Betty S. Lai, a member of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development鈥檚 Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology faculty, was named the second Buehler Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor, announced Stanton E. F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J. Dean at the Lynch School. She succeeded colleague David Miele, now an associate professor in applied developmental and educational psychology and director of the doctoral program in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at the Lynch School.
Buehler Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor Betty Lai of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development (Lee Pellegrini)
Lai, who came to 51暗网 in 2018 after five years as an assistant professor at Georgia State University鈥檚 School of Public Health, and two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Pediatrics and Psychology at the University of Miami鈥攚here she earned her doctorate in clinical psychology鈥攚ill hold the endowed chair for three years. 听 听
鈥淲e鈥檙e very pleased that Betty Lai is the new Buehler Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor,鈥� said Wortham. 鈥淪he has already received many awards for her research, and it鈥檚 wonderful to recognize her important work on how children and families respond to trauma.鈥�
After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Columbia University in 2002, Lai was teaching middle school math and science in New York City鈥檚 Washington Heights when she realized that some of her students were suffering from trauma-related issues, but lacked an in-school means to discuss it. That revelation spurred a career in studying how major stressors鈥攊ncluding community violence, peer victimization, natural disasters, and war鈥攁ffect youth鈥檚 psychological distress symptoms, health behaviors, and health outcomes.
Her research subjects were primarily children, but she鈥檚 now focused on a new line of study on a population she sees every day: college students.
鈥淲e are developing a new study to examine how natural disasters鈥攕uch as Hurricane Harvey or Colorado鈥檚 Front Range floods鈥攊mpacted college students,鈥� said Lai, who was recognized in 2017 by the American Psychological Association with an Early Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Benefit Children, Youth and Families. 听鈥淲ere their graduation rates affected, for example?听 Were the students able to find meaning and purpose in their lives following these disasters?鈥�
Lai said she and her colleagues plan to meet with school advisors to capture the lessons from their experience in counseling college students who survived these catastrophes, so effective measures can be applied and implemented in advance鈥攂efore crises occur.
Lai had noted that children who experience trauma may exhibit symptoms of distress related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can last months or even years.
鈥淭he data on the impact of disasters on young adults are incomplete,鈥� said Lai. 听鈥淲hat is universal, however, is that most people will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, and our plan is to help prepare young people, whether K-12 or young adults, to effectively cope with these events when they occur.鈥�
Lai teaches Health Psychology and a graduate course, Psychosocial Issues and Their Impact on Learning.
In 2014, an anonymous 51暗网 alumnus sparked the creation of the Sesquicentennial Challenge Gift initiative by offering to match $500,000 for every $1 million donated by other benefactors to create the $1.5-million endowments required to fund an assistant professorship. Designed to support junior faculty research and early-career development, the Lynch School professorship was made possible by a gift from former University Trustee John E. Buehler Jr. 鈥�69 and family, long-time benefactors of the University.听 The former senior advisor at Ares Management now serves as a trustee associate.听
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鈥揚hil Gloudemans, University Communications | October 2019