Cheryl Grills, professor of psychology and director of the Psychology Applied Research Center at Loyola Marymount University, has been appointed President’s Professor in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. The title is the highest honor for faculty at the university.
Grills, a clinical psychologist with a current emphasis in community psychology, began her tenure-track position at LMU in 1987. She has dedicated her career to supporting the needs of low-income communities of color using research and community-centered models of prevention and treatment for mental and physical health. Since its founding in 2009, PARC has collaborated with many community-based organizations on grant-funded projects to facilitate social change and community empowerment through action-oriented research.
A national past president of the Association of Black Psychologists, Grills is also the founder of Imoyase Community Support Services, a 30-year nonprofit organization providing action research, program evaluation, and strategic technical assistance to social justice and social service community-based organizations.
In addition to leading large interdisciplinary research studies, Grills is also experienced at working within systems and public policy to address issues of disproportionality and structural racism in the child welfare system, justice system, and juvenile justice system.
