Image: Congratulations to four faculty members in the Department of Psychology who have recently received national grant awards! Keep up the great work! Dr. Katie Ehrlich has recently received TWO grant awards. The first NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation that will focus on proinflammatory phenotypes and depression risk in youth. Katie’s second award is a R03 from NIH focusing on the effects of exposure to parental depression as a risk factor for downstream youth physical health. This longitudinal project will examine inter-generational risk transmission and the findings will inform interventions to identify protective factors for youth. Dr. Greg Strauss received a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation that will extend Greg’s program of research on psychosis by focusing on at risk youth and examining change over time to examine the mechanisms of disease progression. Dr. Larry Sweet was recently awarded an R01 from NIH to use neuroeconomics to understand alcohol overevaluation among individuals with alcohol use disorders, using state of the art brain imaging techniques. Dr. Steve Beach, along with Dr. Gene Brody (Center for Family Research and FACS) were recently awarded an R01 from NIH to study the origins of chronic diseases of aging among rural African American young adults. This extends a long line of important research examining the unique experiences of African Americans in the rural South. By understanding and preventing the emergence of health disparities in this population, during key transitions such as the transition to adulthood, this program of research will both extend our scientific understanding of aging and offer practical guidance to reduce these chronic health disparities.
