John Graham, Ph.D., associate dean
in Kent State University’s College of
Public Health, received the Bruno
Klopfer award, presented by the Society
for Personality Assessment.

John Graham, Ph.D., associate dean in Kent State University’s College of Public Health, received the Bruno Klopfer award, presented by the Society for Personality Assessment in Brooklyn, New York, on March 5.

The Bruno Klopfer award is presented annually to individuals who made long-term, professional contributions to the field of personality assessment. The recipient gives an acceptance presentation at the Society for Personality Assessment’s annual convention and is invited to publish the presentation in the Journal of Personality Assessment.

“It’s a great honor,” Graham says. “The award is a recognition of an individual’s career accomplishments. It feels good to know that peers in the assessment field believe that I have contributed significantly to the area.”

Currently, Graham serves as the associate dean in the College of Public Health and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychological Sciences.

Graham’s contributions to the field began during his graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is there that he specialized in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and he has contributed to more than 100 publications on the test and written a textbook that is widely used in graduate psychological assessment courses.

The MMPI, originally published in 1943, was created to assist in assigning psychiatric labels to persons with psychiatric problem. Graham was co-author of a major revision of the test published in 1989 and named the MMPI-2.

“Currently, the test is used in a number of ways,” Graham says. “Consistent with the original purpose, the test is used in clinical settings to assist in understanding clients and planning treatment interventions. The test also is used to screen individuals for psychological problems that would interfere with job performance.”

Some version of the MMPI is used in nearly every police department in the country. The test also is used to screen airline pilots, nuclear power plant workers and others where public safety is involved.

Graham says he is humbled to receive an award previously given to some of the most significant names in psychology.

Sonia Alemagno, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health, says Graham’s name is worthy to be on that list.

“The College of Public Health is delighted to see the honor that has been granted to Dr. Graham,” Alemagno says. “His extraordinary research experience is a valuable asset to our faculty and students, and he is truly a distinguished colleague to all of us.”

Maria Zaragoza, Ph.D., chair of Kent State’s Department of Psychological Sciences, shares Alemagno’s sentiment about Graham’s notable work.

“Dr. Graham is a prolific and renowned scholar and an outstanding research mentor,” Zaragoza says. “To date, 43 students have completed their Ph.Ds. under his supervision. He has served as editor of the most prominent journals in his field, and he has held numerous administrative positions at the university, including department chair. There is no question that he has served the university and his profession with distinction. Dr. Graham is richly deserving of this award.”

For more information about the Society for Personality Assessment, visit www.personality.org.