University of Pittsburgh

Student Diversity

The Department of Psychology is committed to recruiting, supporting and training a diverse community of graduate students and providing an environment that welcomes all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion.

Fellowships designed to enhance the diversity of the University of Pittsburgh's graduate student population are available with assistance from the Arts & Sciences Graduate Studies Office.

The Psychology Department's Student Diversity committee was established to address issues of diversity faced by prospective and current graduate students in the department. The committee’s definition of diversity is broad and includes economic, cultural, ethnic, racial, and sexual minorities, non-US citizens, non-traditional students, and individuals with disabilities.

Committee goals include:

  • Increasing the many kinds of diversity of the students in the Psychology department
  • Assisting in providing students with professional development experiences that will better enable them to succeed in diverse environments
  • Promoting and showcasing research on the social, cognitive, developmental, health and behavioral effects of race, gender, culture, and diversity in general
  • Serving as a way-station to help distribute information and find contacts and resources
  • Encouraging opportunities to bring different perspectives and backgrounds to the department and university
  • Acting as a support group/advocacy group for students from diverse backgrounds
  • Engaging the local community in promoting diversity initiatives and programs

The Graduate Student Diversity Committee is active on many fronts.

Members of the committee contribute to the cultural competency of graduate student clinical training via workshops and lectures, including the Diversity Lectures provided to clinical program students in the Ethics and Professional Issues Course.

The Psychology Department/LRDC Graduate Student Diversity Book Scholarship was initiated by the committee to support the purchase of professional books related to students’ research and coursework. Up to four $250 awards are made to graduate students from underrepresented groups regardless of their area of research, and to students whose research concerns mind, behavior or well-being of individuals from underrepresented groups.

The newly established Department of Psychology Bonka Boneva Intercultural Research Award provides an annual $500 award to graduate students who are international students, and to students whose research contributes to intercultural understanding. 

 

The diversity committee organizes a Diversity Research Poster Session and Colloquium each may (Photos). The poster session provides an opportunity for graduate students and undergraduates to present diversity-related issues in their research, and the colloquium features prominent researchers chosen by the members of the committee. Previous colloquium speakers have included Dr. Laura Kohn-Wood speaking about the paradox of reduced risk for mood and anxiety disorders among minority groups and Dr. Joshua Aronson speaking about his research on stereotype threat (abstract). Support for the annual Poster Session and Colloquium is provided by the University of Pittsburgh Psychology Department and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS).

The committee also hosts occasional Happy Hours and Pizza Lunches to promote graduate student camaraderie and communication across training programs.

The Graduate Student Diversity Committee is an inclusive organization and therefore anyone is welcome to become involved. All interested parties are encouraged to attend committee meetings or to send suggestions and ideas for new initiatives.

If you are thinking about graduate study in the department and would like more information, or if you are a current student, please feel free to contact a member of the committee.  

Student Members:

Faculty Advisors:

May we also suggest:

 

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