommend strategies to accelerate progress toward defeating the disease.  In addition to Gingrich and Kerrey, group members include former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and former U.S. Surgeon General David Sacher.

Burgio has worked extensively in applied gerontology and has been the recipient of continued National Institutes of Health funding since 1990.  He was a member of NIH's National Council for Nursing Research.  His research focuses on examining environmental and behavioral interventions for reducing stress in dementia caregivers in community and nursing home settings.  Burgio has written more than 130 articles, is a fellow of American Psychological Association, and is on the board of editors for several aging-related journals, including Psychology and Aging.

UA's Center for Mental Health and Aging is part of the psychology department in 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 numberous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

 

11th Annual Graduate Research Conference Held

The 11th Annual Graduate Research Conference was recently held.  Awards went to the top three presentations in which Cassie A. Hull, PhD Candidate in Social Psychology, took 3rd Place with "Self-Presentation in Workplace:  How Combining Modesty and Self-Promotion Increases the Promotability of Women".  Congratulations Cassie!

Drs. Mark and Laura Klinger Help Devise Test for Autism

Along with a team of researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine, University of Alabama psychology professors Mark and Laura Klinger believe they have found a measurable, distinguishable trait in the brain to show some degree of the neurological disorder known as autism.  In a paper published in the scientific journal Neuron, the researchers found that when high-functioning autistic teenagers and non-autistic teenagers performed a particular task, the part of the brain that helps people understand how their actions affect others was essentially inactive for the autistic teens, while the brains of non-autistic teenagers lit up the scans. 

And unlike many earlier brain-imaging studies that showed traits having some overlap between autistic and non-austic people, the pattern of activity is nearly uniform in its appearance or absence, said Mark Klinger, associate professor of psychology at UA and co-author of the paper.  The study also found that the amount of activity in the section of the brain was tied to the severity of the participant's autism. 

"We were absolutely stunned to see such a large effect in this study," said Laura Klinger, director of UA's Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Clinic and co-author of the paper.  "It suggests that we are really onto something." 

The finding came from a unique brain imaging process created at Baylor called hyperscanning, which allows the imaging of two brains at the same time while they interact with each other.  UA supplied the autistic teenagers and taught them to perform the tasks necessary to trigger the brain activity.

Participants in the study played an economic trust game.  The first person was given money in a computer game, then told to give some, none or all to the second person.  The money given was tripled, and the second person then decided whether to give any back to the first person.  If both trust each other, they will maximize the cash they take away.  The autistic teenagers got roughly the same results, but didn't use the same part of the brain. 

"It's not known exactly what the teens thought while playing the game--no scan can show that--but it's clear they weren't thinking the same way about how their actions affected the other person," Laura Klinger said. "The high-functioning autistic group probably used some other part of the brain to compensate, and the next step is finding what part of the brain that is," she said.

"Beyond that, a simpler task needs to be found so the test can be administered to younger children and, ultimately, babies.  One task that has shown some promise in triggering the same brain activity involves showing the person being tested pictures of himself along with pictures of others," Mark Klinger said.

"Even if the test keeps performing well in confirming diagnosis, it is years away from leaving the lab and likely would never be used as the sole method of diagnosing autism," Laura Klinger said.  "We're not ready to use it in the real world, but it gives us information about where to look in the brain and the kind of difficulties these people go through."

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 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008, with the presentation of the award by President Robert Witt at 4:30 p.m. in room 151 Shelby Hall.  After the award presentation, Dr. Lochman will give a lecture on "Youth Antisocial Behavior:  Potential for Prevention."

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Joseph Chandler Receives A&S Award for Excellence in Teaching

Joseph Chandler, a graduate student in the department of Psychology at UA, recently received the Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Doctoral Student.  This is the award for the top graduate student-instructor in the college. Mr. Chandler has taught a number of different classes in the Psychology Department, including Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, and Psychology of Aging.  We congratulate him on receiving this distinguished honor from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Jerome Rosenberg, a professor of Psychology and New College, was recently honored by the LGBT student organization Spectrum.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of LGBT student organizations on campus.  A reception at W.S. Hoole Special Collections was held as 25 years of collected history was handed off to the University of Alabama.  Dr. Rosenberg was invited as a special guest because of his help over the years, and was honored for his commitment to LGBT concerns by awarding him with the Spectrum award for commitment to the community.

Dr. Rosenberg's areas of expertise deal with Holocaust studies, dehumanization, trauma and survival, ethics, mindsets and behavior.

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.

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

Alabama REACH Intervention Project Collaborators Receive Rosalynn Carter Leadership Award

Dr. Lou Burgio from the Center for Mental Health and Aging at the University of Alabama and Ms. Irene Collins, Executive Director of the Alabama Department of Senior Services, were awarded the 2007 Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Leadership Award and a check for $20,000 to continue their work on the Alabama REACH Intervention Project. Congratulations to these recipients for this outstanding achievement

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.

 

UA research professor Dr. Louis Burgio and Carolyn Forner of the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging received funding from the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving to implement components of a program to train family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.

According to Burgio, staff from the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging, based in Calera, will be trained to implement components of the REACH II intervention, one of the most highly effective and widely tested interventions for family caregivers.

REACH II, or Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health II, is one of five innovative partnerships between researchers and community agencies working to provide effective caregiver support funded by the institute, through Johnson & Johnson.

"The ultimate goal in Alabama is to make REACH interventions available in every community through the network of Area Agencies on Aging which is funded by the Older Americans Act," said Burgio.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving was established in 1987 on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Ga., in honor of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, an alumna of Georgia Southwestern to enhance her long-standing commitments to human development and mental health.  The Institute works to establish local, state and national partnerships committed to building more effective long-term care systems and providing greater recognition and support for America's caregivers.

Dr. Burgio has done extensive work in applied gerontology and has been the recipient of continued NIH funding since 1990.  He is a member of NIH's National Council for Nursing Research.  He is presently examining environmental and behavioral interventions for reducing stress in dementia caregivers in community and nursing home settings.  Burgio, a recent recipient of the M. Powell Lawton Award from APA (Div. 20) has authored more than 130 articles, is a Fellow of APA, and is on the board of editors for several aging related journals, including Psychology and Aging.

 

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama is pleased to report that Dr. Beverly Roskos-Ewoldsen has agreed to accept the position of Associate Dean of the Social Sciences, effective August 16, 2007.

Dr. Roskos-Ewoldsen grew up in Minnesota and received her academic training at Iowa State University (1983, BS in Psychology), Indiana University (1989, PhD in Cognitive Psychology), and Vanderbilt University (1989-1991, NIMH-funded Post Doctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Sciences).  She joined the University of Alabama in 1991, where she has taught courses on statistics and sensation and perception.  Her research on visual-spatial cognition has been funded by The National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research.  She has previously served as director of the doctoral program in cognitive psychology and as interim chair, both in the Department of Psychology.

The Dean's Office of the College of Arts and Sciences welcomes Dr. Roskos-Ewoldsen, but she will be greatly missed in the Department of Psychology.  Congratulations on this wonderful opportunity!

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.

The Psychology Department of the University of Alabama honored outstanding Psychology students during the Honors' Day Awards Program which was held Friday, April 6, 2007 in the auditorium at Gordon Palmer Hall.  The assembly included a luncheon, a presentation of Graduate and Undergraduate awards, Psi Chi induction ceremony, and a senior honors poster session.  The following is a list of awards and recipients:

Outstanding Undergraduate Major in Psychology Award - Dana Weathington                              Andrew Reaves Memorial Award - Jessie McAlpine                                                                      Outstanding Thesis Award - Robert Cramer                                                                             Outstanding Research by a Master's Student Award - Amie Williams                                           Paul S. Siegel Teaching Award - Laura Phillips                                                                   Oliver Lacey-Norman Ellis Research Award - Matthew Hocking                                                 Outstanding Dissertation Award - Rachel Fry                                                                           Charlie Rickard Clinical Service Award - Avani Shah                                                                Service to Psychology Award - Chris Harper                                                                              Academic Excellence by a Major in Psychology - Melissa Day, Angela Macon,John Richards,               Abby Smith, Wesley Webber                                                                                      Significant Contributions to Research in Psychology - Chalanda Cabbil, Laural Craig,                      Chris Harper, Angela Macon, Dana Weathington, Jessica Yeakle                                      Psi Chi Inductees for 2007 - Kristen N. Allison, Meagan E. Crisler, Sady E. Duffner,                    Caroline N.  Handey, Stephanie M. Huddleston, Phillip E. Jordan,  Sarah T.Lawrence,           Crystal N. Lowery, Christopher Dale Maddox, Daneh D. Peebles, Michelle L. Rice, Wesley B. Webber

Our congratulations to all of these deserving students.

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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.

Emily Wakeman and Bridget Doane Receive Grant Funding

Both Emily Wakeman and Bridget Doane, independently of each other, received significant grant funding for their dissertation research through The American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) Dissertation Grant in Law and Psychology. We are proud to have them as a part of our Psychology Graduate School Program here at the UA.

Laura Young was recently accepted as one of 30 students/postdocs/professionals into an APA Advanced Training Institute (Science Directorate) on Structural Equation Modeling in Longitudinal Research which will be held at UVA this summer. Good luck with your training.

Psychology Department Is Well Represented at the Undergraduate Research Conference Competition

The University of Alabama Psychology Department recently received four out of six awards presented at the Undergraduate Research Conference Competition. The following is a listing of those winners and the categories in which they won:

Posters

• Angela Macon (Conners/Merrill) - First Place
• Jessica Yeakle (Allen) - Second Place
• Chalanda Cabbil (Thorn) - Third Place

Oral Presentations

• Matthew Sterley (B. Roskos-Ewoldsen) - Third Place

 

Congratulations to all of these students with a job well done!

Two Psychology Graduate Students Represented in UA's Graduate Student Awards

The College of Arts and Sciences took six of the University's seven 2006 awards given to graduate students, with two awards coming from the Department of Psychology.

Laura Phillips received the award for Outstanding Teaching by a Doctoral Student. Phillips was the first individual at The University of Alabama to teach the upper-level undergraduate course Psychology of Aging.  Phillips introduced a course to an undergraduate curriculum which is frequently reserved for faculty teachers.  During her time teaching this course, her enrollment rate increased, and the course is now a standing offering.  Phillips is from Coker.

Avani Shah received the award for Outstanding Service by a Graduate Student.  She also has recently received the Hartford Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.  Shah has designed a book to help elderly people with diminishing mental abilities.  She has provided assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina as well as to children with developmental disabilities.  Shah has volunteered her time to be a teaching assistant for an elementary statistics class, has co-lead a parenting group for Child Abuse Prevention Services and is treasurer of the Alabama Student Gerontological Society of America.  She currently volunteers for stat.help.com, a free web-based statistical consulting service.  Shah is from Tuscaloosa.

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.

Dr. Lou Burgio Publishes Study Findings on Intervention for Dementia Caregivers

Intervention sessions, individually tailored to help people caring for family members with dementia, show promise in reducing rates of clinical depression, according to a multi-site study co-authored by University of Alabama researcher and professor, Dr. Lou Burgio. Study results, published in the November 21 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, indicate the intervention strategies can also significantly ease the burden and improve the quality of life for the caregiver. "Caring for a loved one with dementia presents a number of challenges that can seriously compromise the caregiver's quality of life," said Dr. Burgio.

The researchers found that, overall, the intervention was effective across racial and ethnic groups, with the most significant improvements among HIspanic and white caregivers. In African-Americans, the intervention was effective among spouse-caregivers, but relatively ineffective among caregivers who were caring for a relative other than their husband or wife.

The study enrolled 642 people who were caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder at sites in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, California, and Pennsylvania.