Gene Brody | |
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Born | |
Citizenship | American |
Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A., 1972) University of Arizona (M.A., 1973; Ph.D., 1976) |
Known for | Educational and social adjustment in children Biological and physiological effects of psychological stress |
Awards | Reuben Hill Award from the National Council on Family Relations (2005, 2007); Advances in Culture and Diversity in Prevention Science Award, Society for Prevention Research, 2017; Presidents’ Award of Distinction for Team Science, Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, 2019; James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award for lifetime achievement from the Association for Psychological Science (2023) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Developmental psychology |
Institutions | University of Georgia Emory University |
Thesis | Factors influencing selective incorporation of modeled behavior into moral judgments in young children (1976) |
Gene Howard Brody is an American developmental psychologist and prevention scientist and Regent's Professor at the University of Georgia and is the founder and co-director of the University of Georgia's Center for Family Research. [1] He is known for his research on the physiological, biological, and mental health effects of poverty, community disadvantage, and racial discrimination and for the development of efficacious prevention programs for African American youth and their families. [2] [3] [4]
Brody grew up in California and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1972. He then earned a Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology at the University of Arizona in 1973 followed by a PhD in Developmental Psychology in 1976 also at the University of Arizona. [1]
He began his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Georgia in 1976 [5] and began a program of research in which he became known for examining the physiological, biological, and mental health effects of poverty, community disadvantage, and racial discrimination. [2] [3] His longitudinal studies that focus on strengths rather than deficits in investigating resilience among Black Americans have not only demonstrated how such work can help narrow disparities but has influenced theoretical and methodological approaches in developmental and prevention science. [6] His research has shown, for example, that African American youth who are exposed to family economic hardship and racial discrimination in childhood and adolescence are more likely to develop diabetes, increased allostatic load, accelerated cellular aging, and higher levels of systemic inflammation later in life. [7] [8] He has also investigated how these effects can be offset by other environmental variables, such as support from family members. [2] [3]
Brody's recent research has shed light on the ways in which there may be physiological costs associated with achieving resilience on outward indicators of psychosocial functioning, a phenomenon known as “skin-deep resilience”. [9] [10] Although high levels of self-control, goal directed behavior, and high-effort coping are thought to contribute to outward signs of resilience in adverse environments, these same behaviors may undermine individuals’ physical health as a result of the physical strain and wear-and-tear associated with growing up with socioeconomic disadvantage.
Much of this research has led to deeper work understanding prevention strategies and direct intervention programs which focus on strengthening family relationships, parenting processes and youth competencies as well as preventing negative outcomes. The Strong African American Families and Strong African American Families-Teen programs for preadolescents and adolescents have been embedded in communities across the United States. [4]
The Association for Psychological Science awarded him a lifetime achievement award in 2023. [11]
Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin. Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain group. Governments can discriminate in a de facto fashion or explicitly in law, for example through policies of racial segregation, disparate enforcement of laws, or disproportionate allocation of resources. Some jurisdictions have anti-discrimination laws which prohibit the government or individuals from discriminating based on race in various circumstances. Some institutions and laws use affirmative action to attempt to overcome or compensate for the effects of racial discrimination. In some cases, this is simply enhanced recruitment of members of underrepresented groups; in other cases, there are firm racial quotas. Opponents of strong remedies like quotas characterize them as reverse discrimination, where members of a dominant or majority group are discriminated against.
The University of Georgia is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1785, it is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. The flagship school of the University System of Georgia, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public universities in the United States.
Allostatic load is "the wear and tear on the body" which accumulates as an individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress. The term was coined by Bruce McEwen and Eliot Stellar in 1993. It represents the physiological consequences of chronic exposure to fluctuating or heightened neural or neuroendocrine response which results from repeated or prolonged chronic stress.
Early childhood is a critical period in a child's life that includes ages from conception to five years old. Psychological stress is an inevitable part of life. Human beings can experience stress from an early age. Although stress is a factor for the average human being, it can be a positive or negative molding aspect in a young child's life.
Margaret Beale Spencer is an American psychologist whose work centers on the effects of ethnicity, gender, and race on youth and adolescent development. She currently serves as the Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago. Dr. Spencer's career spans more than 30 years and consists of over 115 published articles and chapters, stemming from work funded by over two-dozen foundations and federal agencies.
Velma McBride Murry is an American psychologist and sociologist, currently the Lois Autrey Betts Chair in Education and Human Development and Joe B. Wyatt Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University.
Ann S. Masten is a professor at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota known for her research on the development of resilience and for advancing theory on the positive outcomes of children and families facing adversity. Masten received the American Psychological Association Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Service of Science and Society in 2014. She has served as President of the Society for Research in Child Development and of Division 7 (Developmental) of the American Psychological Association.
The weathering hypothesis was proposed to account for early health deterioration as a result of cumulative exposure to experiences of social, economic and political adversity. It is well documented that minority groups and marginalized communities suffer from poorer health outcomes. This may be due to a multitude of stressors including prejudice, social alienation, institutional bias, political oppression, economic exclusion and racial discrimination. The weathering hypothesis proposes that the cumulative burden of these stressors as individuals age is "weathering," and the increased weathering experienced by minority groups compared to others can account for differences in health outcomes. In recent years, the biological plausibility of the weathering hypothesis has been investigated in studies evaluating the physiological effects of social, environmental and political stressors among marginalized communities. This has led to more widespread use of the weathering hypothesis as a framework for explaining health disparities on the basis of differential exposure to racially based stressors. Researchers have also identified patterns connecting weathering to biological phenomena associated with stress and aging, such as allostatic load, epigenetics, telomere shortening, and accelerated brain aging.
Sharon Horne is a scientist known for conducting research on LGBTQ issues, mental health and college student development, and international psychology concerns. Horne is Professor of Counseling Psychology and the Director of Training for the American Psychological Association Accredited Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is a representative to the APA International Psychology Network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Issues (IPsyNet), and chaired the policy committee that drafted the IpsyNet Statement and Commitment on LGBTI Concerns.
Lisa Bowleg is an applied social psychologist known for conducting research on intersectionality in social and behavioral science and the relationship between social-contextual factors and stress, resilience, and HIV risk in Black communities.
Candice Lynn Odgers is a developmental and quantitative psychologist who studies how early adversity and exposure to poverty influences adolescent mental health. Her team has developed new approaches for studying health and development using mobile devices and online tools, with a focus on how digital tools and spaces can be improved to support children and adolescents. Odgers is currently a professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine and a research professor at Duke University. Odgers is also the co-director of the Child and Brain Development Program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Faye Z. Belgrave is a psychologist known for her research conducted for the benefit of the African American youth, specifically in the areas of substance abuse and HIV. She is currently a professor of Psychology and the founding director of the Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention (CCEP) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Rosemary Elaine Phelps is an American counseling psychologist whose work has focused on racial identity and the race-related stress experienced by racially diverse students and faculty in higher education. She is known for her advocacy and mentoring of students and faculty of color and her commitment to training counseling psychologists to be culturally responsive and competent. Phelps is Professor and Coordinator of Undergraduate Service Courses in the Department of Human Counseling and Services at the University of Georgia.
Jennifer Woolard is a developmental psychologist known for work within the juvenile justice system. Woolard is professor of psychology and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University. She is involved in the Youth In Custody Practice Model Initiative at the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, which seeks to adopt evidence-based developmentally-appropriate practices within juvenile correctional institutions.
Scyatta A. Wallace is a developmental psychologist who studies how gender, race, and culture impact health outcomes of urban Black youth. In her community-based research and practice, Wallace emphasizes the importance of cultural competence and the need to diversify the workforce in health and mental health professions to better serve ethnic-minority communities. Wallace is an associate professor of psychology with tenure at St. John's University.
Mia A. Smith-Bynum a clinical psychologist who specializes in family science and is known for her research on mental health, parenting, family interactions, communication, and racial-ethnic socialization in ethnic minority families. Smith-Bynum is associate professor of Family Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland-College Park, where she is also affiliated with the Maryland Population Research Center. She is Chair of the Black Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development.
Shauna Michelle Cooper is an American psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research considers how race, culture and context influence the development of African-American young people.
Mark T. Greenberg is the emeritus holder of The Bennett Endowed Chair in Prevention Research in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development, and founding director of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at the Pennsylvania State University. He is the chair of CREATE for Education, a non-profit organization that promotes caring and compassion in education.
Diane Leslie Hughes is a developmental psychologist known for her research on racial-ethnic socialization, parent-child communication about discrimination and racism, interracial relationships, and the influence of racial ecology on people's experiences in social settings. She is Professor of Applied Psychology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and co-director of the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education at New York University.
Karen Patricia Williams is an American professor of women's health who is director of the Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children and Youth in the College of Nursing at Ohio State University. Williams is a NIH funded scholar with expertise in community-based participatory research, health services research and women's health policy. She is interested in the intersection of cardiovascular disease and cancer risk in women, as well as how families and various culturally specific networks can be engaged in cancer prevention and control.