TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Board of Trustees has conferred the highest honor it gives to a faculty member to Dr. Louis D. Burgio, professor of psychology, director of UA’s Applied Gerontology Program and co-director of the Center for Mental Health and Aging. Burgio has been named University of Alabama Distinguished Research Professor by the board.
“Designation as a Distinguished Research Professor by our Board of Trustees signifies national and international recognition in the holder’s field and scholarly or research productivity of the highest order at The University of Alabama. Dr. Burgio is indeed a distinguished member of our faculty and well deserving of this recognition,” said Dr. Judy Bonner, UA provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Bonner also said that the Center for Mental Heath and Aging has been designated as a University-wide center targeted for expansion to broaden its scope in research services and community services.
“Our goal is to make this a nationally recognized research center. We are well placed to make this happen with the current program and want to work toward increasing the center’s size and expert activity,” said Bonner.
Burgio is nationally known for his research and expertise in the areas of geropsychology, caregiving, and interventions for dementia patients, having authored or co-authored more than 125 research publications, book chapters or technical reports in the most prestigious journals in the field.
He is considered a research pioneer in the care of Alzheimer’s patients, their families and professional caregivers, having developed effective protocols for the treatment of caregiver stress and the improvement of nursing home resident quality of life, tangibly bettering the lives of countless individuals in Alabama and throughout the nation.
Burgio has been the primary project director, co-director or primary mentor for research grants totaling more than $10 million awarded by the nation’s top research centers such as the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute for Mental Health, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Nursing Research, among others.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York and received his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Notre Dame in the areas of developmental psychology and applied behavior analysis.
Burgio is one of only seven faculty members at The University of Alabama to hold Distinguished Professor status. There are approximately 770 faculty members employed at UA.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,500 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and College students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 13 Rhodes Scholarships, 14 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships, and 16 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.
Contact
Rebecca Paul Florence, Director of College Relations, 205/348-8663