Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a Kenan Distinguished Professor of Social Psychology, will be the recipient of Meredith College’s 2018 Woman of Achievement Award.
Dr. Fredrickson has been selected by Meredith College as a woman of achievement for her highly cited work that has influenced scholars and practitioners worldwide within education, business, healthcare, the military and beyond. Her research is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NCI, NIA, NCCAM, NIMH, NINR). She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and her general audience books, Positivity (2009, Crown, PositivityRatio.com) and Love 2.0 (2013, Penguin, PositivityResonance.com) have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Fredrickson’s scholarly contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the inaugural Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology from the American Psychological Association, the Career Trajectory Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the inaugural Christopher Peterson Gold Medal from the International Positive Psychology Association. In 2017, she received the TANG Prize to honor her “exceptional contributions to the well-being of humanity” in recognition of her achievements in psychology over a 25-year career.
Meredith College’s Woman of Achievement Award recognizes women who are inspirational role models. Previous recipients include former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Parker, journalist Judy Woodruff, Tony Award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp, and N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.
Dr. Fredrickson will receive her award and present “Why Prioritize Positivity?” in a public lecture on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 7:00 PM in Jones Auditorium on Meredith College’s campus. The Woman of Achievement event, part of The Presidential Lecture Series at Meredith College, is free and open to the public.