Valerie Earnshaw, PhD

Associate Professor
Human Development and Family Sciences
University of Delaware

earnshaw@udel.edu
Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar

My interest in social psychological research was sparked when I was an undergraduate at the Pennsylvania State University and had the opportunity to work with Drs. Sarah Gervais and Terri Vescio as a research assistant on projects related to prejudice, power, and objectification. This work inspired me to earn a PhD in social psychology at the University of Connecticut under the mentorship of Dr. Diane Quinn. During this time, I pursued coursework and research opportunities to understand of how stigma impacts individuals. I also earned graduate certificates in health psychology and quantitative research methods. Through this training, I obtained a theoretical background in stigma and health processes, as well as methodological and statistical skills with which to study stigma and health.

I developed a foundation in HIV science via pre- and postdoctoral training. I completed predoctoral training via the NIMH Social Processes of HIV/AIDS Training Program at the University of Connecticut (T32MH074387) under the mentorship of Dr. Seth Kalichman. I then pursued postdoctoral training via the NIMH Interdisciplinary HIV Prevention Training Program at Yale University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (T32MH020031) under the mentorship of Dr. Jeannette Ickovics. I spent two years as an Instructor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Scientific Researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, where I received early career training in child- and family-centered outcomes research (K12HS022986) under the mentorship of Dr. Laura Bogart. I then moved to the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, where I received additional training in substance use disorder research and intervention science (K01DA042881) under the mentorship of Dr. John Kelly.

I am currently an Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. My research aims to understand and intervene in associations between stigma and health inequities throughout the lifespan. Much of my work is with people living with chronic illnesses, including substance use disorders, HIV, and mental illness. I also co-chair the Changing Perceptions and Stigma committee of Delaware’s Behavioral Health Consortium.