Bridget Walsh, an associate professor of human development and family studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, received the Margaret Arcus Award from the National Council on Family Relations. The prize is named after a legendary figure in the field of family life education. The award is accompanied by a plaque, a cash prize, and honors the scholars and educators who work to move the field of family life education forward.
“Family life education and being a certified family life educator is a huge part of my professional identity and it’s infused throughout my research, teaching, and scholarship,” Dr. Walsh said. “So, to be recognized, in such a large and prestigious way, really just means everything. I feel like I’m in a part in my career where a lot of my work is really picking up and it means everything. It was a huge honor.”
Dr. Walsh joined the faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2009. Her research interests currently focus on family involvement and engagement, home visiting, and vocabulary acquisition in the context of shared storybook reading.
Dr. Walsh is a graduate of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in child development from Texas Woman’s University.