Inman honored for multicultural contributions

	Arpana G. Inman accepted her award at the the AAPA’s annual conference earlier this month.

Arpana G. Inman, assistant professor of counseling psychology, has been honored with the 2007 Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions by the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA).

The award was presented to Inman at the AAPA’s annual conference on August 16. The association is the oldest national psychological organization dedicated to advancing the welfare of the Asian American community.

“The award recognizes something all of us here at Lehigh have known for some time, and that is that Arpana has thoughtfully contributed to the advancement of mental health research here and abroad,” says Gary Lutz, interim dean of the College of Education. “She’s a talented faculty member who is just as passionate about teaching and mentoring as she is in her field work and research activities.”

Recipients of the Early Career Award may not have more than eight years post-PhD experience. Nominees must have a successful track record of scholarship, leadership and practical experience.

Since graduating in 1999 from Temple University with a Ph.D in counseling psychology, Inman has built a reputation for her multicultural work among the South Asian/Asian American community. Her research interests include such themes as social justice, the psychology of women, and cultural identity.

“It’s an incredible honor for me to have been recognized by my colleagues and peers in the Asian-American community,” says Inman. “Further, I am very appreciative of the College of Education’s dedication to multiculturalism and social justice issues, and the support of my colleagues in my research initiatives. This has played an important role in my achievements.”

Inman has a long relationship with the AAPA. For a year starting in 2002, she was co-chair for the division on women and, from 2003-2005, Inman served as vice president of the association.

She is also a co-founder of the South Asian Psychological Networking Association, which runs a website and listserv for South Asian Concerns.

Here at Lehigh, Inman was the recipient of the 2006 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Junior Faculty Minority Research Award and had the honor of introducing Arjun Appadurai during Alice P. Gast’s Presidential Inauguration earlier this year.

--Tom Yencho