Psychology Professor Wins National Award
for Outstanding Contributions
Drawn to St. John’s mission of serving those who are
marginalized,
Scyatta A. Wallace, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology,
has found the perfect environment to fulfill her work and
interests.
Since joining the University’s well-regarded Psychology
faculty four years ago, Dr. Wallace has earned recognition for
producing major research studies, inspiring students and garnering
many academic and professional honors.
This year, Dr. Wallace received the American Psychological Association’s
(APA) Carolyn Payton Early Career Award for “Gold Diggers, Video
Vixens, and Jezebels: Stereotype Images and Substance Use Among
Urban African American Girls,” a study published in the Journal of Women’s Health. She was presented with the
honor in August at the association’s annual convention in Orlando,
FL.
Dr. Wallace also was awarded a two-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
effective October 1, 2012. The grant will fund her continuing
research on the HIV/AIDS risk among young, formerly incarcerated
African-American males.
Grateful for both honors, Dr. Wallace especially appreciates the
APA recognition for her work on African-American women. “Getting
such a positive reception for my first formal foray into
researching issues that impact young black females gave me
confirmation to do further studies like this one,” she said.
Her winning paper examines the link between gender, race and
substance abuse. Essence magazine chose
to tap her expertise for a recent article on skin color and
self-image issues among American women.
“The research Dr. Wallace conducts is on the cutting edge in
gender and risk behavior studies in populations that are usually
ignored,” said
Beverly Greene, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, who nominated
her colleague for the award. “The University is very lucky to have
her.”
Dr. Wallace’s students agree. “I never anticipated having such a
special relationship with a professor,” said Paola Ogando ’12C.
“She has taught me so much about psychology and life — she has
become my role model.” Paola was one of 22 students who have
served as research lab assistants for Dr. Wallace.
Born in Liberia, West Africa, Dr. Wallace relocated to the
United States when she was 12 years old. “My family — like most
immigrant families — arrived here with practically nothing,” she
said. “Their support and encouragement helped me to excel in
school.” She still remembers the day she received a postcard from
Yale University, encouraging her to apply. “This was the first time
I thought that I might actually do great things some
day.”
Accepted to Yale, she entered college planning to study
medicine. It was a stint tutoring girls in New Haven who lived in
poverty and violence stricken areas that spurred Dr. Wallace’s
interest in developmental psychology. “I felt I could contribute to
society by finding ways to overcome risk-taking behavior,” she
said. “I am particularly drawn to helping youth.”
A member of the Ozanam Scholars Faculty Research Advisory
Committee and the Liberal Arts Faculty Council, Dr. Wallace also
was asked to take part in the 2011 Summer
Writing Institute in Paris, France.
She has participated as well in a multitude of professional
activities that include service on the Editorial Boards of the
Journal of Black Psychology and Applied Developmental
Science. In addition, she is a member of the African American
Scholars Working Group of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and
has chaired the APA Committee on Psychology and AIDS. Under her
tenure, the APA adopted a resolution combining behavioral
approaches with biomedical advances in the treatment of
HIV.
Dr. Wallace finds time to appear on NY1 and other media outlets
to speak about challenges and issues that face African-American
youth. She also contributes to health education panels on HIV
prevention that Black Entertainment Television (BET) runs at high
schools and colleges.
Above all, Dr. Wallace is committed to opening doors for her
students. “She has helped me expand my research skills and afforded
me the opportunity to get involved in a high-level training program
run by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta,” said Rebecca
Elliason ’14G, who chose Dr. Wallace as her dissertation mentor and
has been her doctoral fellow since entering graduate school. “She
has been my mentor throughout my studies.”