Professor earns award for Asian American psychology research

Assistant Professor E.J. David will be heading to Hawaii to receive the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research at the AAPA Convention on July 30.

In nominating David for the award, Kevin Nadel, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, noted that David received his doctorate just six years ago, and while still a graduate student, first-authored "The Colonial Mentality Scale for Filipino Americans," still used by scholars interested in understanding the impacts of colonialism on mental health.

"Dr. David is a phenomenal researcher and scholar," Nadel wrote. "His greatest strengths are his genuineness, humility and his compassion for others. He demonstrates remarkable interpersonal skills. He is kind, conscientious, dependable and self motivated. He is passionate about his research."

David's latest book, "Brown Skin, White Minds" received high praise from critics, including these remarks from Dr. Martin Manalansan, a Filipino American Studies scholar:

'Brown Skin White Minds' is an important contribution to the ongoing debate and discussion about the afterlife of colonialism in the lives of Filipinos and Filipino Americans. This book is bound to be a major reference and a source of inspiration and future research."

This award, given to an early career psychologist who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in research and scholarship that contributes to the advancement of Asian American psychology, is David's second early career accolade. The first, from the American Psychological Association, also recognized his achievements in the field of postcolonial psychology and the psychology of marginalized groups.

David said he was deeply honored. "To have my peers and the authoritative organization in Asian American psychology recognize the value of my work is validating, not just for me but also to future researchers who might be interested in the topic of internalized oppression. This award will add legitimacy to my work, and will definitely help my future research endeavors and advance my career."

Read David's full I AM UAA profile to learn more about his path from Barrow High School to award-winning professor.

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