Don Strassberg retires with Professor Emeritus status

 

 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND:

George Peabody College 9/72-8/75 Clinical Psychology Ph.D.

University of New Hampshire 9/67-8/69 Psychology M. A.

Hunter College in the Bronx (CUNY) 9/63-6/67 Economics/Psychology B. A.

A wonderful colleague, he served on the faculty of the Department of Psychology from 1975 through the present – 43 years.  He was a visiting professor or visiting scholar at Erasmus University in the Netherlands and the University of Queensland, and a fellow at Cornell Medical School.

 Highlights from his CV:

• Authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.
• Authored/Presented over 250 conference presentations, invited addresses, and professional workshops.
• Served as PI or Co-PI on University, College, and Contract Grants totaling over $300,000.
• Served as Director of Clinical Training (DCT) or Co-DCT on three separate occasions.
• Diplomate (Clinical), American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), May, 2002
• Fellow, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, November, 2012

He is or has been, a member of the Editorial Board of every major sex research journal, including Archives of Sexual Behavior, The Journal of Sex Research, Sexual Abuse, and The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.  

He has also served as President of the Utah Psychological Association (UPA) as well as Chair of UPA’s Professional Practices Committee and Co-Chair of UPA’s Ethics Committee

Professional Honorsinclude every major teaching award at the University of Utah, and teaching awards from the major professional societies to which he belongs:

• Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Social & Behavioral Science, University of  Utah, May, 1986
• University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award, May, 1999.
• The Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching, April, 2010
• James W. Maddock (Teaching) Award, The Society for Family Psychology (American Psychological Association Division 43), August, 2013
• University of Utah Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Distinguished Scholar Mentor Award, Spring, 2017

Among Don's greatest contributions to the field and to the University are his mentorship of some extraordinarily successful graduate students. He has mentored 24 students through our top-notch clinical psychology PhD program.  Here are some excerpts from their nomination letters for his most recent mentoring award:

 "Dr. Strassberg has always been nothing short of an absolute joy to work with. It is impossible to obtain a doctoral degree without hearing stories of how fraught the advisor-advisee relationship can become. In some (many?) cases, this has nothing to do with interpersonal deficiencies in either party, but simply the difficulty of maintaining close and collegial relationships in the occasionally high-pressure environment of academia. My experience of Dr. Strassberg is that he values, and thus consistently provides, a collaborative and accessible learning environment for all his students. Dr. Strassberg is an effective communicator, who is honest and warm, while also goal-directed and creative. I came to understand quickly that I could always trust him to make concrete suggestions for improvement in ways that I was able to hear and then enact, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, given the evaluative nature of graduate school, I could always count on him to provide positive feedback and encouragement. Dr. Strassberg is not a cheerleader; he is an exceptional coach. He relishes fully understanding his students’ goals, so that he can best serve to assist them in their research and career aspirations. It has been an honor to know and work with him for these past 9 years."

"Don truly went above and beyond to shape me to become a successful clinical scientist.

I entered graduate school under Don’s mentorship in 2005. Over a 5-year period, he taught me how to be a researcher, a scientific writer, a presenter, and a clinician. I’ll never forget the first paper I wrote for him to review, after he read it he said, “This is not the writing of a graduate student.” My heart sank. Then he painstakingly spent months teaching me how to write scientifically. Now, a decade later, I have published nearly 20 peer-reviewed articles.

I’ll also never forget the first oral presentation I gave in graduate school. Don put me through, what I call, his presentation “boot camp.” He bought a portable projector, set up a mock presentation setting in his research lab, and painstakingly taught me how to present scientific findings, report statistical results, and tell a research story that grabs an audience. Now, I am an invited lecturer, getting paid to present at conferences.

While in graduate school, I wanted to gain clinical experience providing sex therapy, but there was no sex therapy practicum available. At the time, Don was only one of one two certified sex therapists in the entire state of Utah. Knowing that this was an interest of mine, he agreed to supervise me clinically on a few sex therapy cases. Don explained that he had never clinically supervised one of his graduate students before, but he knew this was a passion of mine. I conducted my first sex therapy case under the supervision of Don. This is yet another way he truly went above and beyond to shape me to become a successful clinical scientist."

Also noteworthy: 

Eighteen (!) senior and Honors thesis mentees have published with him. As you might imagine, publication as an undergraduate is not only one of the best exemplars of the reasons to attend a research-intensive University but also a considerable leg up on one's application to graduate or professional school.

 
 From my own chairs letter of support for the Graduate School Distinguished Mentor Award:

I would like to comment on a central aspect of his mentorship that may not be apparent from these glowing letters, namely the challenge of mentoring students who are dedicating themselves to research and clinical practice in the highly controversial topic of human sexuality. Don and his students have conducted groundbreaking research on everything from the impact of medical advances in the treatment of erectile dysfunction on couple functioning and the impact of treatment for chronic illness on sexual function, to such controversial topics as cyber bullying and sexting, bisexual attraction, pedophilia, and sexuality and sex education among teenagers and young adults with autism. As graduate advisors, faculty show different degrees of investment in teaching their students how to write and speak professionally. Imagine how much more challenging it is to teach new researchers to talk about human sexuality professionally without risking sensationalizing the findings or seeming to judge research participants or treatment clients.

 

I have seen firsthand his support of students seeking to advance the understanding of sexuality and sex education among teenagers with autism in which he insisted that the advanced graduate student who had worked so centrally on the project be acknowledged as a recipient of their intramural grant. As suggested above, his students have not shied away from challenging and controversial topics, such as pedophilia and other forms of sexual offense, that need to be better understood.  Students who are committed to research on such topics simply must have the support of a strong mentor. In turn, mentoring students who work on such controversial topics takes a special degree of attention not only to their research and clinical practice skills but also to how students represent the topic and their interest in it in their speaking, teaching, and writing. As you can see from the spectacular records of his students, they have not been harmed by their focus on controversial, yet vitally important topics – instead they have thrived. This kind of senior leadership about the importance and legitimacy of cutting-edge research and practice on sexuality has no equal.