News & Events

Announcement

Dr. Joanna Worthley, former associate dean of the College and chair of the Department of Psychology died on Tuesday, January 4th Service for Joanna will be held on Friday, January 14, at 11:00 a.m. at All Saints Church, 132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101.A reception will follow immediately after the service at the church hall.

In lieu of flowers the family requested that donations to be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org) in honor of Dr. Joanna Worthley or donate to "The Joanna Worthley Excellence in Psychology Fund."

Checks for The Joanna Worthley Excellence in Psychology Fund should be made to The Foundation for CSUSB and in the memo section of the check write The Joanna Worthley Excellence in Psychology Fund. You may send the checks to:

Psychology Faculty Win College Awards

Outstanding Professional Development Award:

Dr. Jan Kottke of the Department of Psychology has developed a systematic program of study in the area of Industrial Organizational Psychology, focusing on issues of prejudice, discrimination, and affirmative action in organizational practices. Her most recent research on the topic of diversity management includes the study of initiatives designed to maximize the potential of diverse workforces. This work has evolved to the point where Dr. Kottke and her colleagues have developed a unique theoretical model, the Full Integration Theory of diversity management, and has embarked on a series of studies to test the theory's core assumptions regarding the processes whereby a homogenous workforce might evolve into a more diverse one. Dr. Kottke has also made significant contributions to the literature on the impact of educational interventions, publishing several articles on educational outcomes and on evaluations of various aspects of classroom instruction. The College of Social & Behavioral Sciences is pleased to award Dr. Kottke the 2006-2007 Outstanding Professional Development Award.

Outstanding Service Award:

Dr. David Chavez of the Department of Psychology has been deeply involved in service activities at CSUSB for more than a decade. His contributions include multiple terms serving as Director of the M.S. Program in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and as Director and Admissions Coordinator of the M.S. Program in Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as serving on numerous departmental, college, and university committees. Additionally, Dr. Chavez has shown remarkable commitment to and involvement in the McNair Scholars Program on campus, having mentored dozens of undergraduate students in research on clinical and cross-cultural psychology, while preparing them to pursue doctoral degrees in the field of psychology. Dr. Chavez has also made significant contributions as student advisor in the psychology program, working extensively with both local and international psychology students. Dr. Chavez's service extends beyond the boundaries of our campus; for the past eight years, he has played an integral role in developing the Psychology and Human Development programs at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus (PDC) by serving as the Psychology Faculty Coordinator to the PDC. The College of Social & Behavioral Sciences is pleased to award Dr. Chavez the 2006-2007 Outstanding Service Award.

ICDFR Appoints New Director

The Institute for Child Development and Family Relations' mission is to promote the optimal development and well-being of children and families in the San Bernardino region through research, education of future professionals, and delivery of services.

Under the guidance of its new director, Sybil Carrre, appointed in September 2006, the institute strives to build a stronger presence in our community. Carrre's immediate goals for the institute are to form partnerships with faculty and community members to address the needs of children and families, to seek funding for research on child developmental issues for families, and to facilitate program development to advance knowledge about critical child development and family issues. Carrre's increased emphasis on promoting research includes sponsoring research proposal development and statistics workshops for faculty, as well as providing assistance with grant applications. Carrre is assisted in the operation of the institute by administrative support coordinator Kathy Rasmussen and student assistants Lindsay Halladay and Jackie Davis. Integral to meeting the institute's goals is the work of Kimberley Lakes, the institute's associate director for pediatric mental health. In July 2004, Lakes established the Community University Initiative for the Development of Attention and Readiness San Bernardino (CUIDAR-SB), modeled after the CUIDAR program in Orange County. CUIDAR-SB provides parent education, children's intervention groups, and teacher training and consultation designed to promote healthy parent-child relationships and optimal child development, particularly in the ocio-emotional and behavioral domains. Lakes also directs the START Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Treatment Center, working with the countywide START committee to establish and monitor the center. Lakes, and Dr. Job of Loma Linda University are co-principal investigators on a recently submitted application for the Institute to serve as the study center for San Bernardino as part of the National Children's Study, a 22- year study of child development. There are several additional programs that are integral components of the institute. The Infant/Toddler Laboratory School provides a developmentally appropriate early childhood education program for children age six weeks to three years, as well as undergraduate and graduate training in child development and behavior under the direction of Amanda Wilcox-Herzog along with site director Genevieve Nystrom. Starting in April, Judith Sylva began offering a Family-Focused

Support and Education Program for families with infants or toddlers to promote the child's growth and development and provide support for parents and families. The University Center for Developmental Disabilities, directed by Dwight Sweeney, provides a program of evaluation, research, and family intervention services for children with autism and their families.

Professor Crawford Accepts Appointment From NIH

Psychology professor Cynthia A. Crawford, the first faculty representative ever from a public comprehensive university in the U.S., has been selected to serve on a panel that approves research grants for the National Institutes of Health. Crawford served as a temporary board member for the NIH for the past two years, and was approached by the agency to fill a permanent position on the panel. More than a year after applying for the position, she recently received her appointment as a member of the Behavioral Regulation, Learning and Ethology Study Section, Center for Scientific Review. Her term is for four years, ending on June 30, 2010. "Membership on a study section represents a major commitment of professional time and energy as well as a unique opportunity to contribute to the national biomedical research effort," said Dr. Antonio Scarpa, director of the Center for Scientific Review in a letter to Dean John Conley. "(These) study sections review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations . to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of science. These functions are of great value to medical and allied research in this country," Scarpa wrote. "This is a prestigious honor for Dr. Crawford," said Conley. ''The invitation to join the NIH Committee came about because of her outstanding achievements in her research, and in recognition of the quality of her leadership on the SCORE grants for this campus, for involving additional faculty from other colleges, and for encouraging and supporting her colleagues in their development of external grant proposals to support their research. "This is the first time that a faculty member from a comprehensive university like CSUSB has been asked to join the NIH Committee," Conley added. "These appointments are usually reserved only for faculty from research I and II universities. This reflects well on this university and raises our profile with the federal funding agencies (as well as) research faculty from around the country who serve on these committees." The selection criteria for the review panel are very stringent, and include expertise and study section-specific requirements.

According to the NIH Center for Scientific Review Web site, "Expertise is the paramount consideration when developing/updating a study section roster. Each scientific area reviewed by the study section needs appropriate expert representation." Candidates also must be recognized authorities in their field, principal investigators on a research project comparable to those being reviewed, and dedicated to high quality, fair reviews. "Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements, and honors," Scarpa wrote. "Service on a study section also requires mature judgment and objectivity as well as the ability to work effectively in a group, qualities we believe Dr. Crawford will bring to this important task." "We usually meet three times a year (October, February and June, usually) and have 10-12 grants to read," said Crawford, who herself received a grant from the NIH in 1999 for her work on D1 receptors and behavioral sensitization. She said she is honored by the appointment, but added she also knows that there will be "a lot of work involved." Crawford will serve on the board in addition to her usual duties at CSUSB.

"This is a prestigious honor for Dr. Crawford. The invitation to join the NIH Committee came about because of her outstanding achievements in her research ..." - Dean John Conley.

McDougall and Reimer Awarded NIH Grants

Professor Sanders McDougall's research, Ontogeny of -opioid/ DA interactions in the basal Ganglia received $336,000 for three years from the National Institutes of Health Score Program.

Associate Professor Jason Reimer, together with University of Nebraska researcher Thomas Lorsbach, has been awarded a NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award of $215,000 to fund a set of experiments that will be the basis for the development of a model of cognitive control in children.

Three Psychology Faculty Members Selected for the Dean's Summer Grant Writing Program

The College Dean's Summer Grant Writing Program awarded $10,000 stipends to Dr. Mark Agars (The Role of Executive Functioning in the Stereotype Threat-Performance Deficit Relationship in Women); Dr. Allen Butt (Cholinergic Modulation and NMDA Receptor-Dependent Plasticity in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus During Pavlovian Trace Conditioning); Dr. John Clapper (Incidental Category Learning); and Dr. Charles Hoffman (Sleep Problems in Children with Autism). The purpose of the Dean's Program is to facilitate development of federal grant proposals.

Funding Secured From San Bernardino's Department of Behavioral Health And First 5 of San Bernardino County

Dr. Kimberley Lakes, in collaboration with Drs. Laura Kamptner, Charles Hoff man and Dwight Sweeney (Education) secured funding totaling $2.8 million/year from San Bernardino's Department of Behavioral Health and First 5 of San Bernardino County for work with at-risk children (ages birth-5) and their families. This is the first major initiative focused on young children's mental health in the Inland Empire.

New Psychology Faculty Appointments with the ICDFR

Psychology faculty are well represented in the Institute for Child Development and Family Relations (ICDFR). Director Sybil Carrere named professors Cynthia Crawford, Amanda Wilcox-Herzog, Laura Kamptner and Charles Hoff man to the institute's multidisciplinary Executive Board.