BOX5-3 Clinical Psychologist Perspective: Elaine Walker, Ph.D.Elaine Walker is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of
Psychology and Neuroscience in the Department of
Psychology at Emory University. She leads a research
laboratory that is funded by the National Institutes of
Mental Health to study risk factors for major mental
illness. Her research is focused on child and adolescent
development and the brain changes that are associ-
ated with adolescence. She has published over 200 sci-
entific articles and six books dealing with mental
health and neuroscience. Dr. Walker also teaches
graduate and undergraduate courses at Emory.
Dr. Walker graduated from Washington Univer-
sity in St. Louis and received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psy-
chology from the University of Missouri in 1979. In
1978 – 1979, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at
the University of Southern California, and in 1980 she
joined the faculty of Cornell University, where she was
assistant then associate professor. In 1985, Dr. Walker
accepted a faculty position in the Department of Psy-
chology at Emory University. Dr. Walker is the recipient
of awards for her research, including a WT Grant Fac-
ulty/Scholar Award, two Career Development awards
from the National Institutes of Mental Health, the
Zubin Memorial Award from the New York Psychiatric
Institute, the Gralnick Award from the American Psy-
chological Society, the Cattell Foundation Award, the
Joseph Zubin Award for lifetime achievement in
research, and the Scholar-Teacher Award from Emory
University.
We asked Dr. Walker about her background and
interests, as well as her predictions about future trends
for clinical psychology and psychopathology research.What originally got you interested in the field of
clinical psychology?
As an undergraduate student, I worked part-time in a
psychiatric hospital, and my experiences with the
patients stimulated my interest in mental illness, espe-
cially the psychoses. I was already fascinated by science
and human behavior, so the combination of these fac-
tors had a major influence on my career path. I decided
to major in psychology by the end of my freshman
year, and by the time I was a sophomore made the
decision to pursue a career in clinical psychology.Describe what activities you are involved in as a
clinical psychologist.
I am a full-time faculty member at Emory University in
the Department of Psychology and in the graduate and
undergraduate programs in neuroscience. My primaryactivities are research, teaching, and service to the
field. The main focus of my research is childhood and
adolescent risk factors for serious mental illness. In
collaboration with graduate students, undergraduate
students, postdoctoral fellows, and investigators from
other universities, I conduct studies, publish papers,
and attend scientific meetings where research findings
are presented.
Because my research deals with clinical popula-
tions, a considerable amount of my time is spent in
diagnostic evaluation of patients and in the supervision
of psychological assessments and treatment. I am often
asked to consult on diagnostic evaluations of patients
and to assess their need for intervention. A typical
question is whether the individual is manifesting signs
of risk for psychosis.
My teaching on both the graduate and under-
graduate levels is primarily in the area of psychopa-
thology. On the undergraduate level, I teach a course
in abnormal psychology and advanced seminars on
psychosis. On the graduate level, I teach an advanced
course in psychopathology and also supervise students
who are conducting research for their master’s and
dissertation projects. Working with students at various
stages of their education is a very rewarding
experience.
Like most research faculty, I serve on the editorial
boards of journals, and I am the editor of one journal,
Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Thus, some
of my time is spent reviewing papers submitted for
publication by other researchers in my field. Doing so
provides the opportunity to keep up with advances in
the field.
Over the years, I have also been in various
administrative roles, including serving as director of
the Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology and chair
of the Department of Psychology.
There is no doubt that this diversity of profes-
sional activities—teaching, research, clinical work and
administration—makes my professional life very inter-
esting and gratifying. This is one of the benefits of the
field of clinical psychology; it provides opportunities
for involvement in a range of activities. It is difficult for
me to imagine a more fulfilling career.What are your particular areas of expertise or interest?
We study manifestations of risk for psychotic disorders
in the domains of motor and cognitive functions,
as well as biological indicators. Psychotic illnesses,
especially schizophrenia, can be very severe and140 CHAPTER 5