September Faculty Features

Marilyn Stern, Ph.D., VCU Department of Psychology
Marilyn Stern, Ph.D., professor and director of counseling training in the VCU Department of Psychology, was honored with the Dorothy Booz Black Award for Outstanding Achievement in Counseling Health Psychology from the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, the APA. This APA Division 17 award is one of the highest honors awarded each year. She was honored for her outstanding research and practice in counseling health psychology. Since its inception in 1999, only four awards have been made.

John Nestler, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine
Nestler, professor and chair of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the VCU School of Medicine, recently served on a panel during a media teach-in to present updated research on polycystic ovary syndrome – a condition that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, heart, blood vessels and appearance. The event took place in Washington, D.C., and was hosted by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Nestler and other panelists discussed how new research has shown a stronger link between PCOS and many of its life-threatening complications.

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New additions to the Faison School:

Katherine Matthews, Ph.D., Faison School
Matthews, director of education of the Faison School, promotes generalization among students diagnosed with autism; identifies the relationship between teacher expertise and student outcomes; and advances the verbal abilities of students diagnosed with autism, Asperger’s disorder and pervasive developmental disorders.
She has been involved with introducing evidence-based instruction into the school as part of curriculum development and teacher training.

Susan Williams, Ph.D., Faison School
Williams is a consultant with the Faison School and is engaged in both research and direct clinical care at VCU’s Virginia Treatment Center for Children.
Her primary research and clinical interests are in the area of social skills development and anxiety reduction in school-age youth with autism spectrum disorders. Williams has been involved in several clinical studies, including evaluations of combined medication and psychosocial treatment for severe aggressive behavior in children with autism; examination of the educational placements and outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorders; and behavioral treatment for children with tic disorders.