Becca Levy, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Locations
Appointments
Biography
Dr. Levy's research explores psychosocial factors that influence older individuals’ cognitive and physical functioning, as well as their longevity. She is credited with creating a field of study that focuses on how positive and negative age stereotypes, which are assimilated from the culture, can have beneficial and adverse effects, respectively, on the health of older individuals.Her studies have been conducted by longitudinal, experimental, and cross-cultural methods.
She has received numerous awards for her research including a Brookdale National Fellowship for Leadership in Aging, the Baltes Distinguished Research Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association, the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award from the Gerontological Society of America and the Ewald W. Busse Research Award in the Social Behavioral Sciences from the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics that is given once every four years. She is an Associate Editor of the Handbook of Psychology of Aging, a consulting editor for Psychology and Aging, is on the founding editorial board of Stigma and Health, and serves on the editorial boards of GeroPsych and Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Science.
Dr. Levy has given invited testimony before the United States Senate on the effects of ageism and contributed to briefs submitted to the United States Supreme Court in age-discrimination cases.
She received her Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University and held a National Institute on Aging postdoctoral fellowship at the Division of Aging and Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Her research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Science Foundation, and The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral FellowHarvard Medical School (1998)
- PhDHarvard University (1995)
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
Investigator Award for Outstanding Research in Public Health | Yale School of Public Health | 2022 |
Baltes Distinguished Research Achievement Award | American Psychological Association | 2019 |
Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award | Gerontological Society of America | 2016 |
Scholar Award for Research Related to Disadvantaged Older Adults | Senior Service America and Gerontological Society of America | 2014 |
Ewald W. Busse Research Award for Excellence in Social Behavioral Sciences | International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics | 2013 |
Donaghue Investigator Award | Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation | 2006 |
Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Award for Contributions in Behavioral and Social Gerontology | Baltes Foundation and Gerontological Society of America | 2003 |
Robert Wood Johnson Community Scholar | ||
Anti Ageism Task Force | International Longevity Center | |
Fellowship Status | American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science & Gerontological Society of America | |
Springer Award for Early Career Achievement in Adult Development and Aging, American Psychological Association | ||
Brookdale National Fellowship for Leadership in Aging | ||
International Mensa Foundation New Investigator Award for Excellence in Research |