Jan. 31, 2003

SMU NAMES ERNEST JOURILES AS CHAIR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Click on the photo below to view or download a high-resolution .jpg version.

DALLAS (SMU) -- A leading scholar who has been researching family violence for almost 20 years will become the chair of the psychology department in SMU’s Dedman College in the summer of 2003.

Ernest Jouriles joins SMU from the University of Houston, where he was the associate chair and director of Child and Family Studies for the clinical psychology program. He has been researching family and relational violence for almost 20 years. Jouriles’ sponsored research totals more than $3 million.

The hire marks a significant boost in the research projects for SMU's psychology department. Jouriles' research includes studying the link between domestic violence and child aggression with a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

He also is part of a project that is researching how to prevent abuse in adolescent dating relationships with $600,000 from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

"I regard Ernest Jouriles as a genuine star among psychologists," said Jasper Neel, dean of Dedman College. "He is someone who will immediately become a leader and help us build a department second to none."

Jouriles' research interests complement and enhance those of the current psychology faculty, including the work of Rick Ingram in parenting and emotional impact, Robert Hampson in family relationships, Chris Eckhardt in domestic violence, and Deborah Laible in parent-child relationships.

Jouriles earned a doctorate in 1987 in clinical psychology from the State University of New York. He graduated summa cum laude in 1982 from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

His books include Domestic Violence: Guidelines for Research-Informed Practice and Children Exposed to Family Violence: Theory, Research and Applied Issues. Jouriles has presented his work at conferences including the International Conference on Children Exposed to Family Violence, American Psychological Association, National Academy of Sciences, National Institutes of Health Youth Violence Consortium and National Institute of Justice.

In 1995, he received the Shannon Award from the National Institutes of Health for his research on reducing conduct problems for children of battered women. He was honored in 1991 with the President's New Research Award from the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy for his work about violence and victimization. He was named Psi Chi Professor of the Year at the University of Houston in 1998.

"All of our faculty are delighted to have such a renowned professional join us to lead the rebuilding of the psychology department," said Alan Brown, interim chair and psychology professor. "This rebuilding effort will primarily revolve around hiring several additional junior and senior faculty over the next three to five years."

Renee McDonald, Jouriles' colleague and wife, also will join the faculty at SMU as associate professor of psychology. McDonald, who earned a doctorate from the University of Houston, is also a researcher in the area of domestic violence. She is a collaborator with Jouriles on the National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grants. She is currently conducting research examining the effects of exposure to violence on the behavior and academic life of young children.