Dr. Betty Lai, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, has been awarded the Early Career Award for Ethnic Minority Psychologist in Trauma Psychology by the American Psychological Association’s Division 56.

The award recognizes ethnic and racial minority psychologists who have made outstanding contributions in the study and practice of trauma psychology within seven years of graduating from a doctoral program.

Dr. Lai’s research focuses on understanding how stressors are related to children’s subsequent psychological distress symptoms (posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety), health behaviors (being sedentary, physical activity, diet), and health outcomes. She has conducted work analyzing children’s responses after disasters (Hurricanes Ike, Andrew, Charley, and Katrina), war, and peer victimization.

Dr. Lai was also recently awarded the Mary Fran Myers Scholarship from the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, and selected as a 2014 Scholar by the Academy on Violence and Abuse.

Learn more about her work at: http://publichealth.gsu.edu/profile/betty-lai/