Spring 2010

Robert MacCallum Receives the 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction

Robert MacCallum, Professor and Director of the Quantitative Psychology Program and L.L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory, was awarded the prestigious 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instructions. Dr. MacCallum was recognized at the January 16th basketball game during the half-time ceremony.

Beth Jordan Receives the 2010 Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education

Beth Jordan, Lecturer and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, was awarded the prestigious 2010 Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Dr. Jordan was recognized at the January 16th basketball game during the half-time ceremony.

Abigail Panter Appointed to Social Security Administration National Advisory Panel

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, has appointed Abigail Panter, Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Professor of Psychology, to the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel. The mission of the Panel is to provide independent advice and recommendations on plans and activities to replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles currently used in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) disability determination process. The Panel advises SSA on the creation of an occupational information system for disability programs and adjudicative needs. Millions of disability claims will be decided based on the policy and new occupational information system developed and recommended by the Panel.

Fall 2009

Kay Hill is the Recipient of an Excellence in Management Award

Kay Hill, Administrative Manager of the Department of Psychology, is a recipient of the Excellence in Management Award. This award is designed to recognize meritorious and distinguished accomplishments in management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kay was honored at a ceremony on Thursday, October 8, 2009.

Mitch Prinstein Receives the Raymond D. Fowler Award

Mitch Prinstein, Professor and Director of the Clinical Psychology Program, received the Raymond D. Fowler Award, a National award presented annually by the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students to a psychologist who has made an outstanding contribution to the professional development of students.

Summer 2009

Linda Dykstra Appointed Director of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships

Linda Dykstra, Kenan Distinguished Professor and former Dean of the Graduate School, will become director of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships on July 1. She replaces George Lensing at the end of his term.

Spring 2009

Karen Gil Recommended as College of Arts & Sciences Dean

Karen Gil, Lee G. Pedersen Distinguished Professor and Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, will be recommended to the Board of Trustees as the next dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. For more details click here.

Barbara Fredrickson Featured in the Huffington Post

Barbara Fredirckson, Distinguished Professor in the Social Psychology Program, was featured in the Huffington Post Article "What are the Top 10 Positive Emotions?" By Kari Henley. To view the article, click here.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Winners Announced

Laura Andrews and Lauren Rowell, undergraduates in the Psychology Department, presented their research at UNC-CH's 10th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research on April 24, 2009, and their posters were selected as two of the four posters to be displayed at the Undergraduate Library.

Laura Andrews's project was titled "Visual Perception and Alcohol Consumption" and her faculty advisor is Dr. Charlotte Boettiger.

Lauren Rowell's project was titled "Pain Tolerance, Physiology, and Perceived Stress: Difference Between Asians and non-Hispanic Whites" and her faculty advisor is Dr. Susan Girdler.

David Penn Receives the 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction

David Penn, Professor and Assistant Director of the Clinical Psychology Program, received the 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction. He was recognized Wednesday, February 18th at the UNC vs. NC State basketball game.

Mitch Prinstein Receives the 2009 Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Mitch Prinstein, Professor and DIrector of the Clinical Psychology Program, received the 2009 Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He was recognized Wednesday, February 18th at the UNC vs. NC State basketball game.

New Faculty to Joint the Department in Fall 2009

Drs. Anna Bardone-Cone, Antonio Morgan-Lopez and Sophie Trawalter, will be joining the Department in Fall 2009! Dr. Bardone-Cone joins the Clinical Program from the University of Missouri; her research interests involve eating disorders, particularly cause and maintenance models of bulimia nervosa. Dr. Antonio Morgan-Lopez is joining the Quantitative Program and is currently a senior research quantitative psychologist in the Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Division at RTI International. Dr. Sophie Trawlater is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology and the Center on Social Disparities and Health at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University; her research spans the areas of prejudice, stereotyping and inter-group relations.

Fall 2008

Clinical Program Rated in National Top 10

For over 10 years, UNC has been ranked by US News and World Report as one of the top 10 doctoral programs in clinical psychology nationally. In 2008, UNC Clinical Psychology was ranked #6 nationally.

Donald Baucom, Karen Gil and Abigail Panter Receive Distinguished Professorships

Donald Baucom, Professor in the Clinical Program, Karen Gil, Professor in the Clinical Program and Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, and Abigail Panter, Professor in the Quantitative Program, were honord on Monday, October 20, 2008 at a ceremony held by the College of Arts and Sciences. Please read below for details regarding each professorship.

Donald Baucom, Richard L. Simpson Distinguished Professor, Psychology: Over the course of more than three decades, Professor Baucom has helped develop the theoretical, empirical and clinical bases for cognitive-behavior therapy, the dominant approach in clinical psychology today. He is a worldwide leader in the use of this approach for evaluating and counseling distressed couples, making UNC the best place to learn, practice and benefit from it. He is an award-winning teacher and mentor to undergraduates and graduate students. He served as Director of UNC's Clinical Psychology program for 12 years and has authored or co-authored more than 166 publications.

Karen Gil, Lee G. Pedersen Distinguished Professor, Psychology: Professor Gil is a recognized expert in health psychology, focusing on coping and adjustment in mental and physical illness. She developed a coping skills intervention to reduce pain and stress in African-Americans with sickle cell disease, which she has since expanded for use by breast cancer survivors. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and senior associate dean for the social sciences and international programs in the College. She previously served as the chair of psychology and senior associate dean for undergraduate education.

Abigail Panter, Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor, Psychology: Professor Panter is an outstanding teacher and academic advisor. She has won multiple teaching honors, including the Tanner Award, Sitterson Freshman Teaching Award, and thee awards from the Psychology Honors Society. In 1999 she received the highest student evaluations among all instructors of First Year Seminars. During her 19 years as a member of the psychology faculty, she has served as an advisor for over 40 undergraduate honors theses. Her research focuses on evaluation methodology, measurement and testing.

Spring 2008

Department Opens the Anxiety and Stress Disorder Clinic

The University of North Carolina Anxiety and Stress Disorders Clinic (ASDC) is a specialty clinic that evaluates, treats, and studies anxiety-related problems. ASDC is one of the few clinics in the U.S. to offer intensive outpatient treatment for severe anxiety disorders. They also serve to train psychologists, educate the public, and update other healthcare professionals on the latest advances in knowledge and treatment of anxiety disorders.

The ASDC was founded in 2006 by Jonathan Abramowitz, Ph.D., ABPP, an internationally recognized expert on anxiety disorders, who also serves as the Clinic's Director. The Clinic is part of the UNC Department of Psychology. The visit the ASDC website, click here.

Fall 2007

Biological Program Changes Name to Behavioral Neuroscience

The Biological Psychology Program has changed their name to the Behavioral Neuroscience Program.  The new name more accurately reflects the research endeavors of our program faculty, the type of training received by our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and is in line with the name used most frequently by other Psychology departments and Research Societies in our area.

Eric Youngstrom Appointed Associate Director for (CERT-BD)

Eric Youngstrom, Associate Professor in the Clinical Program, has been appointed Associate Director for the Center for Excellence in Research and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder (CERT-BD).

Spring 2006

Don Lysle Named Chair of the Psychology Department

Don Lysle, Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Biological Program, will become chair of the Psychology Department beginning July 1, 2007.

Jon Abramowitz Named Associate Chair of the Psychology Department

Jon Abramowitz, Associate Professor in the Clinical Program, will become chair of the Psychology Department beginning July 1, 2007.

Karen Gil Appointed Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences

Karen Gil, Gillian T. Cell Distinguished Professor in the Clinical Program, will become Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences beginning July 1, 2007.

Psychology Department Hires New Faculty

Welcome to Drs. Charlotte Boettiger (Biological Program), Sy-Miin Chow (Quantitative Program), Stacie Craft (Clinical Program/John Umstead Hospital), Enrique Neblett (Clinical Program), and Jason Vogler (Clinical Program/John Umstead Hospital). Drs. Boettiger, Chow, Craft and Vogler will be joining the Department in the Fall of 2007; Dr. Neblett will be joining the Department in the Fall of 2008.

View Photos from Commencement

Winners of the Baughman Award Announced

Leslie Vaughan, Cognitive Psychology graduate student, and Brad Fischer, Biological Psychology student, are the recipients of the 2007 Baughman Dissertation Research Award. These awards honor Earl and Barbara Baughman for their many contributions to the Department over the years. Baughman Awards provide some summer funding to students who are working on their dissertations. Leslie's dissertation is entitled "Executive function in daily life: Age-related influences of executive processes on instrumental activities of daily living"; it is being carried out under the advisorship of Kelly Giovanello, Assistant Professor in the Cognitive Program. Brad's dissertation is entitled "Interactive behavioral effects of morphine and glutamate receptor antagonists," and is being carried out under the advisorship of Linda Dykstra, William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor in the Biological Program and Dean of the Graduate School.

View Photos from the Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Steve Reznick Appointed Associate Dean for First Year Seminars & Academic Experiences

Steve Reznick, Professor and Director of the Developmental Program, will become Associate Dean for First Year Seminars and Academic Experiences, effective July 1, 2007.

Kelly Giovanello Receives Research Award

Kelly Giovanello, Assistant Professor in the Cognitive Program, was awarded the 2007 Gordon H. DeFriese Career Development in Aging Research Award from the UNC Institute on Aging. This annual award honors Dr. DeFriese's thirty-year distinguished career in the conduct and development of research to improve the quality of lives of older North Carolinians, and especially his unwavering commitment to developing and supporting the careers of his colleagues. The award is given to one junior faculty/staff member and one doctoral student from UNC Chapel Hill who demonstrate commitment to and outstanding promise in aging research.

Abigail Panter Receives Freshman Teaching Award

Abigail Panter, Associate Professor in the Quantitative Program, was awarded the J. Carlyle Sitterson Freshman Teaching Award by the College of Arts and Sciences. The Sitterson Award recognizes excellence in teaching to first-year students by a tenured or tenure track faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Mark Hollins Receives Teaching Award

Mark Hollins, Professor in the Biological and Cognitive Programs and Director of Graduate Studies in Psychology since 1995, was awarded the 2007 Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Teaching and Mentoring.  This award was first given by the University in 1995 to recognize the important role of post-baccalaureate teaching.

Barbara Atkins Receives Robert R. Cornwell Unsung Hero Award

Barbara Atkins, Student Services Manager, was awarded the University’s Robert R. Cornwell Unsung Hero Award. She received a plaque at a celebration on Monday, March 19, 2007. The award goes annually to a university employee who has provided significant service in support of the University over a long period of time and, generally, from a background and sometimes unnoticed position.