Anna Davis, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, has been selected for a Doris Duke Fellowship for the Promotion of Child Well-Being — Seeking Innovations to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect.
Davis and 14 other fellows will each receive $30,000 per year for up to two years to support the completion of their dissertations and related research.
The fellowships are designed to develop a new generation of leaders capable of creating practice and policy initiatives that will enhance child development and improve the nation's ability to prevent all forms of child maltreatment, according to the website for the the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which funds the fellowships.
“I am most excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the others selected for the fellowship,” said Davis. “Each year the fellows form a cohort and meet to build relationships with future colleagues, learn from each other’s expertise, and work on a shared project. This is such a unique opportunity, especially because the fellows are chosen from universities across the country and from a range of disciplines including psychology, social work, and public health.”
Davis added that the support of multiple members of Catholic University’s psychology department “was critical in getting me to this point. Building upon all of the opportunities I have had through the University, I think that this fellowship will not only support me in conducting high-quality research for my dissertation, but will also connect me with a network of researchers who are passionate about the same issues that I am.”
“This is a very prestigious and well-funded fellowship,” said Marc Sebrechts, chair of the psychology department. “The research proposed in [Anna’s] dissertation on the consultative alliance in early childhood mental health consultation is especially important for elaborating protective factors for children in high-risk psychosocial contexts. She is very well-suited to provide a leadership role in practice and policy initiatives to enhance the development of children.”