Irene López is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Harvey F. Lodish Junior Faculty Development Professor in the Natural Sciences.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Dr. López is a clinical psychologist who studies psychopathology using a cross-cultural and feminist lens. Her areas of interests are in the intersection of psychology and anthropology, which was a topic that she explored in detail when she was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral scholar with Family Research Consortium IV and Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University. In particular, she is interested in the impact of acculturation on mental health, cross-cultural psychopathology, and socioeconomic status. Other areas of interest are phenotype, racial and ethnic identity, GLBT, and women's issues in ethnic minority communities, which she seeks to understand within the tradition of liberation psychology.

Dr. López has received a number of awards for her teaching and research, including a faculty fellowship by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education and a High Flyer Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Currently, she is a Task Force member of the American Psychology Association Committee on Socioeconomic Status.

An avid photographer, Dr. López is married to Dr. Thomas Hawks, a poet who teaches creative writing. Both recently returned from teaching abroad as part of the program Semester At Sea where they visited and lectured on various countries around the world (i.e., China, Japan, Viet Nam, India, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, and Brazil). They are the proud parents of Spencer and Sabina Hawks.

Areas of Expertise

Cross-cultural psychopathology, ethnic identity, women's issues in ethnic minority communities, acculturation and mental health

Education

Ph.D. Kent State University
M.A. Kent State University
B.A. Vassar College

Selected Publications

* indicates Kenyon Student

López, I. *Gonzalez, A., & *Ho, A. Skin color and Appearance (Accepted). In L. Smolak, J. K. Thompson, V. Swami, M. McCabe, D. B. Sarwer, N. Rumsey, S. Grogan, & E.P. Anderson-Fye (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance. Elsevier.

López, I., Dent, T., Ecosto, E, & *Prado-Steiman, M. (2011). Theories of acculturation and cultural identity. In A. Zagelbaum & J. Carlson (Eds.). Working with Immigrant Families: A Practical Guide for Counselors. Routledge Press.

Rivera, F., López, I., Ramirez, R., Guarnaccia, P., Canino, G., & Bird, H. A tale of two cities: Discrimination and antisocial behaviors in Puerto Rican children in two different contexts. (2010). Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. doi: 10.1007/s10903-010-9421-x

López, I., Ramirez, R., Guarnaccia, P., Canino, G., & Bird, H. Ataques de nervios and somatic complaints among Island and Mainland Puerto Rican children. (2010). CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00137.x

López, I., Rivera, F., Ramirez, R., Guarnaccia, P., Canino, G., & Bird, H. (2009). Ataques de nervios and their psychiatric correlates in Puerto Rican children from two different contexts. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, iii-x, 12,923-929. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181c2997d

López, I. R. (2008). Puerto Rican phenotype: Understanding its historical underpinnings and psychological associations. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 30, (2), 161-180. doi: 10.1177/0739986307313116.

López, I. R. (2008). "But you don't look Puerto Rican": The buffering effects of ethnic identity on the relation between skin color and self-esteem among Puerto Rican women. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14, (2), 102-108. doi: 10.1037/1099-9809.14.2.102

López, I. R., & Contreras, J. C. (2005). The best of both worlds: Biculturality, acculturation, and psychological adjustment among mainland Puerto Rican adolescent mothers. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36, (2), 192-208.

Courses Taught

PSYC 102 Introductory Psychology: Behavior in Context
PSYC 321 Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 327 Cross Cultural Psychology
PSYC 342 Clinical Psychology
WMNS 111 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies