Priscilla K. Coleman, Ph.D., Director
Professor of Human Development
and Family Studies
16D FCS Building
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
Dr. Coleman is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Her Ph.D. training was in Lifespan Developmental Psychology at West Virginia University, graduating in 1998. After a four year post at the University of the South in Sewanee TN, Dr. Coleman joined the faculty at BGSU. Acknowledging that a rich understanding of the human condition is necessarily dependent on analysis of behavior from multiple perspectives and levels of analysis, her research has naturally brought her into contact with ideas and findings from diverse fields. The outlets for her nearly 50 peer-reviewed journal articles have been in various disciplines including psychology (developmental, clinical, and social areas), family studies, education, and medicine (psychiatry, general practice, obstetrics and gynecology) among others.
A major concentration of Dr. Coleman’s research has been on the mental health effects of abortion with recent studies addressing the impact of abortion on interpersonal relationships (parenting and intimate partners). Her most recent publication was a meta-analysis of the literature published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. This study incorporates data from over 800,000 participants and is the largest study in the world on the mental health effects of abortion. Previous research focused on mother-child interaction, attachment, and the development of competency beliefs across the transition to parenting.
Dr. Coleman frequently presents her research to audiences across the U.S. and in recent years she has spoken in Australia, Chile, Germany, Poland, and Portugal. She has been called to serve as an expert in several state and civil court cases, has spoken at the UN, and in 2007 she testified before U.S. Congress. Dr. Coleman is currently on the editorial boards for five international psychological and medical journals.
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