CONTACT: Kimberly Van Orden, (850) 321-0106; <vanorden@psy.fsu.edu>

By Jill Elish
May 2008

FSU DOCTORAL STUDENT RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLAR AWARD

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A Florida State University doctoral student has been awarded a prestigious scholarship to further the clinical psychology studies that she hopes will allow her to one day literally save lives.

Kimberly Van Orden, 28, has received a $15,000 P.E.O. Scholar Award from the International Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood for the 2008-09 academic year. Van Orden studies suicide risk assessment and management. When she completes her doctorate, she hopes to run a specialty clinic for individuals exhibiting suicidal behavior and conduct clinical trials to determine the most effective treatment.

“Your scholarly excellence, academic achievement and worthwhile career goals speak to your ability to make a significant contribution to your field,” said Susan Lombard, chairman of the P.E.O. Scholar Awards, in a letter to Van Orden.

Van Orden has conducted several studies with Distinguished Research Professor Thomas Joiner, who specializes in suicidal behavior and has authored many books and hundreds of journal articles on the topic. Van Orden’s research focuses on how perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness contribute to a person’s desire to commit suicide. In addition, she has developed a questionnaire to measure these traits and is currently testing its validity and usefulness.

Van Orden will begin a yearlong internship this summer at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. She plans to use her P.E.O. Scholar Award to cover the costs of travel to several professional conferences, the purchase of statistical software needed to complete her dissertation and living expenses not covered by her internship stipend.

Van Orden received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her master’s from FSU. She is the first FSU student to apply for a P.E.O. Scholar Award. P.E.O. International, a philanthropic organization based in Des Moines, Iowa, established the scholarship in 1991 to provide merit based awards for women in the United States or Canada who are pursuing a doctoral degree or engaged in postgraduate study or research.

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